Sound

oral histories

interviews

Tape 1 Side 1...pp. 1-66
Tape 1 Side 2...pp. 66-130
Tape 2 Side 1...pp. 130-157
Tape 2 Side 2...pp. 157-188
Tape 3 Side 1...pp. 188-215
Tape 3 Side 2...pp. 215-245
Tape 4 Side 1...pp. 245-275
Tape 4 Side 2...pp. 275-306
Tape 5...pp. 306-327

Charles Melvin “Cootie” Williams (1911-1985) was an American trumpeter. He began his professional career with the Young Family Band, with a teen-aged Lester Young during the mid-1920s. He gained popularity during his first stint with the Duke Ellington Orchestra (1929-40), where he was also known for his use of the plunger mute, a role he inherited from Bubber Miley. He left Ellington in 1940 to join the Benny Goodman orchestra, a move that was commemorated by Raymond Scott’s song “When Cootie left the Duke.” Williams played in the Benny Goodman Septet but also sat in the all-white trumpet section further integrating the Goodman organization. He formed his own band in 1941 and over the years he featured musicians such as Charlie Parker, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Bud Powell, and Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson. During the 1950s, after disbanding, he moved into the R&B scene and toured with small ensembles. He rejoined Ellington’s orchestra in 1962 and stayed past Duke’s leadership after his death in 1974.

doi:10.7282/T3XG9VFW

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