Tony Williams (drummer)

Tony Williams
Williams in a 1964 advertisement
Background information
Birth name	Anthony Tillmon Williams
Born	(1945-12-12)December 12, 1945 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Origin	Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	February 23, 1997(1997-02-23) (aged 51) Daly City, California, U.S.
Genres	Jazz post-bop jazz fusion modal
Occupations	Musician composer producer bandleader
Instrument	Drums
Years active	1961–1997

Anthony Tillmon Williams (December 12, 1945 – February 23, 1997)^[1] was an American jazz drummer. Williams first gained fame as a member of Miles Davis' "Second Great Quintet," and later pioneered jazz fusion with Davis' group and his own combo, the Tony Williams Lifetime.^[2] In 1970, music critic Robert Christgau described him as "probably the best drummer in the world."^[3] Williams was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 1997.^[4]