Bill Pitman
| Bill Pitman | |
|---|---|
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Pitman with Gibson ES-330 guitar, 2012
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Keith Pitman |
| Born |
February 12, 1920 Belleville, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, rock, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Session musician |
| Instruments | Guitar, bass |
| Years active | 1951–1990 |
| Associated acts | |
| Notable instruments | |
| Danelectro baritone guitar | |
William Keith "Bill" Pitman (born February 12, 1920) is an American guitarist and session musician.
As a first-call studio musician working in Los Angeles, Pitman played on some of the most celebrated and influential records of the rock and roll era. His mastery of the guitar placed him in high demand for popular music recordings, television programs, and film scores. The style and range of his playing covered a wide spectrum, from the distinctive ukulele in the Academy Award-winning song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," to a rich-sounding Danelectro guitar that gave The Wild Wild West its unique musical signature.
Pitman developed an interest in music at a young age when his father worked as a bass player on staff at NBC in Rockefeller Center. During the Great Depression, Pitman's father was able to make a very good living doing freelance work, radio shows, and movie soundtracks all while still employed at the network.
When he was five years old, Pitman knew he wanted to be a musician. He tried several different instruments, including the piano and trumpet, before finally settling on the guitar. Lessons from John Cali and Allan Reuss taught him fundamentals and technique on the first guitar he ever owned, a D'Angelico. When it came time to apply for his Local 802 union card, he had no trouble passing the test before they recognized his name and said, "Oh, Keith Pitman's son. Well okay."
While in high school, Pitman went up to 52nd Street in Manhattan to listen to jazz pioneers like Charlie Parker. Pitman was strongly influenced by guitarists Charlie Christian and Eddie Lang, and soon befriended Shorty Rogers, Shelly Manne, and Eddie Bert, with whom he spent countless hours playing music.
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Wikipedia