Ruff, Willie (Henry, Jr.)
Ruff, Willie (Henry, Jr.)
Ruff, Willie (Henry, Jr.) , French hornist, bassist; b. Sheffield, Ala., Sept. 1, 1931. He was in the army band in the late 1940s. He studied at Yale Univ. (M.M., 1954); he formed a duo with pianist Dwike Mitchell and played a series of successful nightclub engagements. In 1959, they gave a series of jazz concerts in Russia, triumphantly overriding Soviet scruples regarding the allegedly decadent nature of jazz. They were equally triumphant as part of President Johnson’s goodwill entourage to Mexico in 1966; in 1979, the duo performed in China. During the 1970s, he later taught at Yale Univ.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Lewis Porter
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