Remembering Bill Allred
November 19, 1936 – February 2024
A tribute to the veteran dixieland trombonist
Trombonist Bill Allred passed away in early February 2024 at the age of 87
He was born in Rock Island, Illinois on Nov. 19, 1936.
Allred gained early experience playing trombone when he attended Rock Island High School, and he had opportunities to play while in the U.S. Navy Band and at St. Ambrose College.
In 1971 he became a staff musician at Disney World.
In 1974, Allred organized the Goodtime Jazz Band to play regularly at Rosie O’Grady’s in Orlando Florida where he was the Entertainment Director, an association that lasted for 15 years.
Allred returned to Disney World in 1991 for a second association that lasted for decades.
He always found the time to play at many jazz festivals and along the way worked with such notables as Jack Teagarden, Wild Bill Davison, Billy Butterfield, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, Al Hirt, Mel Torme, Al Cohn, and Zoot Sims among others.
Allred recorded with Davison, Claude Hopkins, Jimmy McPartland, Doc Evans, Ed Polcer, Warren Vache, Ralph Sutton, and his son trombonist John Allred in addition to leading a series of his own albums.
Bill Allred is featuring playing trombone and singing “Basin Street Blues” with a group also including clarinetist Terry Myers, Bob Pickwood and Don Johnson on trumpets, pianist Jeff Phillips, bassist Jay Mueller and drummer Eddie Metz Jr. in 2013.
-Scott Yanow
