He rose to prominence as a member of Duke Ellington's orchestra, with which he performed from 1929 to 1940. He also recorded his own sessions during this time, both freelance and with other Ellington sidemen. In 1940 he joined Benny Goodman's orchestra, then in 1941 formed his own orchestra, in which over the years he employed Charlie Parker, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Bud Powell, Eddie Vinson, and other important young players.
He began to play more rhythm and blues in the late 1940s. In the 1950s he toured with small groups and fell into obscurity. In 1962 he rejoined Ellington and stayed with the orchestra till 1974, after Ellington's death.
Cootie Williams was renowned for his use of the plunger mute, and is reputed to have inspired Wynton Marsalis's use of it.
Williams began performing at an early age, working around his native Mobile, Alabama, with Johnny Pope and Holman's Jazz Band and touring with the Young Family Band before moving to Pensacola, Florida, at age 15, where he joined a group led Calvin Shields.
Williams remained with Ellington until 1940 when he left to join Benny Goodman, whom he had previously worked with during Goodman's famed Carnegie Hall Concert in 1938.
At first, Cootie's role in the band required him to play the so-called âjungle effectsâ originally created by Miley, but his rich open horn sound and his distinctive plunger muted playing quickly became an important part of the palette with which Ellington worked.
Cootie's work during this first period was not restricted solely to the Ellington band.
In 1941, Cootie formed his own big band in which, over the rest of the decade, he included several leading swing era musicians, such as Eddie âLockjawâ Davis and Eddie âCleanheadâ Vinson, as well as a number of the new young beboppers, notably Bud Powell and Charlie Parker.
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