Bill Green
(Saxophone)
(Growing up in Kansas City, he started playing when he was eleven. After spending World War II in the Navy, he attended the L.A. Conservatory of Music for six years, majoring in clarinet. While he was in school, he played in local clubs, and after graduation in 1952, he moved into studio work. During a distinguished recording career, he played with Nat "King" Cole, Frank Sinatra, Benny Carter, Billy Eckstine, Ella Fitzgerald, Percy Faith, Nelson Riddle, Sam Cooke, Barry White and on the first Jackson Five album. He was in the studio band for many TV shows [Glen Campbell, Flip Wilson, Leslie Uggams and Tony Orlando and Dawn], and on numerous movie soundtracks such as "Young Man With A Horn," "Walk On The Wild Side," "The Five Pennies" and "St. Louis Blues" which featured Nat Cole in the role of W.C. Handy. He has also performed with the L.A. Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.)
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Bill: "Brian was very nice to work with. He knew what he was looking for, and he didn't mind spending the time and the money to get it. It cost to have the musicians sit as long as he needed them. He really knew what he wanted, and he wouldn't stop until he got it."
YOU WERE USED TO GOING TO SESSIONS WHERE YOU WOULD BE HANDED COMPLETED ARRANGEMENTS. WHAT DID YOU THINK WHEN THIS YOUNG MAN CAME IN WITH JUST A CHORD CHART?
Bill: "At first, I thought it was a facade. I didn't believe that it would work. I thought it was kid's stuff. We were much older than Brian, and we always had good intent to do the right thing. But you form an impression of anybody you meet or talk with. [With Brian] that took place on the negative side at first, but when we got the results he wanted, it proved something good was coming from him. After the first thing we did 'took,' the tension was released. He made it work, and we started believing in him. It was all a surprise. And mostly good. We didn't mind taking a chance. He seemed to have a little bit of magic."
