278:. The first was named in honor of the Moroccan Village, where the trio that made this album had been performing since the previous autumn. Later, he regularly played piano and organ at a neighborhood lounge on the west side of Chicago, the Squeeze Club on 16th and Homan.
187:. Willette became involved in music by playing the piano for various gospel groups, and accompanied his sisters Dorothy and Georgia, who toured and recorded as the Willett Sisters. He spent his early career travelling across the
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After some time in
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in 1952, but soon moved to
Chicago and married. He recorded tracks including "Can't Keep From Lovin' You" and "Why" for
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than Smith's. Willette was also a professional hairdresser. Before his time in New York City, he was based out of
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in 1961. In New York, he spent some two years in prison for robbery and assault, between late 1961 and 1963.
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After his release, he returned to
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and jazz bands, playing piano before switching to organ around 1958. His organ playing was inspired by
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sessions with them. This led to
Willette being signed to Blue Note, which recorded his debut album
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He made his first recording as Baby Face
Willette ("Wake Up, Get Out" b/w "Cool Blues") in
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that year, but they were not released until late 1955. He played in both
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In late 1960, after splitting from his wife and addicted to
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who played the piano in the church where his father was a
136:(September 11, 1933 – April 1, 1971) was an American
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Biography "Baby Face" Willette
Accessed: December 1, 2006
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381:. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 62.
156:He was born Roosevelt James Willett (no "e"), in
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183:. As a result, his musical roots were in
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462:Tanzilo, Bobby (September 11, 2019).
377:Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013).
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545:Musicians from Little Rock, Arkansas
535:20th-century American male musicians
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525:20th-century American musicians
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134:Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette
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379:Blues - A Regional Experience
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510:American jazz organists
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261:, and played on a few
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505:American keyboardists
158:Little Rock, Arkansas
52:Little Rock, Arkansas
550:Argo Records artists
495:Soul-jazz organists
464:"Behind the 8 Ball"
356:Grant's First Stand
283:bronchial pneumonia
166:Grant’s First Stand
500:Hard bop organists
419:Blues & Rhythm
215:, among others.
49:September 11, 1933
23:Baby Face Willette
359:(Blue Note, 1961)
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99:Years active
93:Piano, organ
64:(1971-04-01)
490:1971 deaths
485:1933 births
351:Grant Green
289:Discography
259:Grant Green
232:Jimmy Smith
220:Los Angeles
209:Johnny Otis
205:Joe Houston
170:New Orleans
479:Categories
364:References
333:As sideman
201:King Kolax
177:missionary
45:1933-09-11
30:Birth name
344:Here 'Tis
294:As leader
263:Blue Note
240:Milwaukee
236:soul jazz
162:Blue Note
142:soul-jazz
119:Blue Note
106:1950–1970
446:Allmusic
317:Mo' Rock
181:minister
138:hard bop
164:album,
115:Vee-Jay
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247:heroin
193:Canada
185:gospel
111:Labels
76:Genres
71:, U.S.
383:ISBN
276:Argo
257:and
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197:Cuba
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84:jazz
59:Died
39:Born
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