Sam Woodyard

Sam Woodyard
Woodyard in 1965
Woodyard in 1965
Background information
Born(1925-01-07)January 7, 1925
Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedSeptember 20, 1988(1988-09-20) (aged 63)
Paris, France
Genres
OccupationMusician
InstrumentDrums
Years active1940s–1988
Formerly ofDuke Ellington

Sam Woodyard (January 7, 1925 – September 20, 1988) was an American jazz drummer.

Woodyard was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States. He was largely self-taught on drums and played locally in the Newark, New Jersey, area in the 1940s. He performed with Paul Gayten in an R&B group, then played in the early 1950s with Joe Holiday, Roy Eldridge, and Milt Buckner. In 1955, he joined Duke Ellington's orchestra, with whom he remained until 1966.

After his time with Ellington, Woodyard worked with Ella Fitzgerald, then moved to Los Angeles. In the 1970s, he played less due to health problems, but he recorded with Buddy Rich and toured with Claude Bolling. In 1983, he belonged to a band with Teddy Wilson, Buddy Tate, and Slam Stewart. His last recording was in 1988 on Steve Lacy's album The Door.

Woodyard died of cancer in Paris at the age of 63.

Discography

With Cat Anderson

  • Plays at 4 A.M. (Columbia, 1958)
  • Ellingtonia (Wynne, 1959)
  • A Chat with Cat Anderson (Columbia, 1963)

With Duke Ellington

With Johnny Hodges

With others

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Larkin, Colin, ed. (1992). "Woodyard, Sam". The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Publishing. pp. 438/9. ISBN 978-0-85112-580-0. OCLC 1200469796 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ↑ "Sam Woodyard Dies; Jazz Drummer Was 63". The New York Times. September 23, 1988. Section B, p. 6. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved August 3, 2021.

General references