Nelson "Cadillac" Williams
Nelson "Cadillac" Williams (September 26, 1917, Montgomery, Alabama – 1973, Voorburg, the Netherlands) was an American jazz trumpeter. Williams began playing piano at age 13 and settled on trumpet soon afterwards; he may have played with blues pianist/singer Cow Cow Davenport while still a teenager. In the 1930s, he played in the territory bands Trianon Crackerjacks and Brown Skin Models, and acted as musical director for the Dixie Rhythm Girls. Around 1940, he left Alabama for Philadelphia, where he played with Tiny Bradshaw's band before joining the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war, Billy Eckstine hired Williams, and following this he worked with John Kirby and pianist Billy Kyle. In 1949, he began the first of several stints with Duke Ellington, who bestowed upon him the nickname "Cadillac". In 1951, he left Ellington's employ and moved to Paris, where he led his own bands and recorded for French labels. He returned to Ellington in 1956, and played with him again in 1969 on a tour of Europe. He settled in the Netherlands, and died in 1973. |
Birth and Death Data: Born September 26, 1917 (Montgomery), Died November 20, 1973 (Netherlands)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1951
Roles Represented in DAHR: trumpet
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Columbia | CO45831 | 10-in. | approximately 5/24/1951 | Brown Betty | Duke Ellington Orchestra ; Duke Ellington | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trumpet |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Williams, Nelson "Cadillac"," accessed August 21, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/362538.
Williams, Nelson "Cadillac". (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved August 21, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/362538.
"Williams, Nelson "Cadillac"." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 August 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Nelson Williams
Discogs: Nelson "Cadillac" Williams
Allmusic: Nelson "Cadillac" Williams
Grove: Nelson "Cadillac" Williams
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Williams, Nelson, 1917-1973 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nb99156597
Wikidata: Nelson Williams - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1977058
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/37103976
MusicBrainz: Nelson Williams - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/a3476627-b008-46c6-8b80-37f09189be5e
ISNI: 0000 0000 5930 3867 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000059303867
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