Jazz drummer Billy James was born and raised in Pittsburgh. His mother wanted him to play the horn but when Billy went to pick up the horn at a pawn shop, he fell in love with some bongo drums. He phoned his mother to ask if he could switch to drums, and history was made.



Billy James started playing with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra at age fifteen.



Billy James taught himself to read music while serving in the Air Force, and spent his service playing with the Air Force band.



He also played with jazz greats such as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Sonny Stitt, and was a longtime mainstay at Philadelphia jazz clubs, including Ortlieb's Jazzhaus and Chris' Jazz Cafe.



He was active in the 1950s through the 1980s and kept playing through 2008.



Some of Billy James' recordings include Sonny Stitt, Just the Way It Was: "Live" at the Left Bank (Label M, 1971); Sonny Stitt/Don Patterson, Legends of Acid Jazz, Vol. 2 (Prestige, 1968); and Don Patterson, Boppin' & Burnin' (Prestige, 1968).



Billy James died at Mercy Hospital in Philadelphia on November 20, 2009. Death was caused by complications from asthma.