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Will Lee fun......
- Thread starter jerry
- Start date
Will Lee is a such a pro. That whole group was first class - back when late night television was actually funny.
If ever there was a bass player that should write a book…
Love Will and the entire "World's Most Dangerous Band".
What a great clip - thanks Jerry! Somehow I didn't realize just how long a run Will had on that show. Amazing really.
I've posted this before but its from this year and his groove is flat out ridiculous!
Fifty years of just bringing it to every gig!
Fifty years of just bringing it to every gig!
Just imagine how many great artists Will backed over the course of those three-plus decades on the show. What an incredible experience that must have been. When I saw Johnny Clegg was on the show but without his band I was immediately disappointed. I’m a big fan of Solly Letwaba (who played bass with JC at the time) and I thought, “As good as Will Lee is, he’s not used to playing Township Jive inspired music”. But Will killed it and made me not mind at all that JC had a “sub” on bass. 
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Just imagine how many great artists Will backed over the course of those three-plus decades on the show. What an incredible experience that must have been. When I saw Johnny Clegg was on the show but without his band I was immediately disappointed. I’m a big fan of Solly Letwaba (who played bass with JC at the time) and I thought, “As good as Will Lee is, he’s not used to playing Township Jive inspired music”. But Will killed it and made me not mind at all that JC had a “sub” on bass.
Will Lee has some of the “biggest” ears in music. He can pick any feel and play it authentically.
Will made me re-evaluate my tone. I was always amazed that I could hear his bass even on my tiny stock TV speakers. That changed everything for me.
Most of that time, Will Lee played a Sadowsky and sounding good in the mix is their calling card.
I haven't done the math, but given how long Letterman was on the air I wonder if that's true? Anyone know what year Will changed from the Jazz Bass with the Valley Arts neck to the Sadowsky?
I've been loving all the NBC Late Night content Letterman's been putting on YT, and this Will Lee segment was a treat. Dude has played with everybody (and don't forget that he was even busier as a jingle singer than a bass player), and he certainly went through some visual looks back in the day. I was incredibly fortunate to meet him the Phoenix airport about a decade ago, and he was friendly and gracious. Such a thrill to meet someone who I'd grown up watching on TV.
Late 88-89ish. I bought my first Sadowsky in 1990 because of him. The price I paid new at the Sadowsky shop was so low that if I posted a new NYC Sadowsky at that price on Reverb, everybody would think it was a scam.
Immediately prior to a long Sadowsky-only period, Will cycled through a vintage Jazz with an onboard Sadowsky pre, then that bass got the Valley Arts neck with the Yamaha tuners put on it in CA. Then the Black Sadowsky with the maple neck showed up, followed by the quilt-top sunbust maple neck that he played for many years.
When the show moved to CBS, he played a few other different Sadowskys, flirted with a purple custom Yamaha, and spent nearly a year on a blue Fodera Imperial that somebody on this board owns now. There were a few other basses that were in his stable on the show, but they weren’t seen often. Then, the Will Lee model came around and he finished his Letterman tenure with that.
Many assume otherwise, but the basses you saw him play on Letterman were just the basses he played on Letterman. They usually lived on the set for ease of logistics and Will played other instruments around town off-show.
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When I was 16 I joined a group and (Bill) Will was in it. He was 15 and could sing 3 octaves.
I had never really seen a bass guitar before. It was a white Fender P Bass if I recall. The smell of the bass and case was so neat. He played through a Fender showman or bassman amp with two 12's or 15's.
The talent was there already...
I had never really seen a bass guitar before. It was a white Fender P Bass if I recall. The smell of the bass and case was so neat. He played through a Fender showman or bassman amp with two 12's or 15's.
The talent was there already...
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