Trumpeter Charles Williams – born July 10, 1911 in Mobile, Alabama – was better known by his nickname Cootie. Best known as a member of Duke Ellington’s orchestra, Williams specialized in several musical styles including traditional American jazz, rhythm & blues, and jump blues. His musical journey began at the age of 14 when he performed with The Young Family, a group that featured tenor saxophonist Lester Young. Relocating to New York in 1928, he made his first recordings with pianist James P. Johnson and played with bands led by Fletcher Henderson and Chick Webb. In 1929, he joined Duke Ellington’s orchestra at the time they had a residency at the Cotton Club in Harlem. While he remained a member of Ellington’s band, he also recorded his own sessions and worked as a sideman for other musicians. Williams caused controversy when he left Ellington and joined Benny Goodman’s orchestra. The following year, he formed his own orchestra, which featured many jazz greats over the years including Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Eddie Vinson, Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis, and others. By the late ‘40s, his popularity had waned and he eventually disbanded his group. He turned to playing rhythm ‘n’ blues in the early ‘50s, eventually returning to jazz and forming a small group. After recording collaboration albums with Rex Stewart ( 1957’s The Big Challenge) and Wini Brown (1959’s Around Midnight), he released Cootie Williams In HiFi (1958) and Cootie (1959), his first albums as a leader. More collaborations and solo albums followed before he rejoined Elllington’s band in 1962 and remained with him until Ellington’s death in 1974. Williams continued to record and perform until his death on September 15, 1985.
