Bill Lee, who scored the early films of his son Spike Lee, wrote folk-jazz operas that channeled the voices of his enslaved ancestors, and performed with musicians including Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Duke Ellington and Aretha Franklin, died on May 24.
Mr. Lee was an acclaimed sideman and session player with a rich acoustic bass sound. His sensitive approach and versatility — he could be gentle or intense, depending on the song — made him a favorite of producers including John Hammond, the folk impresario who brought Dylan and Franklin to Columbia Records.
For Mr. Lee, music was a family affair. He had grown up playing the drums in a band with his parents — his mother was a classically trained pianist, his father a cornet player and bandmaster — and six siblings. Two sisters and a brother joined him in a jazz-folk group, the Descendants of Mike and Phoebe, named in honor of their enslaved ancestors. Later in life, he led a group called the Family Tree Singers, which included his second wife, Susan Lee, and their son, Arnold, an alto saxophonist.
“I’m glad I was arrested. It woke me up,” he said, adding that “dope was not part of my life until I was 40 years old.” William James Edwards Lee — some sources add a “III” at the end of his name — was born in rural Snow Hill, Ala., on July 23, 1928. While studying music at Morehouse College, a historically Black school in Atlanta, he discovered“He just demanded that I play,” Mr. Lee told the Boston Globe in 1992, recalling the power of Parker’s music. “Everything he did said, ‘Pick up an instrument and let’s go.’ There was no way I could fight that.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Bill Lee, jazz bassist and father of filmmaker Spike Lee, dies at 94Spike Lee's father, Bill Lee, a jazz bassist who played with Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin, died at home in Brooklyn on Wednesday morning. He was 94.
Read more »
Bill Lee, jazz musician who worked with Bob Dylan and on son Spike Lee's films, dead at 94Bill Lee was a well-regarded jazz musician who accompanied such artists as Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, and Harry Belafonte and scored four of his son Spike Lee's early movies.
Read more »
Stock Market News: Target crisis, Meta layoffs, Kohl’s shares spike, debt talks ongoingFlorida Governor Ron DeSantis presidential bid announcement, Target Pride controversy, Kohl’s surprise lifts stock, Meta and Disney layoffs ongoing. FOX Business is providing real-time updates on the markets, commodities and all the most active stocks on the move.
Read more »
Is the past year's spike in strike action here to stay?BBC economics editor Faisal Islam asks whether a historic surge in industrial action is likely to persist.
Read more »