Will Lee (bassist)
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Will Lee (born September 8, 1952) is an American musician and bassist, best known for his work on the CBS Television program, The Late Show with David Letterman as part of the CBS Orchestra.
Born in San Antonio, Texas, Lee has recorded and/or toured with countless artists including Bette Midler, The Brecker Brothers, Barry Manilow, Mariah Carey, Carly Simon, Steely Dan, B.B. King, Cat Stevens, Michael Bolton, Ringo Starr, Gloria Estefan & the Miami Sound Machine, Cyndi Lauper, James Brown, Cher, Al Green, Billy Joel, Liza Minelli, Frank Sinatra, Carl Perkins, KISS's Ace Frehley, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, David Sanborn, Spyrogyra, Ricky Martin, Natalie Cole and others. Lee was also present on the Mark & Clark Bands hit record Worn Down Piano. Lee performs all over the world with his Beatles tribute band, The Fab Faux, and has even had the opportunity to share the stage with three Beatles.
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[edit] Beginnings in music
Will Lee was greatly influenced to pursue music because of his parents. His father plays piano and has also played the trumpet and the bass violin professionally. Will's mother sang with big bands. Will then took up drums after seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, and by the time he was 12 had formed his first band in Miami. The band members each earned $9 a night playing the popular surfing tunes characteristic of the 60's. But with the great numbers of drummers in Miami, Will shifted to bass, an instrument that offered more opportunities. Quickly becoming a successful bass player, Will was part of a succession of bands including top 40 bands with names like "Chances R" "The Loving Kind", and "Green Cloud."
Lee had a formal musical education at the University of Miami, where he studied French horn for a year and then switched to a bass major. After classes, he worked on bass fundamentals listening to not only the Beatles, but also Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Miller, The Rascals, Motown, Sly & the Family Stone, among others. He would put it all into practice six sets a night gigging with various local bands, including an innovative horn band called "Goldrush."
[edit] Becoming a professional in New York City
Will then went to New York City and Trumpeter Randy Brecker called Will out of class one day and invited him to audition for Dreams. In New York, Will's career soared. He toured with B.J. Thomas, Horace Silver, Bette Midler, Barry Manilow, The Brecker Brothers, and Herbie Mann. Gaining experience in the commercial field, Will found himself in high demand. As a bassist and singer, he's recorded with an extensive array of top performers including David Sanborn, Boz Scaggs, Diane Schuur, Tom Scott, Neil Sedaka, Carly Simon, Frank Sinatra, Phoebe Snow, Ronnie Spector, The Spinners, Spyro Gyra, Ringo Starr, Steely Dan, Cat Stevens and Barbra Streisand.
Will also played in the New York "24th Street Band" which had great success in Japan, giving him a solo artist career that yielded him a top 5 single. Most recently, his solo CD entitled OH! reached the #1 position on the "Jazz Beyond" chart there.
[edit] The CBS Orchestra
Will was one of the original members of The World's Most Dangerous Band, which was the house band on NBC's Late Night with David Letterman. He holds the distinction of playing with Paul Shaffer, on both Late Night and the Late Show, longer than any other member of the CBS Orchestra. Before the Late Show begins taping, he gives out guitar picks to the audience as souvenirs.
[edit] Discography
- OH!, 1993
- Birdhouse
