Billy Bang (Born William Walker)
September 20, 1947 – April 11, 2011
Billy Bang was a respected jazz violinist and Vietnam vet who has been recognized as a driving force of New York City’s experimental jazz movement of the 1970s. Bang picked up the violin while still in school, but only because he was assigned the smaller instrument due to his smallish stature. Bang ultimately left high school early and was drafted by the US Army just in time to serve a tour of combat duty during the Tet Offensive. Upon his return home, Bang, like so many others like him, had a hard time adjusting to civilian life, so he became politically active and began working with a group of underground revolutionaries. While on an outing to gather weapons at a pawn shop, Bang couldn’t help but notice the violins hanging on a wall, so he bought one and changed his life path. Bang eventually found himself playing in Sun Ra’s band and later, formed his own. Over the course of his career, Bang released several influential albums including two that were directly influenced by his time in Vietnam, Vietnam: The Aftermath and Vietnam: Reflections. On April 11, 2011, Billy Bang died following a battle with lung cancer. He was 63.
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