|
|
|
We
are all extremely fortunate to have had Billy Higgins on the
planet with us. The joy he felt and his ever present smile
while he was sitting at his drums is something I'm sure none
of us will
ever forget. I first met him in the late 1970's
in South Central Los Angeles at a concert commemorating the "re-opening" of
Watts Towers which was built over a period of 33 years out of
rocks and pieces of glass by a local resident named Simon Rodia
who began
the construction in 1921. Simon first called the towers "Nuestro
Pueblo" (Our Town). The photos above and to the right
were taken at that concert. |
|
|
|
I
photographed Billy on many occasions since....on stage, in the
studio, in a classroom full of children who marveled at his spirit. An
experience each of those children will always carry in their
hearts. |
The
photo to the right was from one of those visits to a neighborhood
classroom. It surprised us all when he pulled out this
guitar and began to strum and sing something sounding genuinely
Brazilian. |
|
|
|
The
photo at left was taken during a live radio broadcast. I
was producing a series of weekly shows performed in front of an
in-studio audience. I'd asked Billy to do one of the programs
with a quartet of his liking. He did just that. The
quartet he put together consisted of himself and 3 other drummers. The
other drummers were Lawrance Marable, Akbar DePriest, and Joe Peters. Two
hours of the most thrilling drumming you'd ever want to hear. |
 |
|
|
The
most recorded drummer in the history of Jazz. His recordings
span over four decades, and while Billy will definitely be missed,
thankfully his music lives on through his extensive discography. If
you'd like to hear audio clips from one of the interviews I did
with Billy please click here to
visit the Billy Higgins page on Gallery 41. I will be adding
more excerpts from that and other interviews and a few more photos
from my archives soon, so do please check back again.
Thank you Billy! Ron J. Pelletier |
|
|
|
| Gallery
41 Home Page More about Simon Rodia & The Watts Towers |
Copyright © 1997-2008
Gallery 41
|
