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 released a CD of country-inluenced songs, "Cold Hand In Mine," on his own Mr. Suchensuch label. The CD of covers of Hank Williams and Robert Johnson songs, "Taproot," was released in 2007 and made the Living Blues radio charts. This recording was a real labor of love, and featured strong versions of "Mansion on the Hill," "Preachin' Blues," "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and "If I Had Possession." Besides Willis, the CD featured Nancy Wright (saxophone), Ed Michaels (drums), Bobby Cochran (drums), Steve Evans (bass) and Kedar Roy (upright bass). In 2011 Willis released "Pass the Hat," featuring 9 new original songs and 3 covers (Ring of Fire Boogie, Please Release Me, Boogie Rambler). All the current members of the Elvin Bishop Band appeared, with Elvin playing guitar on three tracks. Bob Welsh (guitar), the great Ruth Davies (upright bass), Bobby Cochran (drums), and Ed Earley (trombone), and added guests Nancy Wright (sax) and Steve Gannon (guitar). Click here for more album info |
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SEWilll@pacbell.net
P.O. Box 19019 Oakland, Ca 94619. USA (510) 436-4404 |
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