|
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 ZWILLIAMS, Claude 'Fiddler'(b 22 February 1908, Muskogee OK; d 25 April 2004) Violin, guitar. Inspired by Joe Venuti, taught himself to play violin as a child; played in local groups (and with touring territory bands such as the Pettiford Family Band, with young Oscar), moved to Kansas City '28. Played with Andy Kirk, Alphonso Trent, George E. Lee (Julia's brother) and was playing in Chicago '36 with Eddie Cole (with Eddie's brother Nat on piano) when he was tapped by Count Basie to join his enlarged KC band, which was heading East to fame and fortune. He was voted guitarist of the year by a readers' poll in down beat, but was soon replaced, allegedly because John Hammond didn't like his violin. He played in a WPA band, with the Four Shades of Rhythm in Chicago, on an Arthur Godfrey show with Austin Powell's quintet in New York. (Vocalist and guitarist Powell had led the Cats and a Fiddle, a successful novelty group with two guitars, a small guitar called a tipple and a string bass: successful on 52nd Street and touring in black clubs, they recorded for Bluebird '39-41, but Powell was unable to recapture that success.) Williams began amplifying his violin '50, played with Roy Milton '51-2 in Los Angeles, returned to KC and formed a combo with Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson. He freelanced from then on, touring Europe '70s, always returning to KC. He recorded with Jay McShann (The Man From Muskogee '72 on Sackville), then his own Call For The Fiddler '76 on Steeplechase (made in Copenhagen with Horace Parlan on piano). Fiddler's Dream '80 on Classic Jazz included McShann on some tracks, Gus Johnson and Gene Ramey on drums and bass, after which he gave up guitar to concentrate on the fiddle. Claude Williams' Kansas City Giants was released '80 on England's Big Bear Records; he fronted the Frankfurt Swing All Stars on Jive At Five '88 on Belaphon. Claude Williams Live At J's Parts 1 and 2 '89 were issued on Arhoolie '93 with Ron Matthews on piano, Al McKibbon on bass and Grady Tate on drums on some tracks: they were working together in Black And Blue, a revue which had started in Paris, moved to Broadway and won Tony awards, its 18-piece band variously including Sir Roland Hanna on piano, Bill Easley on reeds and Earl May on bass, who played on Swing Time In New York '94 on Progressive, adding Frank Vignola on guitar and Joe Ascione on drums. Williams continued to tour the world, including a fiddle convention in Brisbane '94; audiences looked for an 86-year-old fiddler and couldn't figure out who the young guy was. Claude said he was grateful to Freddie Green for replacing him in the Basie band: 'If I had stayed with Count, I would have been playing that ching-ching rhythm for forty years.' (The highly-regarded drummer Joe Ascione [b 14 March 1961; d 11 March 2016] deserved more renown. He suffered from ms for a decade.) |