Bill Lee

William James Edwards Lee III (July 23, 1928 – May 24, 2023) was an American jazz bassist and composer, known for his collaborations with Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin, his compositions for jazz percussionist Max Roach, and his session work as a "first-call" musician and band leader to many of the twentieth-century's most significant musical artists, including Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Harry Belafonte, Peter, Paul and Mary, Simon and Garfunkel, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie, Billy Strayhorn, Woody Guthrie, and Pete Seeger, among many others.

Lee recorded three critically acclaimed albums at the Black independent label Strata-East Records: (1) The Descendants of Mike and Phoebe: A Spirit Speaks; (2) The Brass Company: Colors, in collaboration with his two sisters; and (3) The New York Bass Violin Choir, a collaboration of seven basses, which JazzdaGama described as "a true Holy Grail for all musicians," and which Lee classified as one of his "narrative folk, jazz operas" along with "One Mile East," both of which were inspired by memories of the former slave quarters near his childhood home. Stagings at New York City's Central Park, Lincoln Center and Newport Jazz Festival followed all of these recordings.

Featured in more than 250 record albums, and on such songs as "Puff, the Magic Dragon" and "Mr. Tambourine Man," Lee also appeared in several movies made by his son, acclaimed film-maker Spike Lee, in addition to creating original soundtracks for She's Gotta Have It (1986), School Daze (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989), and Mo' Better Blues (1990).

A 1951 graduate of the historically Black Morehouse College in Atlanta, Lee "discovered the bebop recordings of Charlie Parker," which led to him "master[ing] the double bass... and performing with small jazz groups in Atlanta and Chicago before migrating to New York City in 1959".

A sideman for some of the most famous names in music, Lee was also often the only other musician performing, including on the original release of Dylan's 1965 classic "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" and on Gordon Lightfoot's "Oh, Linda" from the prize-winning 1964 eponymous album. Other musical collaborators included: Music conductor of Natural Spiritual Orchestra, School Daze, Columbia, 1988. Music conductor of Natural Spiritual Orchestra, Do the Right Thing, Universal, 1989. Music director, Mo' Better Blues, Universal, 1990. Composer of score for the short film Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads.

Filmography Sonny Darling, She's Gotta Have It, Island, 1986. Bassist in the Phyllis Hyman Quartet, School Daze, Columbia, 1988. Father of the Bride, Mo' Better Blues, Universal, 1990.

Selective discography John Handy: No Coast Jazz (Roulette, 1960) Ray Bryant: Con Alma (Columbia, 1960), Dancing the Big Twist (Columbia, 1961) Chris Anderson: Inverted Image (Jazzland, 1961), My Romance (Vee-Jay, 1983) Johnny Griffin: Change of Pace (Riverside, 1961) John Lee Hooker: The Folk Lore of John Lee Hooker (Vee-Jay, 1961) Aretha Franklin: Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo (Columbia, 1961), The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin (Columbia, 1962) Frank Strozier: March of the Siamese Children (Jazzland, 1962) Ian and Sylvia: Ian & Sylvia (Vanguard, 1962) Judy Collins: Golden Apples of the Sun (Elektra, 1962), Fifth Album (Elektra, 1965), Whales & Nightingales (Elektra, 1970) Simon & Garfunkel: Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. (Columbia, 1964) José Feliciano: The Voice and Guitar of José Feliciano (Sony, 1965) Tom Rush: Tom Rush (Elektra, 1965), Take a Little Walk with Me (Elektra, 1966) Peter, Paul & Mary: The Peter, Paul and Mary Album (Warner Bros., 1966) Gordon Lightfoot: Lightfoot! (United Artists, 1966) Richard Davis: The Philosophy of the Spiritual (Cobblestone, 1971), Fancy Free (Galaxy, 1977), Harvest (Muse, 1979) Clifford Jordan: Glass Bead Games (Strata-East, 1974); The Adventurer (Muse, 1978) Stanley Cowell: Regeneration (Strata-East, 1976) Chuck Loeb and Andy LaVerne: Magic Fingers (DMP, 1989) The Descendants of Mike and Phoebe: A Spirit Speaks (Strata-East) The Brass Company: Colors (Strata East) The Warm Voice of Billy "C": Where have you been Billy Boy (Strata East) Harold Mabern: A Few Miles from Memphis (Prestige), Rakin' and Scrapin' (Prestige) The New York Bass Violin Choir - The New York Bass Violin Choir (Strata-East) Mike Bloomfield: From His Head to His Heart to His Hands (Sony Legacy, 2014) Bill plays on "I'm a County Boy", "Judge, Judge", and "Hammond's Rag" from a 1964 audition for John Hammond at Columbia Records.

Personal life In 1954, Lee married Jacqueline ("Jackie") Shelton, an art teacher, the same year she graduated from Atlanta's historically Black Spelman College. Together, they had five children: film director Spike Lee (b. 1957), Christopher (b. 1958, d. 2013), still photographer David Lee (b. 1961), screenwriter and actress Joie Lee (b. 1962), and filmmaker Cinqué Lee (b. 1966). In 1959, the family moved to Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Spike Lee had a negative public reaction to his father's new relationship, and has been quoted as saying, "My mother wasn't even cold in her grave." Hard feelings between the two intensified after Spike Lee released Jungle Fever, a film about the beginning and end of an extramarital interracial relationship, which was interpreted as a judgment on Lee and Kaplan's relationship, given the latter's race. Although the case was dismissed, Lee would later say of his arrest, "I'm glad I was arrested. It woke me up.... Dope was not part of my life until I was 40 years old". Soon after, however, Lee and Spike Lee had a falling out. In 1994, the elder Lee said they had not spoken in two years.

On May 24, 2023, Lee died at his home in Fort Greene. He was 94.