Billy James (drummer)

William "Billy" James (April 20, 1936 - November 20, 2009) was an American jazz drummer.

James was born in Pittsburgh. He worked with Lionel Hampton and Booker Ervin in the 1950s, and in the early 1960s with James Moody, Candido Camero, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Don Patterson, and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. He and Patterson frequently recorded as a duo. James led his own groups in the latter half of the 1960s and worked further with Stitt during this time as well as with Eric Kloss. Later associations include Eddie Harris and Houston Person.

References

• "Billy James". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 2nd edition, ed. Barry Kernfeld, 2004.