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Sam Woodyard

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Sam Woodyard
Sam Woodyard in 1965
Sam Woodyard in 1965
Background information
Born(1925-01-07)January 7, 1925
Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedSeptember 20, 1988(1988-09-20) (aged 63)
Paris, France
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentDrums

Sam Woodyard (January 7, 1925 – September 20, 1988)[1] was an American jazz drummer.

He was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States.[1] Woodyard was largely an autodidact on drums and played locally in the Newark, New Jersey, area in the 1940s.[1] He performed with Paul Gayten in an R&B group, then played in the early 1950s with Joe Holiday, Roy Eldridge, and Milt Buckner. In 1955, he joined Duke Ellington's orchestra and remained until 1966.[1]

After his time with Ellington, Woodyard worked with Ella Fitzgerald, then moved to Los Angeles.[1] In the 1970s, he played less due to health problems, but he recorded with Buddy Rich,[1] and toured with Claude Bolling. In 1983, he belonged to a band with Teddy Wilson, Buddy Tate, and Slam Stewart.[1] His last recording was on Steve Lacy's 1988 album, The Door.

He died of cancer in Paris at the age of 63.[2]

Discography

[edit]

With Cat Anderson

  • Plays at 4 a.m. (Columbia, 1958)
  • Ellingtonia (Wynne, 1959)
  • A Chat with Cat Anderson (Columbia, 1963)

With Duke Ellington

  • At Newport (Columbia, 1956)
  • Duke Ellington Presents... (Bethlehem, 1956)
  • A Drum Is a Woman (Columbia, 1957)
  • Ellington at Newport (Columbia, 1957)
  • Such Sweet Thunder (Columbia, 1957)
  • The Cosmic Scene (Columbia, 1958)
  • Newport 1958 (Columbia, 1958)
  • Ellington Indigos (Columbia, 1958)
  • Black, Brown and Beige (Columbia, 1958)
  • Ellington Jazz Party (Columbia, 1959)
  • Festival Session (Columbia, 1959)
  • Solitude (Philips, 1960)
  • The Nutcracker Suite (Columbia, 1960)
  • Piano in the Background (Columbia, 1960)
  • Piano in the Foreground (Columbia, 1963)
  • The Symphonic Ellington (Reprise, 1963)
  • Afro-Bossa (Reprise, 1963)
  • Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins (Impulse!, 1963)
  • Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (Impulse!, 1963)
  • Duke Ellington & Django Reinhardt (Amiga, 1963)
  • Ellington '65 (Reprise, 1964)
  • The Popular Duke Ellington (RCA Victor 1966)
  • Duke Ellington at the Cote d'Azur (Verve, 1967)
  • "...And His Mother Called Him Bill" (RCA, 1968)
  • Second Sacred Concert (Fantasy, 1968)
  • Francis A. & Edward K. (Reprise, 1968)
  • First Time! The Count Meets the Duke (Columbia, 1971)
  • The Great Paris Concert (Atlantic, 1973)
  • Yale Concert (Fantasy, 1973)
  • Jazz at the Plaza Vol. II (Columbia, 1973)
  • The Pianist (Fantasy, 1974)
  • The Duke Lives On (Midi, 1974)
  • Duke Ellington's Jazz Violin Session (Atlantic, 1976)
  • All Star Road Band (Doctor Jazz, 1983)
  • All Star Road Band Volume 2 (Doctor Jazz, 1985)
  • Hot Summer Dance (Red Baron, 1991)

With Johnny Hodges

With others

References

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sam Woodyard.
Citations
  1. ^ a b c d e f g Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 438/9. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
  2. ^ "Sam Woodyard Dies; Jazz Drummer Was 63". Nytimes.com. 23 September 1988. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
General references
Retrieved from "https://wiki.riteme.site/w/index.php?title=Sam_Woodyard&oldid=1263152044"