# Bill Easley

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{{Short description|American jazz multi-instrumentalist (born 1946)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name             = Bill Easley
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|January 13, 1946}}
| birth_place      = [Olean, New York](/source/Olean%2C_New_York), U.S.
| genre            = [Jazz](/source/Jazz)
| instruments      = [Flute](/source/Flute), [saxophone](/source/saxophone), [clarinet](/source/clarinet)
}}

'''Bill Easley''' (born January 13, 1946)<ref>{{Cite web |title=WBSS Media-Bill Easley |url=https://wbssmedia.com/artists/detail/3450 |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=wbssmedia.com}}</ref> is an American jazz musician who plays saxophone, flute, and clarinet.

== Early life and education ==
Easley was born and raised in [Olean, New York](/source/Olean%2C_New_York).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Feather |first1=Leonard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B4EjDgAAQBAJ&dq=Bill+Easley+Isaac+Hayes&pg=PA200 |title=The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz |last2=Gitler |first2=Ira |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press, USA |isbn=978-0-19-532000-8 |language=en}}</ref> He began playing music at the age of 13 and studied at [Memphis State University](/source/Memphis_State_University) during the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bill Easley musician - All About Jazz |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/bill-easley |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=All About Jazz Musicians |date=29 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

== Career ==
Easley worked with [George Benson](/source/George_Benson) in the late 1960s and with [Isaac Hayes](/source/Isaac_Hayes) in the 1970s. He also did sessions at [Stax](/source/Stax_Records) and [Hi Records](/source/Hi_Records) (with [Ann Peebles](/source/Ann_Peebles) and [Al Green](/source/Al_Green)). He moved back to New York in 1980.

He has worked with [Roland Hanna](/source/Roland_Hanna), [Jimmy McGriff](/source/Jimmy_McGriff), [Jimmy Smith](/source/Jimmy_Smith_(musician)), [Ruth Brown](/source/Ruth_Brown), [James Williams](/source/James_Williams_(musician)), [Bill Mobley](/source/Bill_Mobley), [George Caldwell](/source/George_Caldwell_(musician)), [Mulgrew Miller](/source/Mulgrew_Miller), [Grady Tate](/source/Grady_Tate), [Victor Gaskin](/source/Victor_Gaskin), [Panama Francis](/source/Panama_Francis), [Mercer Ellington](/source/Mercer_Ellington), and [Billy Higgins](/source/Billy_Higgins).<ref name="Wynn">{{cite web|last1=Wynn|first1=Ron|title=Bill Easley {{!}} Biography & History|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bill-easley-mn0000092754/biography|website=AllMusic|accessdate=3 January 2017}}</ref>

==Discography==
* ''Wind Inventions'' ([Sunnyside](/source/Sunnyside_Records), 1986)
* ''First Call'' ([Milestone](/source/Milestone_Records), 1990)
* ''Easley Said'' ([Evidence](/source/Evidence_Music), 1997)
* ''Business Man's Bounce'' (18th & Vine, 2007)
* ''Hearing Voices'' (18th and Vine, 2008)
* ''Love Stories '' (American Showplace, 2010)

===As sideman===
'''With [Mercer Ellington](/source/Mercer_Ellington)'''
* ''Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies'' ([RCA](/source/RCA_Records), 1981)
* ''Music is My Mistress'' ([Music Masters](/source/Musical_Heritage_Society), 1988)
'''With [Jimmy McGriff](/source/Jimmy_McGriff)'''
* ''[City Lights](/source/City_Lights_(Jimmy_McGriff_album))'' (JAM, 1981)
*''[Movin' Upside the Blues](/source/Movin'_Upside_the_Blues)'' (JAM, 1982)
* ''[Skywalk](/source/Skywalk_(album))'' (Milestone, 1984)
* ''[Blue to the 'Bone](/source/Blue_to_the_'Bone)'' (Milestone, 1988)
* ''[You Ought to Think About Me](/source/You_Ought_to_Think_About_Me)'' (Headfirst, 1990)
*''[McGriff's House Party](/source/McGriff's_House_Party)'' (Milestone, 2000)
* ''[Feelin' It](/source/Feelin'_It_(album))'' (Milestone, 2000)
*''[McGriff Avenue](/source/McGriff_Avenue)'' (Milestone, 2002)
'''With [Warren Vaché](/source/Warren_Vach%C3%A9_Jr.)'''
*''[Talk to Me Baby](/source/Talk_to_Me_Baby_(album))'' (Muse, 1996)
'''With [James Williams](/source/James_Williams_(musician))'''
* ''Flying Colors'' (Zim, 1977)
* ''Alter Ego'' (Sunnyside, 1984)
* ''Progress Report'' (Sunnyside, 1985)
* ''Memphis Convention'' ([DIW](/source/DIW_Records), 1992)

'''With others'''
* [Jimmy Witherspoon](/source/Jimmy_Witherspoon), ''Sings the Blues'' ([Black & Blue](/source/Black_%26_Blue_Records), 1980)
* [Benny Carter](/source/Benny_Carter), ''[Central City Sketches](/source/Central_City_Sketches)'' (MusicMasters, 1987)
* [Bobby Watson](/source/Bobby_Watson_(American_musician)), ''The Year of the Rabbit'' (New Note, 1987)
* [Charles Earland](/source/Charles_Earland), ''Front Burner'' (Milestone, 1988)
* [Ed Thigpen](/source/Ed_Thigpen), ''BWay'' (Alpha Jazz, 1989)
* [Grady Tate](/source/Grady_Tate), ''Dream Love'' (All Art, 1989)
* [Joey DeFrancesco](/source/Joey_DeFrancesco), ''[Where Were You?](/source/Where_Were_You%3F)'' (Columbia, 1990)
* [Etta Jones](/source/Etta_Jones), ''[Christmas with Etta Jones](/source/Christmas_with_Etta_Jones)'' (Muse, 1990)
* [Randy Johnston](/source/Randy_Johnston_(musician)), ''[Walk On](/source/Walk_On_(Randy_Johnston_album))'' (Muse, 1992)
* [Grady Tate](/source/Grady_Tate), ''TNT Grady Tate Sings'' (Milestone, 1991)
* [Dakota Staton](/source/Dakota_Staton), ''Darling Please Save Your Love for Me'' (Muse, 1991)
* [Jimmy Heath](/source/Jimmy_Heath), ''[Little Man Big Band](/source/Little_Man_Big_Band)'', ([Verve](/source/Verve_Records), 1992)
* [Harold Mabern](/source/Harold_Mabern) ''[The Leading Man](/source/The_Leading_Man_(album))'' (DIW, 1993)
* [Chris Connor](/source/Chris_Connor), ''I Walk With Music'' ([HighNote](/source/HighNote_Records), 2002)
* [Mark Murphy](/source/Mark_Murphy_(singer)), ''[Memories of You: Remembering Joe Williams](/source/Memories_of_You%3A_Remembering_Joe_Williams)'' (HighNote, 2003)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.billeasley.net Official site]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Easley, Bill}}
Category:African-American jazz musicians
Category:African-American saxophonists
Category:American session musicians
Category:American male saxophonists
Category:Living people
Category:University of Memphis alumni
Category:1946 births
Category:21st-century American saxophonists
Category:21st-century American male musicians
Category:American male jazz musicians
Category:Sunnyside Records artists
Category:21st-century African-American musicians
Category:20th-century African-American musicians
Category:People from Olean, New York
Category:People from Cattaraugus County, New York
Category:21st-century American flautists
Category:American male flautists
{{US-saxophonist-stub}}
{{Flautist-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bill Easley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Easley) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Easley?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.