Died On This Date (March 29, 1999) Joe Williams / Big Band Singer
themusicsover Joe Williams (Born Joseph Goreed)
December 12, 1918 – March 29, 1999
Joe Williams has been called the last great big-band singer. His beautiful baritone has been heard alongside such greats as Lionel Hampton and Coleman Hawkins, and carried him to prominence with the Count Basie Orchestra during the ’50s. He continued to perform and record alongside the greatest names in jazz over the next three decades, earning numerous awards including a Grammy and a star along Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Williams worked up until he passed away of natural causes at the age of 80.
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