William Ballard Doggett (February 16, 1916 – November 13, 1996) was an American pianist and organist. He began his career playing

swing music Swing music is a style of jazz that developed in the United States during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It became nationally popular from the mid-1930s. The name derived from its emphasis on the off-beat, or nominally weaker beat. Swing bands ...

before transitioning into

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

. Best known for his

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

compositions "

Honky Tonk A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano ( tack piano) ...

" and "Hippy Dippy", Doggett was a pioneer of

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

. He worked with

the Ink Spots The Ink Spots were an American pop vocal group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style presaged the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely a ...

Johnny Otis Johnny Otis (born Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes; December 28, 1921 – January 17, 2012) was an American singer, musician, composer, bandleader, record producer, and talent scout. He was a seminal influence on American R&B and rock and roll. He ...

Wynonie Harris Wynonie Harris (August 24, 1915 – June 14, 1969) was an American blues shouter and rhythm-and-blues singer of upbeat songs, featuring humorous, often ribald lyrics. He had fifteen Top 10 hits between 1946 and 1952. Harris is attributed by ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

, and

Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as " the King of the Jukebox", he earned his high ...

Biography

Doggett was born in Philadelphia. During the 1930s and early 1940s he worked for

Lucky Millinder Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder (August 8, 1910 – September 28, 1966) was an American swing and rhythm-and-blues bandleader. Although he could not read or write music, did not play an instrument and rarely sang, his showmanship and musical ...

Frank Fairfax Frank Thurmond Fairfax (25 November 189925 January 1972) was the organizer of Philadelphia's Protective Union Local 274 (1935–1971), a charter of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM/AFofM) for black musicians. Fairfax was also a bandleader, ...

and arranger

Jimmy Mundy James Mundy (June 28, 1907 – April 24, 1983) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, arranger, and composer, best known for his arrangements for Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Earl Hines. Mundy died of cancer in New York City at the age of 75 ...

. In 1942 he was hired as

' pianist and arranger. In 1951, Doggett organized his own trio and began recording for King Records. His best known recording is "

", a

hit of 1956, which sold four million copies (reaching No. 1 R&B and No. 2 Pop), and which he co-wrote with Billy Butler. The track topped the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' R&B chart for over two months. He also arranged for many bandleaders and performers, including

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

, and

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...

. He continued to play and arrange until he died, aged 80, of a heart attack in New York City.

Discography

Singles

7" EPs (all on
King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
)

*KEP-259 ''Bill Doggett, His Organ And Combo, Vol. 1'' (1954) *KEP-325 ''Bill Doggett, His Organ And Combo, Vol. 2'' (1954) *KEP-326 ''Bill Doggett, His Organ And Combo, Vol. 3'' (1954) *KEP-334 ''Bill Doggett, His Organ And Combo, Vol. 4'' (1955) *KEP-346 ''All Time Christmas Favorites'' (1955) *KEP-352 ''Bill Doggett, His Organ And Combo, Vol. 5'' (1955) *KEP-382 ''Doggett Dreams, Vol. 6'' (1956) *KEP-388 ''Doggett Jumps, Vol. 7'' (1956) *KEP-390 ''Bill Doggett, His Organ And Combo: Honky Tonk!'' (1956) *KEP-391 ''Bill Doggett, Volume 1'' (1956) *KEP-392 ''Bill Doggett, Volume 2'' (1956) *KEP-393 ''Bill Doggett, Volume 3'' (1956) *KEP-394 ''As You Desire Me (Volume 1)'' (1956) *KEP-395 ''As You Desire Me (Volume 2)'' (1956) *KEP-396 ''As You Desire Me (Volume 3)'' (1956) *KEP-397 ''

Earl Bostic Eugene Earl Bostic (April 25, 1913 – October 28, 1965) was an American alto saxophonist. Bostic's recording career was diverse, his musical output encompassing jazz, swing, jump blues and the post-war American rhythm and blues style, which h ...

– Bill Doggett'' (1956) *KEP-399 ''A Salute To Ellington (Volume 1)'' (1957) *KEP-400 ''A Salute To Ellington (Volume 2)'' (1957) *KEP-401 ''A Salute To Ellington (Volume 3)'' (1957) *KEP-402 ''Dame Dreaming (Volume 1)'' (1957) *KEP-403 ''Dame Dreaming (Volume 2)'' (1957) *KEP-404 ''Dame Dreaming (Volume 3)'' (1957) *KEP-407 ''Bill Doggett, His Organ And Combo: Hot Doggett'' (1957) *KEP-408 ''Bill Doggett, His Organ And Combo: Soft'' (1957) *KEP-424 ''Hold It! (Volume 1)'' (1958) *KEP-425 ''Hold It! (Volume 2)'' (1958) *KEP-426 ''Hold It! (Volume 3)'' (1958) *KEP-442 ''High And Wide (Volume 1)'' (1959) *KEP-443 ''High And Wide (Volume 2)'' (1959) *KEP-444 ''High And Wide (Volume 3)'' (1959) *KEP-448 ''Big City Dance Party (Volume 1)'' (1959) *KEP-449 ''Big City Dance Party (Volume 2)'' (1959) *KEP-450 ''Big City Dance Party (Volume 3)'' (1959)

10" LPs

*''Bill Doggett, His Organ And Combo, Volume 1'' King 295-82 (1954) *''Bill Doggett, His Organ And Combo, Volume 2'' King 295-83 (1954) *''All Time Christmas Favorites'' King 295-89 (1954) *''Sentimentally Yours'' King 295-102 (1955)

12" LPs

*''Moon Dust'' King 395-502 (1956) *''Hot Doggett'' King 395-514 (1956) *''As You Desire Me'' King 395-523 (1956) eissue of King 295-102 plus 4 additional tracks*''

Everybody Dance the Honky Tonk ''Everybody Dance the Honky Tonk'' is an album by American organist Bill Doggett released by the King label in 1956.Dame Dreaming ''Dame Dreaming'', also known as ''Dame Dreaming with Bill Doggett'', is an album by American organist Bill Doggett released by the King label in 1957.

'' King 395-532 (1957) *''

A Salute to Ellington ''A Salute to Ellington'' is an album by American organist Bill Doggett released by the King label in 1957.Doggett Beat for Dancing Feet ''Doggett Beat for Dancing Feet'' is an album by American organist Bill Doggett released by the King label in 1957.Dance Awhile with Doggett ''Dance Awhile with Doggett'' is an album by American organist Bill Doggett released by the King label in 1958.eissue of King 295-89 plus 6 additional tracks*''Hold It!'' King 609 (1959) *''High And Wide'' King 633 (1959) *''Big City Dance Party'' King 641 (1959) *''Bill Doggett on Tour'' his is NOT a live albumKing 667 (1959) *''For Reminiscent Lovers, Romantic Songs By Bill Doggett'' King 706 (1960) *''Back With More Bill Doggett'' King 723 (1960) *''The Many Moods Of Bill Doggett'' King 778 (1962) *''Bill Doggett Plays American Songs, Bossa Nova Style'' King 830 (1963) *''Impressions'' ompilationKing 868 (1963) *''The Best Of Bill Doggett'' ompilationKing 908 (1964) *''Bonanza Of 24 Songs'' ompilationKing 959 (1966) *''Take Your Shot'' King 1041 (1969) *''Honky Tonk Popcorn'' King 1078 (1970) *''The Nearness Of You'' ompilationKing 1097 (1970) *''Ram-Bunk-Shush'' ompilationKing 1101 (1970) *''Sentimental Mood'' ompilationKing 1104 (1971) *''Soft'' ompilationKing 1108 (1971) *''14 Original Greatest Hits'' ompilation; reissued as ''All His Hits''King-Starday 5009 (1977) *Charles Brown: ''PLEASE COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS'' his vocal album includes 4 instrumental tracks by Bill DoggettKing-Starday 5019 (1978)

12" LPs issued by other labels

*''3,046 People Danced 'Til 4 A.M. To Bill Doggett'' his is a live albumWarner Bros. WS-1404 (1961) *''The Band With The Beat!'' Warner Bros. WS-1421 (1961) *''Bill Doggett Swings'' Warner Bros. WS-1452 (1962) *''Rhythm Is My Business'' (

with Bill Doggett) Verve V6-4056 (1962) *''Oops! The Swinging Sounds Of Bill Doggett'' Columbia CL-1814/CS-8614 (1962) *''Prelude To The Blues'' Columbia CL-1942/CS-8742 (1963) *''Fingertips'' Columbia CL-2082/CS-8882 (1963) *''Wow!'' ABC-Paramount S-507 (1964) *''Honky Tonk A-La-Mod!'' Roulette SR-25330 (1966) *''Bill Doggett'' Disques Black And Blue 33.029 (1971) - later released on CD as ''I Don't Know Much About Love'' (Black & Blue 59.029) in 1991. *''Bill Doggett feat. Eddie Davis & Eddie Vinson'' Disques Black And Blue 33.138 (1978) - with

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Edward F. Davis (March 2, 1922 – November 3, 1986), known professionally as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. It is unclear how he acquired the moniker "Lockjaw" (later shortened in "Jaws"): it is either said that ...

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (born Edward L. Vinson Jr.; December 18, 1917 – July 2, 1988) was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter. He was nicknamed Cleanhead after an incident in which his hair was ...

*''Midnight Slows, Vol. 9'' Disques Black And Blue 33.145 (1978) *''Midnight Slows, Vol. 10'' Disques Black And Blue 33.160 (1979) - with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis *''Mister Honky Tonk'' Disques Black And Blue 33.562 (1980) *''The Right Choice'' After Hours/Ichiban AFT-4112 (1991) - note: this is Doggett's last recorded album of original material; also released on CD.

CD releases/compilations of note

*''Gon' Doggett'' Charly R&B CRB-1094 P(1985) *''Trading Licks'' Charly R&B CD-51 (1987) [shared CD with

; 12 tracks by Doggett and 8 tracks by Bostic; all King material] *''Leaps And Bounds'' Charly R&B CD-281 (1991) *''The EP Collection'' See For Miles SEECD-689 (1999) *''Everyday, I Have The Blues (The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions)'' Black & Blue BB-911 (2002) *''Honky Tonk: The Very Best Of Bill Doggett'' Collectables 2876 (2004) *''The Chronological Bill Doggett 1952-1953'' Classics (Blues & Rhythm Series) 5097 (2004) *''Am I Blue'' Black & Blue BB-468 (2005) *''The Chronological Bill Doggett 1954'' Classics (Blues & Rhythm Series) 5175 (2006) *''Honky Tonk Popcorn'' Beat Goes Public/BGP CDBGPD-249 (2012) reissue of King 1078 plus 5 bonus tracks. *''Everybody Dance The Honky Tonk/Doggett Beat For Dancing Feet'' Soul Jam 806174 (2019) 2LP-on-1CD *''Dancing With Doggett: Bill Doggett, His Organ & Combo 1955-1960'' Jasmine JASMCD-3142 (2019) - compilation that also includes the entire ''3,046 People Danced 'Til 4 A.M.'' album.

As sideman

;With

*''

Lullabies of Birdland ''Lullabies of Birdland'' is a 1955 studio album by Ella Fitzgerald, issued on the Decca Records label. The album features tracks recorded during the late 1940s and early 1950s, that had been previously issued on 78rpm single. MCA Records re-issu ...

'' (

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

DL-8149, 1945–1955 el. 1956 note: includes "Rough Ridin'", "Smooth Sailing", and "Air Mail Special" with Doggett on organ. ;With

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...

*''

The Hawk Talks ''The Hawk Talks'' is an album by saxophonist Coleman Hawkins compiling tracks recorded between 1952 and 1953 for the Decca label which were first released on LP in 1955.Evensmo, JThe Tenor Sax of Coleman Hawkins Part 3: 1950 – 1959 Retrieved J ...

'' (Decca DL-8127, 1952–1953 el. 1955 ;With

Helen Humes Helen Humes (June 23, 1913 – September 9, 1981) was an American singer. Humes was a teenage blues singer, a vocalist with Count Basie's band, a saucy R&B diva, and a mature interpreter of the classic popular song. Early life She was born on ...

*''Complete 1927–1950 Studio Recordings'' (Jazz Factory JFCD-22844, 2001) 3-CD set - note: includes the 5 tracks that Humes recorded with Doggett's octet for Philo/

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

in 1945: "Unlucky Woman", "Every Now And Then", "He May Be Your Man", "Blue Prelude", and "Be-Baba-Leba". ;With Willis Jackson *''Call of the Gators'' (Delmark, DD-460, 1949–1950

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

recordings

el. 1992 EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

;With

Illinois Jacquet Jean-Baptiste "Illinois" Jacquet (October 30, 1922 – July 22, 2004) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on "Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo. Although he was a pioneer of t ...

*''Illinois Jacquet And His Tenor Sax'' (Aladdin LP-708 0" 1945–1947

el. 1954 EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

Aladdin LP-803 el. 1956 Imperial LP-9184/LP-12184

el. 1962 EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American p ...

;With

*''Jivin' with Jordan'' (

Proper Proper may refer to: Mathematics * Proper map, in topology, a property of continuous function between topological spaces, if inverse images of compact subsets are compact * Proper morphism, in algebraic geometry, an analogue of a proper map for ...

Box 47, 1938–1951 Decca recordings

el. 2002 EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

4-CD set ;With

*''The Chronological Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra 1941–1942'' (

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

712, 1993) *''The Chronological Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra 1943–1947'' (Classics 1026, 1998) ;With

Paul Quinichette Paul Quinichette (May 17, 1916 – May 25, 1983) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He was known as the "Vice President" or "Vice Prez" for his emulation of the breathy style of Lester Young, whose nickname was "The President", or simply "P ...

*''The Vice Pres'' (

EmArcy EmArcy Records is a jazz record label founded in 1954 by the American Mercury Records. The name is a phonetic spelling of "MRC", the initials for Mercury Record Company. During the 1950s and 1960s, musicians such as Max Roach, Clifford Brown ...

MG-36027, 1951–1952

;With

Buddy Tate George Holmes "Buddy" Tate (February 22, 1913 – February 10, 2001) was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist. Biography Tate was born in Sherman, Texas, United States, and first played the alto saxophone. According to the website All Ab ...

*''Jumping on the West Coast'' (Black Lion 760175, 1947–1949 Supreme recordings

;With

Lucky Thompson Eli "Lucky" Thompson (June 16, 1924 – July 30, 2005) was an American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist whose playing combined elements of swing music, swing and bebop. Although John Coltrane usually receives the most credit for bringing th ...

*''The Chronological Lucky Thompson 1944–1947'' (Classics 1113, 2000)

References

External links

Bill Doggett recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

.
History of Rock
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doggett, Bill 1916 births 1996 deaths 20th-century African-American musicians 20th-century American composers 20th-century American keyboardists 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American pianists 20th-century jazz composers 20th-century organists African-American jazz pianists African-American jazz composers American blues pianists American jazz composers American jazz pianists American jazz organists American male jazz composers American male pianists American male organists American music arrangers American rhythm and blues keyboardists American rock keyboardists Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania King Records artists Musicians from Philadelphia Rock and roll musicians Swing pianists

Biography

Discography

Singles

7" EPs (all on King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...)

10" LPs

12" LPs

12" LPs issued by other labels

CD releases/compilations of note

As sideman

See also

References

External links

7" EPs (all on
King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
)