# Leroy Williams

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American jazz drummer (1941–2022)

Not to be confused with [Leroy Williams (baseball)](/source/Leroy_Williams_(baseball)).

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**Leroy Williams** (February 3, 1937 – June 1, 2022)[1] was an American drummer, mostly known for his work in [jazz](/source/Jazz).

Williams first began playing drums as a teenager in the 1950s. From 1959 to the middle of the 1960s he played with singer Judy Roberts, and following this he moved to [New York City](/source/New_York_City) and played with [Booker Ervin](/source/Booker_Ervin) in 1967. In 1968 he played with [Sonny Rollins](/source/Sonny_Rollins), [Archie Shepp](/source/Archie_Shepp), and [Clifford Jordan](/source/Clifford_Jordan); in 1969 he first began playing with [Barry Harris](/source/Barry_Harris), with whom he would collaborate often. 1970 saw him playing with [Hank Mobley](/source/Hank_Mobley), [Wilbur Ware](/source/Wilbur_Ware), and [Thelonious Monk](/source/Thelonious_Monk), the latter of which he went with on a tour of [Japan](/source/Japan). Later in the 1970s he played with [Yusef Lateef](/source/Yusef_Lateef), [Ray Bryant](/source/Ray_Bryant), [Charles McPherson](/source/Charles_McPherson_(musician)), [Stan Getz](/source/Stan_Getz), [Andrew Hill](/source/Andrew_Hill_(jazz_musician)), [Sonny Stitt](/source/Sonny_Stitt), [Junior Cook](/source/Junior_Cook), [Al Cohn](/source/Al_Cohn), [Buddy Tate](/source/Buddy_Tate_(musician)), and [Bob Wilber](/source/Bob_Wilber).

In the 1980s Williams played with [Art Davis](/source/Art_Davis_(bassist)), [Barry Harris](/source/Barry_Harris), [Tommy Flanagan](/source/Tommy_Flanagan_(musician)), [Steve Turre](/source/Steve_Turre), and [Bill Hardman](/source/Bill_Hardman). In the 1990s he performed with [Anthony Braxton](/source/Anthony_Braxton), [Lee Konitz](/source/Lee_Konitz), Ralph Lalama, and Pete Malinverni. He was a member of the group El Mollenium with [Roni Ben-Hur](/source/Roni_Ben-Hur), [Bertha Hope](/source/Bertha_Hope), and [Walter Booker](/source/Walter_Booker). He recorded with Rodney Kendrick, Roy Hargrove, and Justin Roberson.

## Discography

### As sideman

**With [Pepper Adams](/source/Pepper_Adams)**

- *[The Master...](/source/The_Master_(Pepper_Adams_album))* (Muse, 1980)

**With [Anthony Braxton](/source/Anthony_Braxton)**

- *[9 Standards (Quartet) 1993](/source/9_Standards_(Quartet)_1993)* (Leo, 1993)

**With [Al Cohn](/source/Al_Cohn)**

- *[Al Cohn's America](/source/Al_Cohn's_America)* (Xanadu, 1976)

**With [Junior Cook](/source/Junior_Cook)**

- *[Pressure Cooker](/source/Pressure_Cooker_(album))* (Catalyst, 1977)

- *[Good Cookin'](/source/Good_Cookin')* (Muse, 1979)

- *[The Place to Be](/source/The_Place_to_Be_(Junior_Cook_album))* (SteepleChase, 1988)

- *[On a Misty Night](/source/On_a_Misty_Night)* (SteepleChase, 1989)

**With [Ted Dunbar](/source/Ted_Dunbar)**

- *[Opening Remarks](/source/Opening_Remarks)* (Xanadu, 1978)

**With [Slide Hampton](/source/Slide_Hampton)**

- *[World of Trombones](/source/World_of_Trombones)* (West 54, 1979)

**With [Bill Hardman](/source/Bill_Hardman)**

- *[Focus](/source/Focus_(Bill_Hardman_album))* (1980 [1984])

- *[Politely](/source/Politely_(album))* (Muse, 1981 [1982])

- *[What's Up](/source/What's_Up_(Bill_Hardman_album))* (SteepleChase, 1989)

**With [Barry Harris](/source/Barry_Harris)**

- *[Magnificent!](/source/Magnificent!)* (Prestige, 1969)

- *[Vicissitudes](/source/Vicissitudes)* (MPS, 1972)

- *[Barry Harris Plays Tadd Dameron](/source/Barry_Harris_Plays_Tadd_Dameron)* (Xanadu, 1975)

- *[Live in Tokyo](/source/Live_in_Tokyo_(Barry_Harris_album))* (Xanadu, 1976)

- *[Barry Harris Plays Barry Harris](/source/Barry_Harris_Plays_Barry_Harris)* (Xanadu, 1978)

- *[For the Moment](/source/For_the_Moment_(Barry_Harris_album))* (Uptown, 1985)

**With [Andrew Hill](/source/Andrew_Hill_(jazz_musician))**

- *[Blue Black](/source/Blue_Black_(album))* (East Wind, 1975)

- *[Divine Revelation](/source/Divine_Revelation)* (Steeplechase, 1975)

**With [Lee Konitz](/source/Lee_Konitz)**

- *[Lullaby of Birdland](/source/Lullaby_of_Birdland_(album))* (Candid, 1991 [1994])

**With Samuel Lerner**

- *Zombi(e)bop* (Black & Blue, 2014)

**With [Charles McPherson](/source/Charles_McPherson_(musician))**

- *[Charles McPherson](/source/Charles_McPherson_(album))* (Mainstream, 1971)

- *[Siku Ya Bibi (Day of the Lady)](/source/Siku_Ya_Bibi_(Day_of_the_Lady))* (Mainstream, 1972)

- *[Beautiful!](/source/Beautiful!)* (Xanadu, 1975)

- *[Live in Tokyo](/source/Live_in_Tokyo_(Charles_McPherson_album))* (Xanadu, 1976)

**With [Hank Mobley](/source/Hank_Mobley)**

- *[Thinking of Home](/source/Thinking_of_Home)* (Blue Note, 1970)

**With [Frank Morgan](/source/Frank_Morgan_(musician))**

- *[Bop!](/source/Bop!)* (Telarc, 1997)

**With [John Patton](/source/John_Patton_(musician))**

- *[Accent on the Blues](/source/Accent_on_the_Blues)* ([Blue Note](/source/Blue_Note_Records), 1969)

- *[Memphis to New York Spirit](/source/Memphis_to_New_York_Spirit)* (Blue Note, 1969-70 [1996])

**With [Jimmy Raney](/source/Jimmy_Raney)**

- *[Live in Tokyo](/source/Live_in_Tokyo_(Jimmy_Raney_album))* (Xanadu, 1976)

**With [Red Rodney](/source/Red_Rodney)**

- *[Home Free](/source/Home_Free_(Red_Rodney_album))* (Muse, 1977 [1979])

**With [Sonny Stitt](/source/Sonny_Stitt)**

- *[My Buddy: Sonny Stitt Plays for Gene Ammons](/source/My_Buddy%3A_Sonny_Stitt_Plays_for_Gene_Ammons)* (Muse, 1975)

**With [Warren Vache](/source/Warren_Vach%C3%A9_Jr.)**

- *[The Warren Vache Quintet Remembers Benny Carter](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Warren_Vache_Quintet_Remembers_Benny_Carter&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Arbors, 2015)

**With [Doug Lawrence](/source/Doug_Lawrence_(jazz))**

- *Soul Carnival* (Fable, 1997)

**With [Ryo Fukui](/source/Ryo_Fukui)**

- *In New York* (1999)

## References

**Footnotes**

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Vicissitudes: John Heard, Leroy Williams, and Grachan Moncur III](https://ethaniverson.com/2022/06/11/vicissitudes-john-heard-leroy-williams-and-grachan-moncur-iii/)

**General references**

- [Leroy Williams](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p138452/biography) at [Allmusic](/source/Allmusic)

## External links

- [Leroy Williams](https://www.discogs.com/artist/Leroy+Williams) at [Discogs](/source/Discogs)

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND WorldCat National United States France BnF data Artists MusicBrainz People Deutsche Biographie Other SNAC Yale LUX

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