After an early start in youth orchestras, Bill Coleman established himself as a leader in the early '20s, before making a name for himself in New York clubs, initially under the direction of Lloyd and Cecil Scott. From then on, Bill Coleman went on to enjoy an uninterrupted career, with worldwide travel and contracts with some of the most popular orchestras in the USA and Europe. After Lucky Millinder, Benny Carter, Teddy Hill and Fats Waller in America, the trumpeter travelled to France, where he joined the Hot Club de France and Django Reinhardt's band, before criss-crossing Northern Europe and flying off to Asia and Africa. Back in the U.S., he again signed contracts with several of his former employers and other leaders including Andy Kirk, John Kirby and Sy Oliver. From the late '40s onwards, Bill Coleman was more often in Europe, where he eventually settled permanently to record as a leader with local musicians or visiting Americans. A swing musician par excellence, he preserved this tradition, which he passed on mainly in France through teaching and musical encounters at festivals. After a long African tour in the 70s, Bill Coleman signed a number of new albums with mainly French musicians before passing away in Toulouse in 1981.
