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Suzy Williams

At eighteen years old, Suzy met "Stormin’ Norman” Zamcheck, a Yale graduate in literature and “damn good boogie woogie piano player”. Partnering with Stormin' Norman, she cut two albums with him (Fantasy Rag, 1975 and Ocean of Love, 1978) and toured the east coast for 12 years. In 1976, the great jazz pianist and composer Eubie Blake paid Suzy an inspiring compliment in the form of a handwritten letter, “I heard alot of white women try to imitate negroid singing, but you are the only one who has it down pat.” In Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Suzy married Bill Burnett in 1977. After ten years of marriage, they decided to form “The Boners”. Bill, who wrote a song that is in Bette Midler’s new Las Vegas show, has a great knack for harmony arrangements.

They looked for a new jump start to their music and enlisted Kahlil Sabbagh on vocals, vibes and percussion" as well as his wife Ginger Smith, who sings harmonies and plays tambourine. They all thought it would be great for the group to sing Mamas and the Papas as well as original songs. They eventually renamed themselves the Backboners.

The Backboners (Suzy Williams, Bill Burnett, Kahlil Sabbagh and Ginger Smith) play original songs by Bill Burnett inspired by great vocal groups like The Mamas & The Papas, as well as some exciting covers. The Backboners' fresh harmonies and stellar arrangements reinvent the summer of love magic. With recent live performances from Santa Monica, California to Swans Island, Maine, The Backboners retrieve the spirit of inspired and inspiring music many grew up with. The group recorded two albums, Spine (2005) and We Dreamed It All (2009).

Although the Backboners have enjoyed great success, the Solid Senders is the group that gives Suzy her voice. According to Suzy, “The Solid Senders came about because a trumpet player friend of mine, Barry Anthony, said, in passing, that he didn’t have any gigs. I thought ‘That’s a shame! I should create work for him and his ilk.’ Then our friend Robin Carter wanted a horn band for her going away party. Voila! Suzy and her Solid Senders.” Suzy’s pianist and longtime “vaudeville pard”, Brad Kay, came up with the name "Senders” being the hipsters of the late forties. Dan Weinstein, Brad’s friend who plays trombone, offered to arrange music for the group, while vibes/percussion master Kahlil Sabbagh from the Backboners became the musical director. And what did Suzy do? “I began furiously writing songs for the group!” she laughed.

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Extended Analysis

Suzy Williams: Enjoy the Ride

Read "Suzy Williams: Enjoy the Ride" reviewed by Rex  Butters


Suzy WilliamsEnjoy the RideSuperbatone2010 The sprawling landscape of Southern California plays home to numerous pockets of creative regional artists. On LA's westside, Venice, a long time artists' enclave, once a backdrop for Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, continues its fierce resistance to gentrification, while nurturing independent visionaries of all stripes. The release of singer Suzy Williams' warm and beautiful Enjoy the Ride shines a light on a group of rarely recorded ...

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Performance / Tour

Jazz Singer Suzy Williams' Big Band Plays the Venice Talking Stick

Jazz Singer Suzy Williams' Big Band Plays the Venice Talking Stick

Source: All About Jazz

Spend a Memorial Day Weekend evening of cool jazz with Suzy Williams and her big band, 'Suzy and her Solid Senders.'

Suzy's SOLID SENDERS Band include Brad Kay on piano, Kahlil Sabbagh on drums and vibes, Charles Burns on sax, Dave Jones on bass, Dan Weinstein on trombone, Corey Gemm on trumpet and more TBA.

Williams' energy must be seen to be believed...a natural performer. - Robert Palmer, New York Times.

Williams is an enormously amusing, endearing ...

Williams' energy must be seen to be believed...a natural performer.
- Robert Palmer, New York Times.

Williams is an enormously amusing, endearing presence...with tough, belting authority.
- John Rockwell, New York Times

Suzy Williams is a very talented singer with a wide range who knows how to put on an entertaining and witty show. She can sing anything from 1920's jazz and swing to blues, rock & roll and folk music. Williams' highly expressive and witty vocals are always worth hearing.
- Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene

Suzy and Her Solid Senders teach old standards (Billie Holiday, Louis Jordan, Duke Ellington, Anita O'Day, Fats Waller)new t ricks, but it's their originals that will bring you back for more.
- Jazz critic Rex Butters

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