Wilby Fletcher

Wilby Fletcher
Born
Wilbert Blaine Fletcher

(1954-10-18)October 18, 1954
Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
DiedOctober 15, 2009(2009-10-15) (aged 54)
Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
GenreJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentDrums
Years active1969–2000s
Formerly ofMcCoy Tyner Quintet
EducationBerklee College of Music

Wilbert "Wilby" Blaine Fletcher (October 18, 1954 – October 15, 2009) was an American jazz drummer.

Early life

Fletcher began playing the drums at the age of four, attended George Gray Elementary School in Wilmington, Delaware, and graduated from P. S. DuPont High School. He then studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Already at the age of 15, he began working as a professional drummer.

Career

In the 1970s, he succeeded Alphonse Mouzon in McCoy Tyner's band, with whom he made his first appearance at the Jazz Showcase club in Chicago, without having rehearsed first. He has also worked with Ron Carter, Grover Washington Jr., Charles Fambrough, Lonnie Liston Smith, Bobby Watson, and the violinist John Blake, on whose albums Maiden Dance and A Twinkling of an Eye he contributed; he also appeared with Michel Petrucciani, Roy Ayers, and Harry Belafonte.

Later years

For several years, Fletcher was house drummer at Trump Castle in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and worked for the Alvin Ailey Dance Company in New York City. In the field of jazz, Fletcher was a part of 31 recording sessions between 1974 and 2007.

Legacy

In 2018, a street in Wilmington, Delaware, was named after him.

Discography

Sources:

With Roy Ayers

With McCoy Tyner

References

  1. ↑ "City News | Wilmington, DE". www.wilmingtonde.gov. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Burrage, Ronnie (January 2010). "Wilby Fletcher". Cadence. 36 (1–3): 56. ProQuest 753572322.
  3. ↑ Obituary in JazzTimes
  4. ↑ "Wilbert 'Wilby' B. Fletcher Is Honored With Ceremonial Street Sub-naming In Northeast Wilmington". US State News. October 10, 2018. ProQuest 2117371650.
  5. ↑ "Wilby Fletcher Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved September 22, 2023.