About Bill Goodwin
Born 1942. Bill Goodwin is an American jazz musician, record producer, composer and musician.
Bill Goodwin (born Los Angeles, California, January 8, 1942) is an American jazz drummer.
Career Goodwin began his professional career at the age of seventeen with saxophonist Charles Lloyd. During the 1960s, he worked with Mike Melvoin, Art Pepper, Paul Horn, Frank Rosolino, Bud Shank, George Shearing, and Gabor Szabo.
Joining the performing ensemble of vibraphonist Gary Burton brought him to the East Coast in 1969. After three years with Burton, Goodwin settled in the Pocono Mountains and worked in hotels and resorts. In 1974, he became a founding member of the Phil Woods Quartet. He worked with Woods for forty years as a drummer and record producer, winning three Grammy Awards.
Goodwin has performed with Bill Evans, Lee Konitz Dexter Gordon, Jim Hall, Bobby Hutcherson, June Christy, Joe Williams, Tony Bennett, Mose Allison, and The Manhattan Transfer. He has been a featured performer at the W. C. Handy Music Festival for many years, serving as a member of the W. C. Handy Jazz All-Stars with guitarist Mundell Lowe, guitarist Tom Wolfe, pianist and vocalist Johnny O'Neal, pianist and vocalist Ray Reach, and drummer Chuck Redd.
He was featured on Tom Waits's 1975 album Nighthawks at the Diner and played talking drum on the song "Crown of Creation" by Jefferson Airplane. Raise Four (Vectordisc 2014) Live at the Lafayette Bar (Vectordisc 2017) Trio with Jon Ballantyne and Evan Gregor (Vectordisc 2019)
As sideman With Gary Burton Throb (Atlantic, 1969) Gary Burton & Keith Jarrett (Atlantic, 1971) Live in Tokyo (Atlantic, 1971) Paris Encounter with Stéphane Grappelli (Atlantic, 1972)
With Hal Galper Wild Bird (Mainstream, 1972) Inner Journey (Mainstream, 1973)
With Paul Horn Cycle (RCA Victor, 1965) Here's That Rainy Day (RCA Victor, 1966) Monday, Monday (RCA Victor, 1966)
With others Lee Konitz, Parallels (Chesky Records, 2000) Mose Allison, I've Been Doin' Some Thinkin' (Atlantic, 1968) Bill Plummer, Cosmic Brotherhood (Impulse!, 1968) Gábor Szabó, More Sorcery (Impulse!, 1967) Anthony Ortega, New Dance (hatOLOGY, recorded 1967)
As producer With Phil Woods Phil Woods/Lew Tabackin (Omnisound, 1980) More Live (Adelphi, 1982) At the Vanguard (Antilles, 1983) Dizzy Gillespie Meets Phil Woods Quintet (Timeless, 1986) Flowers for Hodges (Concord, 1991) At the Deer Head Inn, Keith Jarrett (ECM, 1994) Astor & Elis (Chesky, 1996) Mile High Jazz (Concord, 1996) Live at the Deer Head Inn (Deer Head Records, 2015)
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Important facts
People in Bill Goodwin's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Bill Goodwin's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Bill Goodwin?
American jazz drummer
When was Bill Goodwin born?
Bill Goodwin was born on 8 January 1942 in Los Angeles.
What is Bill Goodwin's occupation?
Bill Goodwin is a jazz musician, record producer, composer and musician.
What nationality is Bill Goodwin?
Bill Goodwin is American.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Bill Goodwin (jazz drummer)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Bill Goodwin. https://biography.guide/bill-goodwin/
MLA: "Bill Goodwin." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/bill-goodwin/.
Chicago: "Bill Goodwin." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/bill-goodwin/.
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