Billy Taylor
William Taylor Sr. (April 3, 1906 – September 2, 1986) was an American jazz bassist. He was born Washington, D.C., and died in Fairfax, Virginia. Taylor began playing tuba but later picked up bass alongside it. After moving to New York City in 1924, he played with Elmer Snowden (1925), Willie Gant and Arthur Gibbs (1926), Charlie Johnson (1927–1929, 1932–1933), Duke Ellington (1928), McKinney's Cotton Pickers (1929–1931), Fats Waller (1934), and Fletcher Henderson. He recorded with Jelly Roll Morton on three sessions in 1930. From 1935 to 1940, he again played with Ellington, and it is for this association that he is best remembered; he often played with a second bassist in the orchestra, at times Hayes Alvis or Jimmie Blanton. During that time, he also recorded with Cootie Williams and Johnny Hodges. In the 1940s, he played with Coleman Hawkins (1940), Red Allen (1940–41), Joe Sullivan (1942), Raymond Scott (1942–43), Cootie Williams (1944), Barney Bigard (1944–45), Benny Morton (1945), and Cozy Cole (1945). Later in the decade he played freelance in New York before moving back to Washington, D.C., in 1949. He led his own ensemble for Keynote Records in 1944. |
Birth and Death Data: Born February 11, 1942 (Washington, D.C.), Died September 2, 1986 (Fairfax)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1930 - 1954
Roles Represented in DAHR: piano, string bass, leader, tuba, composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 128 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BVE-62182 | 10-in. | 6/2/1930 | Oil well | Jelly Roll Morton ; Red Hot Peppers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tuba | |
Victor | BVE-62183 | 10-in. | 6/2/1930 | Load of coal | Jelly Roll Morton ; Red Hot Peppers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tuba | |
Victor | BS-82526 | 10-in. | 5/16/1934 | A porter's love song to a chambermaid | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Victor | BS-82527 | 10-in. | 5/16/1934 | I wish I were twins | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Victor | BS-82528 | 10-in. | 5/16/1934 | Armful o' sweetness | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Victor | BS-82529 | 10-in. | 5/16/1934 | Do me a favor | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Victor | BS-037632 | 10-in. | 6/13/1939 | 12th Street rag | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with piano solo | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Victor | D7VB-1954 | 10-in. | 10/31/1947 | Little small town girl (with the big town dreams) | Delta Rhythm Boys | Male vocal quartet with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Victor | D7VB-1955 | 10-in. | 10/31/1947 | I can't tell a lie to myself | Delta Rhythm Boys | Male vocal quartet with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Victor | D7VB-1956 | 10-in. | 10/31/1947 | Ain't gonna worry 'bout a soul | Delta Rhythm Boys | Male vocal quartet with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Victor | D7VB-1957 | 10-in. | 10/31/1947 | Never underestimate the power of a woman | Delta Rhythm Boys | Male vocal group with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Columbia | W152577 | 10-in. | 11/24/1933 | Do your duty | Buck and his Band ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Columbia | W152578 | 10-in. | 11/24/1933 | Gimme a pigfoot | Buck and his Band ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Columbia | W152579 | 10-in. | 11/24/1933 | Take me for a buggy ride | Buck and his Band ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Columbia | W152580 | 10-in. | 11/24/1933 | I'm down in the dumps | Buck and his Band ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Columbia | W152719 | 10-in. | 2/23/1934 | Tailor made | Benny Morton Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
Columbia | W152720 | 10-in. | 2/23/1934 | The gold diggers' song | Henry Allen ; Benny Morton Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and trumpet solo | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Decca | 39518 | 10-in. | 5/7/1935 | Corinne Corinna | Bob Howard Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 39519 | 10-in. | 5/7/1935 | Ev'ry day | Bob Howard Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 39520 | 10-in. | 5/7/1935 | A porter's love song | Bob Howard Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 39521 | 10-in. | 5/7/1935 | I can't dance | Bob Howard Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 68605 | 10-in. | 1/21/1941 | Wee baby blues | Art Tatum and his Band | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
Decca | 68606 | 10-in. | 1/21/1941 | Stompin' at the Savoy | Art Tatum and his Band | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
Decca | 68607 | 10-in. | 1/21/1941 | Last goodbye blues | Art Tatum and his Band | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
Decca | 68608 | 10-in. | 1/21/1941 | Battery bounce | Art Tatum and his Band | instrumentalist, string bass |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Taylor, Billy," accessed November 2, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/110259.
Taylor, Billy. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 2, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/110259.
"Taylor, Billy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 2 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Billy Taylor Sr.
Discogs: Billy Taylor
Allmusic: Billy Taylor
Grove: Billy Taylor
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Taylor, Billy, 1906-1986 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no96027391
Wikidata: Billy Taylor Sr. - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q863242
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/79168229
MusicBrainz: Billy Taylor Sr. - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/9c0e864c-f356-4ebc-98af-0a45cd7801b9
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