28 Facts About Buster Williams

Charles Anthony "Buster" Williams was born on April 17,1942 and is an American jazz bassist.

Buster Williams was particularly inspired to focus on bass after hearing his father's record of Star Dust, performed by Oscar Pettiford, and started playing in his early teens.

Buster Williams had his first professional gig while he was still a junior high school student, filling in for Charles Sr.

Buster Williams later spent his days practicing with Sam Dockery, who was playing in Jimmy Heath's band in Philadelphia on a regular double bill with Sam Reed.

Just after graduating high school in 1960, Buster Williams had the opportunity to play with Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt when Nelson Boyd reached out to Charles Sr.

Buster Williams toured with them for about a year, from 1960 into 1961, until the group got stranded in Kansas City and was abandoned by Ammons, who fled without paying the band.

Buster Williams learned composition, syntax, harmony and theory from Dr Roland Wiggins.

Buster Williams was hired by Dakota Staton after hearing him at a gig in Wilmington, Delaware with the Gerald Price Trio in 1961.

In 1964, Buster Williams formed a more lasting working relationship with Nancy Wilson, with whom he recorded several albums for Capitol Records, and as a result he moved to Los Angeles.

Buster Williams would go on to work with numerous other vocalists throughout his career, including Sathima Bea Benjamin, Shirley Horn, Betty Carter, Jonathan Schwartz, Carmen McRae, Roseanna Vitro, Helen Merrill, Nnenna Freelon, Jon Lucien, Marguerite Mariama, and Champian Fulton.

Buster Williams' move to the West Coast facilitated touring and recording with Nancy Wilson as well as The Jazz Crusaders, with whom he recorded five albums for Pacific Jazz.

Buster Williams made his recording debut as leader in 1975 with the album Pinnacle for Muse Records, and he went on to lead several more sessions for Muse, Denon, and Buddah through 1980.

Buster Williams backed Ron Carter on several recording dates which featured Carter soloing on piccolo bass.

For 18 years between 1980 and 1998, Buster Williams made only one record as leader, 1989's Something More, with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Al Foster, and trumpeter Shunzo Ono, featuring five original compositions by Buster Williams.

Buster Williams continues to perform with a rotating lineup as Buster Williams' "Something More", touring Europe in 2013 with Joey Baron, Eric Reed, and saxophonist Bruce Williams.

In June 2008, Buster Williams self-released Live Volume 1 exclusively as a digital download.

Buster Williams was nominated for a Grammy Award for his work with Hank Jones and Tony Buster Williams on Love For Sale, the first of Jones' records credited to "The Great Jazz Trio".

Buster Williams continued to tour with Herbie Hancock throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and performed at a Grammy Awards ceremony with Hancock, Tony Buster Williams, and Bobby McFerrin.

From 2010 into 2014, Buster Williams toured with Sonny Fortune, Mike Stern, and Jimmy Cobb as "4 Generations of Miles", named after a 2002 concert and recording for Chesky representing four different eras of Miles Davis bands.

Buster Williams formed his own non-profit corporation to continue this work in 2013.

Buster Williams made a short tour of Europe in March 2014 as part of the Steve Kuhn trio with Billy Drummond.

Buster Williams worked on several film soundtracks and television commercials throughout his career.

Buster Williams reunited with Ron Carter for Alain Corneau's 1981 film Le Choix des Armes, with music composed by Philippe Sarde and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.

Buster Williams made several television appearances as well, performing five of his own compositions with Branford Marsalis' The Tonight Show band, and backing Erroll Garner during an earlier Tonight Show appearance.

Buster Williams appeared on The Andy Williams Show with Nancy Wilson, with Bill Cosby on The Joan Rivers Show, and with Joe Williams on Sesame Street.

Buster Williams appeared as himself in the 2004 Steven Spielberg film The Terminal, playing in Benny Golson's quartet with Mike LeDonne and Carl Allen.

Buster Williams was married in 1965 to Veronica, whom he met in junior high school, and as of 2014, he lives in Camden with his wife.

Buster Williams has been recognized by the Min-On Concert Association, RVC Corporation, and Soka Gakkai International.