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The Tony Williams Lifetime

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Tony Williams Lifetime was a jazz fusion group led by the drummer Tony Williams. The band began in 1969 as a power trio with John McLaughlin on electric guitar and Larry Young on organ. The name possibly refers to Williams's first album as a bandleader, Life Time from 1965. The debut Emergency! was a double album from 1969 that many jazz fans rejected at the time because of its heavy rock influences and that is now regarded as a fusion classic. On the second album, Turn It Over from 1970, Jack Bruce played bass and sang.

Music and breakthrough

After that the line-up changed constantly. On Ego in 1971 Ted Dunbar played guitar and Ron Carter bass, and the last record for Polydor, The Old Bum's Rush in 1973, had an entirely new line-up, with vocals, electronic keyboards and a lighter soul-jazz approach. In 1975 Williams put together a new Lifetime with Allan Holdsworth on guitar, Alan Pasqua on piano and Tony Newton on bass. For Columbia they made Believe It in 1975 and Million Dollar Legs in 1976. Other line-ups without major releases followed later.

Influence

The hard, electric sound of the first Lifetime, with organ, sharp guitar and Williams's driving drums, made a great impression on the nascent fusion scene. Musicians of The Allman Brothers Band listened to it a lot, and Andy Partridge of XTC names Emergency! as his favourite album. After Williams's death in 1997 tributes followed, such as Spectrum Road with Jack Bruce in 2012.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a track from Emergency! and notice Tony Williams's drums: can you hear how they lie beneath the organ and the guitar like a constantly shifting engine?

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists