“Baby Face” Willette
Roosevelt “Baby Face” Willette (September 11, 1933 – April 1, 1971 Little Rock) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician who played the Hammond organ.
He spent his early career travelling across the United States, Canada and Cuba, as pianist with the bands of King Kolax, Joe Houston, Johnny Otis and Big Jay McNeely, among others.
He made his first recording as Baby Face Willette (“Wake Up, Get Out” b/w “Cool Blues”) in Los Angeles in 1952, but soon moved to Chicago and married. He recorded tracks including “Can’t Keep From Lovin’ You” and “Why” for Vee-Jay Records that year, but they were not released until late 1955. He played in both rhythm and blues and jazz bands, playing piano before switching to organ around 1958. His organ playing was inspired by Jimmy Smith‘s work, though Willette’s style is more heavily influenced by gospel, blues and soul jazz than Smith’s. Willette was also a professional hairdresser. Before his time in New York City, he was based out of Milwaukee, playing with his vocalist wife Jo Gibson at clubs such as The Flame Club, The Pelican Club, The Moonglow and Max’s among others.
In late 1960, after splitting from his wife and addicted to heroin, he arrived in New York City where he met Lou Donaldson and Grant Green, and played on a few Blue Note sessions with them. This led to Willette being signed to Blue Note, which recorded his debut album Face to Face in 1961.[3] In New York, he spent some two years in prison for robbery and assault, between late 1961 and 1963. After some time in California, failing health forced a return to Chicago, where his family resided. He died in 1971, from bronchial pneumonia.