S. E. Willis
"A commanding singer and keyboardist (piano, organ, and accordion) who
delivers classic and original
material with conviction and authenticity." (Lee Hildebrand, East Bay Express)
S. E. Willis is originally from West Virginia and has
been playing the piano and harmonica since the age of
six, and organ and accordion since his teens. He
started playing in rock and roll bands along Arizona's
stretch of Route 66 in 1967. Willis' music is deeply
rooted in traditional American forms: blues,
boogie-woogie, country, rockabilly, gospel, zydeco.
A veteran bandleader, S.E. (Steve) Willis has taken a
supporting role in bands with such artists as Chuck
Berry, Bo Diddly, Albert King and Jimmy Rogers. He
sang for three years with the Oakland Interfaith
Gospel Choir and appeared on their 1995 CD "We've Come
a Mighty Long Way." He worked another three years
with founding Meters member and New Orleans drumming
legend Joseph (Zigaboo) Modeliste and appears on his
first solo release, the CD,
"Zigaboo.Com."
Since then
he has joined the Elvin Bishop Band and is featured on
Alligator Records CD "That's My Partner" with Elvin
Bishop and Little Smokey Smothers, named best R&B
Record of 2000 by the California Music Awards.
Willis' music was featured in a special
music/literature issue of Timothy McSweeney's, a New
York based magazine, as accompaniment to a short story
by Ann Cummins. Other musicians included Philip Glass
and They Might Be Giants. Steve Willis was inducted
into the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame in 1998. He is
currently touring with Elvin Bishop, has released two
previous CDs, "Airn Beats Nairn" on the MR. Suchensuch
label, "Luckiest Man Alive," in 2002 on the
Merrimack label, and has now released a CD of
country-inluenced songs, "Cold Hand In Mine," on his
own Mr. Suchensuch label. Click here for more album info |
