Nelson "Cadillac" Williams (September 26, 1917,Montgomery, Alabama – 1973,Voorburg,the Netherlands) was an Americanjazz trumpeter.
Williams began playing piano at age 13 and settled on trumpet soon afterwards; he may have played with blues pianist/singerCow Cow Davenport while still a teenager. In the 1930s, he played in theterritory bandsTrianon Crackerjacks andBrown Skin Models, and acted as musical director for theDixie Rhythm Girls. Around 1940, he left Alabama forPhiladelphia, where he played withTiny Bradshaw's band before joining theU.S. Army duringWorld War II.
After the war,Billy Eckstine hired Williams, and following this he worked withJohn Kirby and pianistBilly Kyle. In 1949, he began the first of several stints withDuke Ellington, who bestowed upon him thenickname "Cadillac". In 1951, he left Ellington's employ and moved toParis, where he led his own bands and recorded for French labels. He returned to Ellington in 1956, and played with him again in 1969 on a tour of Europe.[1] He settled inthe Netherlands, and died in 1973.
WithDuke Ellington
With others
