The Tony Williams Lifetime

Born in Chicago, Illinois on December 12, 1945, Tony Williams was an acclaimed jazz drummer who collaborated with some of the great jazz stars including Miles, Davis, Chet Baker and Herbie Hancock. Tony Williams began playing as a child and studied with drummer Alan Dawson before joining Miles Davis's second quintet at the age of 17. He appeared on a huge number of recordings with other artists before releasing, Life Time, his first album as leader in 1964. After several other solo releases and collaborations with other artists, he formed the Tony Williams Lifetime in 1969. Now regarded as a pioneering jazz fusion group, the first line-up was a power trio featuring John McLaughlin (guitar) and Larry Young (organ). Their debut album, Emergency! (1969), shocked jazz audiences due to the group’s heavy rock sound. However, time would prove the album a jazz fusion milestone. Cream bassist Jack Bruce joined the line-up in time to record their second album, Turn It Over (1970). Guitarist Ted Dunbar replaced John McLaughlin and Ron Carter stepped in for Jack Bruce on the album Ego (1971). Larry Young left the band in 1972, leaving Tony Williams as the group’s only original member by the time the album The Old Bum’s Rush was released in 1973. Yet another new line-up emerged in 1974 featuring Jack Bruce (bass) and Allan Holdsworth (guitarist) but their recordings remain unreleased. Tony Williams laid his Lifetime group to rest, although he did revive the group in 1975 as the New Tony Williams Lifetime and released two albums. Tony Williams continued his career, occasionally resurrecting the Lifetime name but their music never matched the power or inventiveness of the original group. When Tony Williams died on February 23, 1997, at the age of 51, he was in the process of reviving the Lifetime project with guitarist Lyle Workman.

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