John C. "Johnny" Williams (born October 31, 1936) is an American saxophonist who known for his work in the

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

, blues and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

genres. During his career, Williams maintained a longtime association with the

Count Basie Orchestra The Count Basie Orchestra is a 16 to 18 piece big band, one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the swing era, founded by Count Basie in 1935 and recording regularly from 1936. Despite a brief disbandment at the beginning of the 195 ...

Early life

Williams was born in

Orangeburg, South Carolina Orangeburg, also known as ''The Garden City'', is the principal city in and the county seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population of the city was 13,964 according to the 2010 United States Census and declined to 1 ...

. He began playing piano as a child and started playing saxophone at age twelve. He acquired a bachelor's degree in music education at South Carolina State College and then enrolled in a graduate program in music at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

, but because the school did not have a saxophone performance concentration, he left after three semesters."Johnny Williams (ii)". '' The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. 2nd edition, ed. Barry Kernfeld.

Career

After leaving college, Williams relocated to Los Angeles and soon enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

. He also studied at the

United States Armed Forces School of Music The Naval School of Music (formerly and still widely known as the U.S. Armed Forces School of Music) is a United States Navy school located at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek–Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The school's mission ...

. In the late-1960s, he did extensive work as a session musician in the horn sections of soul and blues groups, including

Ike and Tina Turner Ike or IKE may refer to: People * Ike (given name), a list of people with the name or nickname * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and President of the United States Surname ...

and many Motown Records artists (

The Four Tops ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

, Marvin Gaye,

Gladys Knight and the Pips Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American R&B, soul and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early 1950s. Starting out as simply ...

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

, Stevie Wonder, Gerald Wilson, Louis Bellson, and The Frank Capp/Nat Pierce Juggernaut (Big Band). John also appears on several movie soundtracks with Quincy Jones including Cactus Flower. From 1970 to 1975 he was the baritone saxophonist in The Count Basie Orchestra, taking over for

Cecil Payne Cecil Payne (December 14, 1922 – November 27, 2007) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist born in Brooklyn, New York. Payne also played the alto saxophone and flute. He played with other prominent jazz musicians, in particular Dizzy Gilles ...

, and then joined the group again in 1980 after the death of Charlie Fowlkes . Williams remained with The Count Basie Orchestra until his retirement in May 2013, continuing with the group after Basie died and leadership passed on to

Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists". Biography Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan, U ...

, Frank Foster,

Grover Mitchell Grover Mitchell, born Grover Curry Mitchell (March 17, 1930 – August 6, 2003) was an American jazz trombonist who led the Count Basie Orchestra. Biography Mitchell was born in Whately, Alabama, but he moved with his parents to Pittsburgh, Pen ...

, Bill Hughes, and Dennis Mackrel, and Scotty Barnhart as of September 2013. John resides in South Carolina and continues to be a mentor to members of the Count Basie Orchestra and other musicians who seek his advice and experiences counsel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Johnny (saxophonist) American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Musicians from South Carolina 1936 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians