Billy Usselton

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Billy Usselton (July 2, 1926, New Castle, Pennsylvania - September 5, 1994) was an American jazz reed player.

Usselton was proficient on tenor saxophone, clarinet, and oboe. He began playing professionally in high school with Bubbles Becker, then played with Sonny Dunham in the 1940s before joining Ray Anthony in 1948-49 and again in 1951-52. In the interim he joined Tommy Dorsey's band. After his second stint with Anthony, he played with Bill Harris in Florida.

In 1954 Usselton joined Les Brown's band, and played with him for decades. Usselton plays on nearly all of Brown's records released on Coral Records and Capitol Records, and toured with him worldwide. He married Lauri Johnson, a vocalist in Brown's ensemble, in 1958.

Usselton's only album as a leader was the 1957 release His First Album, issued on Kapp Records.

[edit] References

• Eugene Chadbourne, Billy Usselton at All Music Guide