Will boulware
Encyclopedia
The Boulware family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina
then Atlanta, Georgia
where Will started playing the piano at age five. Will’s father played the guitar
and sang cowboy
songs and his mother still sings very well.
At age 10, Will bought a set of drums and formed his first group "Wee Willy & The Winks" in which he played drums
doing surf music until 13 when he traded in the drums for his first electric keyboard and started to listen to Jimmy Smith
and his father's Erroll Garner
and Dave Brubeck
records. When he was fourteen, he was already in an R&B group performing. He also played the organ in a trio he formed and started performing his own compositions. By 1972, his songs were recorded by B.B. King. In 1973, he turned 21 and went to New York City
where he mainly worked doing recording sessions in commercial field.
In the 1980s, Boulware lived in California
doing some solo piano gigs and working with guitarists such as Scott Henderson
, Phil Upchurch
and Ron Eschete. By 1990, Boulware moved back to NYC where he started working with the late Phyllis Hyman
. He also started in 1993 a 10-year organ stint with saxophonist
Maceo Parker
and touring with The Blues Brothers
(1998), John Scofield
(1999) and Carla Bley
(2000). He also performed on Rodney Jones
recordings and others.
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
then Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
where Will started playing the piano at age five. Will’s father played the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and sang cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
songs and his mother still sings very well.
At age 10, Will bought a set of drums and formed his first group "Wee Willy & The Winks" in which he played drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
doing surf music until 13 when he traded in the drums for his first electric keyboard and started to listen to Jimmy Smith
Jimmy Smith (musician)
Jimmy Smith was a jazz musician whose performances on the Hammond B-3 electric organ helped to popularize this instrument...
and his father's Erroll Garner
Erroll Garner
Erroll Louis Garner was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His best-known composition, the ballad "Misty", has become a jazz standard...
and Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck
David Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...
records. When he was fourteen, he was already in an R&B group performing. He also played the organ in a trio he formed and started performing his own compositions. By 1972, his songs were recorded by B.B. King. In 1973, he turned 21 and went to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he mainly worked doing recording sessions in commercial field.
In the 1980s, Boulware lived in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
doing some solo piano gigs and working with guitarists such as Scott Henderson
Scott Henderson
Scott Henderson is a fusion and blues guitarist best known for his work with the band Tribal Tech.-Early days:Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, Henderson began playing guitar at an early age...
, Phil Upchurch
Phil Upchurch
Phil Upchurch is an American jazz and R&B guitarist and bassist.Upchurch started his career working with The Kool Gents, The Dells, and The Spaniels before going on to work with Curtis Mayfield, Otis Rush and Jimmy Reed. He then returned to Chicago to play and record with Woody Herman, Stan Getz,...
and Ron Eschete. By 1990, Boulware moved back to NYC where he started working with the late Phyllis Hyman
Phyllis Hyman
Phyllis Linda Hyman was an American soul singer and actress.-Early years:Phyllis Hyman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in the St. Clair Village, the South Hills section of Pittsburgh...
. He also started in 1993 a 10-year organ stint with saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, as well as Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of Brown's hit recordings, and a key part of his band, playing alto, tenor and baritone saxophones...
and touring with The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedy actors Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live...
(1998), John Scofield
John Scofield
John Scofield , often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham,...
(1999) and Carla Bley
Carla Bley
Carla Bley, née Borg, is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and band leader. An important figure in the Free Jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill , as well as a book of compositions that have been performed by many other...
(2000). He also performed on Rodney Jones
Rodney Jones
Rodney Jones is an American poet and professor of English at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Jones was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the winner of the 1989 National Book Critics Circle Award. His other honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Peter I.B...
recordings and others.
Albums
- Summertime – (2006, Village Records)
- A Night in Tunisia – (2005, Village Records)
- Take 5 – (2004, Village Records)
- Harmony – (2003, Village Records)
- Over Crystal Green – (2002, Village Records)