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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZDOGGETT, Bill(b 16 Feb. '16, Philadelphia PA; d 13 Nov. '96 NYC) Piano, organ, arranger. Formed own band '38, Lucky Millinder fronted it on tour; worked for Jimmy Mundy, Millinder again; pianist and arr. for the Ink Spots '42-4, worked for Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Louis Jordan '40s; played Hammond organ from '51, made Blue Note session '52 with Vic Dickenson, Jo Jones, John Collins on guitar (b 20 Sep. '13, Montgomery AL; d 4 Oct. 2001, L.A.; he worked for Nat Cole from '51 until Cole's death); then R&B combo: huge two-sided hit 'Honky Tonk' '56 had tenor saxist Clifford Scott (b 21 June '28, San Antonio TX; d there 18 April '93), guitarist Billy Butler (d 20 March '91, Teaneck NJ) linking choruses, Doggett playing boogie woogie-like slow shuffle on organ. It was a head invented by Butler on the bass strings at a dance in Lima, Ohio; a dancer asked for an encore and they had to play it ten times: 'If he hadn't asked we would've forgot about it.' It was a no. 1 R&B hit, 14 weeks in the pop top ten, sold 1.6 million by the end of the year and charted again '61, a marvellous tribute to the influence of the 'jump bands' of the '40s. Seven more top 100 hits '56-60 included 'Slow Walk' (no. 26 '56; tenor saxist Sil Austin [d 1 Sept. 2001 aged 71] also had an R&B hit on it). Doggett won the Cashbox award as top R&B act '57-9, arranged and conducted Ella Fitzgerald album Rhythm Is Our Business '63 on Verve; with Della Reese '66. Many compilations on King; a late album was The Right Choice '91 on After Hours with Heywood Henry, Bernard Purdie etc. |