Bill Potts

Best known for his brief but seminal collaboration with the legendary tenorist Lester Young, jazz arranger, composer, and pianist Bill Potts was born April 3, 1928, in Arlington, VA. After first receiving a Hawaiian guitar from his father, he quickly switched to accordion and won a talent contest at 15 with his rendition of "Twilight Time." While in high school, Potts discovered Count Basie and immediately set his sights on a career as a professional musician, studying composition while transcribing musical charts for the U.S. Army Band from 1949 to 1955. During this same pe...