Bill Potts

William Orie Potts (April 3, 1928, Arlington, Virginia – February 16, 2005, Plantation, Florida) was an American jazz pianist and arranger.

Early life Potts played Hawaiian slide-lap steel guitar as a child and accordion in his teens. At age 15, he won an accordion competition with a performance of "Twilight Time". While serving in the Army from 1949 to 1955 he transcribed charts for Army bands; he also composed and arranged for Joe Timer and Willis Conover's ensemble, THE Orchestra, which broadcast on Voice of America radio. He wrote four of the songs on THE Orchestra's 1954 Brunswick Records LP, and recorded some of their live shows, which occasionally featured guest appearances from Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.

Career By 1956, Potts was leading a house band at Olivia Davis' Patio Lounge in Washington, D.C. Lester Young booked an engagement there, and Potts convinced Young to record with him on two of the evenings. These recordings were later released as the Lester Young in Washington, D.C. sessions.

In 1957, Potts worked extensively as a composer, arranger, and performer for Freddy Merkle's Jazz Under the Dome album (which also featured Earl and Rob Swope).

Following this, Potts spent several years working in New York City before returning to the D.C. area, where he worked locally in addition to touring with and/or arranging for Paul Anka, Eddie Fisher, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Woody Herman, Quincy Jones, Stan Kenton, Ralph Marterie, Buddy Rich, Jeri Southern, Clark Terry, and Bobby Vinton. In 1967 he released an album on Decca Records, How Insensitive, with a studio group called Brasilia Nueve. This group included some of the players from the Porgy and Bess session (Markowitz, Sims), as well as Tito Puente, Chino Pozo, Mel Lewis, Barry Galbraith, and Louie Ramirez. He taught music theory at Montgomery College from 1974 to 1990 and was the leader of the student jazz band.

Discography The Jazz Soul of Porgy and Bess (United Artists, 1959) Bye Bye Birdie (Colpix, 1963) 555 Feet High (Jazz Crusade, 1988)

As sideman/arranger With Freddy Merkle Jazz Under the Dome (RCA Victor, 1957)

With Lester Young Lester Young In Washington, D.C. 1956, Vols. 1-6 (Pablo, 1999)

With Brasilia Nueve How Insensitive (Decca, 1967)