Charleston Musicians
A - G | H - M | N - T | U - Z

Other South Carolina Musicians
A - G | H - M | N - T | U - Z

Ulmer, “Blood” James (b. 1942)
Born in St. Matthews, SC; guitarist; Ulmer began his career playing in funk bands, first in Pittsburgh (1959-64) and later around Columbus, OH (1964-67); he gigged at Minton's Playhouse and played with Art Blakey, recorded with Rashied Ali’s Quintet (1973), and worked with Ornette Coleman, Ulmer’s main influence; he recorded in the 1970s and 1980s, and recorded three sessions for Columbia (1981) which gained him wide exposure; he collaborated with the Music Revelation Ensemble (tenor saxophonist, David Murray, bassist, Amin Ali, and drummer, Ronald Shannon Jackson) and they produced several albums over two decades; his work with Phalanx (tenor saxophonist, George Adams, bassist, Sirone, and drummer, Rashied Ali) catapulted him into free jazz expressionism that made him successful; in recent years (1980s-1990s), his work has evolved from free jazz to more structured music though his work in the 1990s with Music Revelation Ensemble still hints at his earlier style; his recordings are numerous including Memphis Blood: The Sun Sessions, No Escape From the Blues (2003), Birthright (2005), and ten solo originals and two covers of classic repertoire.

Williams, John C., Jr.
Born in Orangeburg, SC; baritone saxophonist; graduate of South Carolina State University; played and recorded with Sarah Vaughan, the Manhattan Transfer, Diane Schuur, Lena Horne, Joe Williams, Tito Puente, and most notably with the Count Basie Orchestra for more than two decades (1980s-present); some of Williams’ first recordings with the Basie Orchestra can be found in a collection titled, The Golden Years (Pablo, 1972-1983) – playing on these recordings with Williams are Charlestonians and South Carolinians, Freddie Green, Pete Minger, Dizzy Gillespie, and Norman Keenan.

Williams, Sandy (1906-1991)
Born in Summerville, SC; trombonist; moved to Washington, D.C. as a child and played his first gig with the Miller Brothers in D.C. and with small bands led by Sidney Bechet, where Williams is said to have done some of his finest work; his first recording with Bechet was in 1940, and in 1945 he played with Bechet’s band at a Town Hall concert celebrating the Blue Note record label; he also played in the pit band in D.C. at the Lincoln Theater; he later joined Claude Hopkins (1927-1930), Horace and Fletcher Henderson (1929-33), and then Chick Webb until 1940 after Webb’s death and under the leadership of Ella Fitzgerald; in 1943, he played with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and with Coleman Hawkins, Lucky Millinder, Benny Carter, Cootie Williams, “Hot Lips” Page, Don Redman, and Roy Eldridge, periodically; Williams toured with Rex Stewart in Europe (1947-48) and later played with Dixieland groups; a fine trombonist of the Jimmy Harrison school who never got the chance to break through and become the prominent figure he could have been partly because of persistent health problems during the 1950s and subsequent dental problems during the 1960s; Williams died in 1991 in New York City.

Young, Webster English (1932-2003)
Born in Columbia, SC (Lexington County); cornetist/trumpeter; later resided in Washington, DC; played and recorded with many of the giants of jazz from the 1940s and 1950s including Lester Young, Mal Waldron, John Coltrane (1957), Jackie McLean, Ray Draper, and others; he played in the Air Force Band with Hampton Hawes in DC (1956); he has several albums under his name including Plays the Miles Davis Songbook (volumes 1-3) and For Lady (Prestige, 1957); “Millie’s Pad” is one of his compositions; he taught jazz improvisation and was the 1984 musical director of Lettumplay, Washington, D.C.’s jazz preservation organization and youth jazz ensemble; Young died in 2003 in Portland, OR at the age of 71 following a battle with brain cancer.

Charleston Musicians
A - G | H - M | N - T | U - Z

Other South Carolina Musicians
A - G | H - M | N - T | U - Z