Will Lee (bassist)

Will Lee is an American bassist known for his work on the Late Show with David Letterman as part of the CBS Orchestra and “The World's Most Dangerous Band" during Letterman’s tenure as host of NBC’s "Late Night".

Lee has recorded and toured with many artists. He appeared on the Mark & Clark Band's hit record Worn Down Piano. He performs with his Beatles tribute band, The Fab Faux, which he co-founded in 1998.

Beginnings in music
Lee was greatly influenced to pursue music because of his parents. His father, William Franklin Lee III played piano, trumpet and the upright bass professionally. Lee's mother Lois sang with big bands. Lee took up drums after seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, and by the time he was 12 had formed his first band in Miami. The band members each earned $6 a night playing the popular surfing tunes characteristic of the 60s. With the great numbers of drummers in Miami, Lee shifted to bass, an instrument that offered more opportunities. Lee was part of a succession of bands including top 40 bands with names like "Chances R" "The Loving Kind", and "Green Cloud."

Lee studied French horn for a year and then switched to a bass major. After classes, he worked on bass fundamentals listening to not only the Beatles, but also Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Miller, The Rascals, Motown, Sly & the Family Stone, among others. He would put it all into practice six sets a night playing with various local bands, including a horn band called "Goldrush."

Professional music career
Lee then went to New York City. Trumpeter Randy Brecker called Lee out of class one day and invited him to audition for jazz-rock group Dreams. He won the part and played on the album Imagine My Surprise as a bassist and vocalist. After Dreams disbanded, Lee's career as a session musician flourished, and he toured with many artists. Lee played in the New York "24th Street Band" which had great success in Japan, giving him a solo artist career that yielded him a top 5 single. Most recently, his solo CD entitled OH! reached the #1 position on the "Jazz Beyond" chart there. On January 20, 2016 Lee played bass with Christopher Cross at the Moody Theater in Austin, TX at a taping for Austin City Limits.

The CBS Orchestra
In 1982, Lee became one of the original members of The World's Most Dangerous Band, the house band on NBC's Late Night with David Letterman. He holds the distinction of playing with Paul Shaffer, on both Late Night and the Late Show, longer than any other member of the CBS Orchestra. Before the Late Show began taping, he often tossed out guitar picks to the audience as souvenirs. On the May 13, 2015 episode of the Late Show with David Letterman, as Letterman was interviewing Paul Shaffer, Shaffer gave recognition to the members of his band, and lastly mentioned Lee as the "man has been with us on bass since the first night we were on Late Night, Will Lee."

Awards and honors

 * NARAS MVP Award for bass guitar, 1979, 1982, 1985–1987
 * NARAS MVP Award for male session singer, 1987
 * NARAS MVP Virtuoso Award for bass guitar, 1989
 * Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, Some Skunk Funk, with Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Peter Erskine, Jim Beard, Vince Mendoza, Marcio Doctor, and the WDR Big Band, 2006
 * Inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2014

Basses
Lee uses the Sadowsky Will Lee model, 4 and 5-string Fender Jazz-style basses with a narrower nut width of 1.45" [37mm] instead of the usual 1.5" [38mm], 22 frets and a Hipshot D-tuner. This is the only instrument offered by Sadowsky that has a midrange control, an on-off toggle switch selectable between 500hz and 800hz. The bass was built for him by Roger Sadowsky and has now become a production model within the line of Sadowsky basses.

Discography

 * OH! (1993)
 * Birdhouse (2006)
 * Love, Gratitude and Other Distractions (2013)

As sideman
With Alessi Brothers With Peter Allen With Joan Armatrading With Patti Austin With Aztec Camera With Carole Bayer Sager With Joe Beck With Bee Gees With George Benson With Michael Bolton With The Brecker Brothers With Dan Brenner With Hiram Bullock With Gary Burton With Peabo Bryson With Irene Cara With Mariah Carey With Felix Cavaliere With Beth Nielsen Chapman With Cher With Clarence Clemons With Jimmy Cliff With Linda Clifford With Natalie Cole With Judy Collins With Randy Crawford With Peter Criss With Christopher Cross With D'Angelo With Sheena Easton With Donald Fagen With Art Farmer With Roberta Flack With Michael Franks With Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway With Ace Frehley With Steve Goodman With Lawrence Gowan With Al Green With Henry Gross With Arlo Guthrie With Spyro Gyra With Major Harris With Cissy Houston With Janis Ian With Chaka Khan With Kool & the Gang With Yusef Lateef With Lori Lieberman With Fred Lipsius With Steve Lukather With Delbert McClinton With Taj Mahal With Melissa Manchester With Barry Manilow With Herbie Mann With Meco With Glenn Medeiros With Melanie With Bette Midler With Liza Minnelli With Tim Moore With Kenny Nolan With Laura Nyro With Odyssey With Leslie Pearl With Esther Phillips With Nicole Renée With Vicki Sue Robinson With Diana Ross With David Sanborn With Leo Sayer With Lalo Schifrin With Helen Schneider With Diane Schuur With Don Sebesky With Neil Sedaka With Janis Siegel With Nina Simone With Carly Simon With Phoebe Snow With Bert Sommer With Dusty Springfield With Ringo Starr With Steely Dan With Mike Stern With Cat Stevens With Barbra Streisand With The Manhattan Transfer With Bonnie Tyler With Frankie Valli With Narada Michael Walden With Dionne Warwick With Vanessa Williams
 * All For a Reason (A&M, 1977)
 * I Could Have Been a Sailor (A&M Records, 1979)
 * Me Myself I (A&M Records, 1980)
 * End of a Rainbow (CTI, 1976)
 * Havana Candy (CTI, 1977)
 * Body Language (CTI, 1980)
 * In My Life (CTI, 1983)
 * Love (Sire, 1987)
 * Carole Bayer Sager (Elektra Records, 1977)
 * Beck (Kudu, 1975)
 * E.S.P. (Warner Bros., 1987)
 * Benson & Farrell with Joe Farrell (CTI, 1976)
 * Livin' Inside Your Love (Warner Bros. Records, 1979)
 * In Your Eyes (Warner Bros. Records, 1983)
 * Love Remembers (Warner Bros. Records, 1993)
 * The Hunger (Columbia Records, 1987)
 * The Brecker Bros. (Arista, 1975)
 * Back to Back (Arista, 1976)
 * Don't Stop the Music (Arista, 1977)
 * Return of the Brecker Brothers (GRP, 1992)
 * Little Dark Angel (2011)
 * From All Sides (Atlantic, 1986)
 * Give It What U Got (Atlantic, 1987)
 * Way Kool (Atlantic, 1992)
 * World of Collision (Big World, 1994)
 * Manny's Car Wash (Big World, 1996)
 * First Class Vagabond (JVC Victor, 2000)
 * Guitarman (JVC Victor, 2000)
 * Color Me (Via, 2001)
 * Best of Hiram Bullock (WEA, 2002)
 * Try Livin' It (EFA, 2003)
 * Too Funky 2 Ignore (BHM, 2006)
 * Reunion (GRP, 1990)
 * Cool Nights (GRP, 1991)
 * Six Pack (GRP, 1992)
 * Take No Prisoners (Elektra Records, 1985)
 * Anyone Can See (Elektra Records, 1982)
 * What a Feelin' (Epic Records, 1983)
 * Emotions (Columbia, 1991)
 * Destiny (Bearsville, 1975)
 * Castles in the Air (Epic, 1979)
 * You Hold the Key (Reprise Records, 1993)
 * Take Me Home (Casablanca Records, 1979)
 * Cher (Geffen Records, 1987)
 * A Night With Mr. C (CBS Records, 1989)
 * Give Thankx (Warner Bros. Records, 1978)
 * I'll Keep on Loving You (Capitol Records, 1982)
 * Snowfall on the Sahara (Elektra Records, 1999)
 * Fires of Eden (Columbia, 1990)
 * Raw Slik (Warner Bros. Records, 1979)
 * One for All (Megaforce, 2007)
 * Secret Ladder (Christopher Cross Records, 2014)
 * Take Me As I Am (Christopher Cross Records, 2017)
 * Brown Sugar (EMI, 1995)
 * What Comes Naturally (MCA Records, 1991)
 * The Nightfly (Warner Bros. 1982)
 * Crawl Space (CTI, 1977)
 * Yama with Joe Henderson (CTI, 1979)
 * Blue Lights in the Basement (Atlantic Records, 1977)
 * Burchfield Nines (Warner Bros. Records, 1978)
 * Objects of Desire (Warner Bros. Records, 1982)
 * Passionfruit (Warner Bros. Records, 1983)
 * Skin Dive (Warner Bros. Records, 1985)
 * The Camera Never Lies (Warner Bros. Records, 1987)
 * Barefoot on the Beach (Windham Hill Records, 1999)
 * Time Together (Shanachie Records, 2011)
 * Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway (Arista Records, 1980)
 * Ace Frehley (Casablanca, 1978)
 * Say It in Private (Asylum Records, 1977)
 * Great Dirty World (Columbia Records, 1987)
 * Don't Look Back (BMG, 1993)
 * Your Heart's in Good Hands (MCA, 1995)
 * Show Me to the Stage (Lifesong, 1977)
 * Love Is the Stuff (Lifesong, 1978)
 * Hobo's Lullaby (Reprise Records, 1972)
 * Morning Dance (1979)
 * Catching the Sun (1980)
 * Carnaval (1980)
 * Free Time (1981)
 * Incognito (1982)
 * How Do You Take Your Love (RCA Records, 1978)
 * Cissy Houston (Private Stock Records, 1977)
 * Step Aside for a Lady (Columbia Records, 1980)
 * Face to Face (BMG, 1996)
 * Janis Ian (Columbia Records, 1978)
 * Chaka (Atlantic, 1978)
 * Chaka Khan (Warner Bros., 1982)
 * In the Heart (De-Lite, 1983)
 * In a Temple Garden (CTI, 1979)
 * Letting Go (Millennium Records, 1978)
 * Better Believe It (Mja Records, 1996)
 * Lukather (Columbia Records, 1989)
 * Never Been Rocked Enough (Curb, 1992)
 * Evolution (The Most Recent) (Warner Bros., 1978)
 * Singin'... (Arista Records, 1977)
 * Emergency (Arista Records, 1983)
 * If My Heart Had Wings (Atlantic Records, 1995)
 * Barry Manilow II (Arista Records, 1974)
 * This One's For You (Arista Records, 1976)
 * Even Now (Arista Records, 1978)
 * One Voice (Arista Records, 1979)
 * Barry (Arista Records, 1980)
 * If I Should Love Again (Arista Records, 1981)
 * Manilow (RCA Records, 1985)
 * Waterbed (Atlantic, 1975)
 * Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk (Millennium Records, 1977)
 * It's Alright to Love (Mercury Records, 1993)
 * Phonogenic – Not Just Another Pretty Face (Midsong International, 1978)
 * Bette Midler (Atlantic Records, 1973)
 * Thighs and Whispers (Atlantic Records, 1979)
 * Gently (Angel Records, 1996)
 * Behind the Eyes (Asylum, 1975)
 * A Song Between Us (Polydor, 1978)
 * Smile (Columbia Records, 1976)
 * Nested (Columbia Records, 1978)
 * Odyssey (RCA Victor, 1977)
 * Words & Music (RCA, 1982)
 * You've Come a Long Way, Baby (Mercury, 1977)
 * Nicole Renée (Atlantic Records, 1998)
 * Half & Half (RCA Victor, 1978)
 * Movin' On (RCA Victor, 1979)
 * I Love You (Parlophone Records, 2006)
 * Taking Off (Warner Bros. Records, 1975)
 * World Radio (Chrysalis Records, 1982)
 * Have You Ever Been in Love (Chrysalis Records, 1983)
 * Towering Toccata (CTI, 1976)
 * So Close (Windsong, 1976)
 * Talkin' 'bout You (GPR, 1988)
 * The Rape of El Morro (CTI, 1975)
 * A Song (Elektra Records, 1977)
 * At Home (Atlantic Records, 1987)
 * Baltimore (CTI, 1978)
 * Boys in the Trees (Elektra Records, 1978)
 * Spy (Elektra Records, 1979)
 * Come Upstairs (Warner Bros. Records, 1980)
 * Torch (Warner Bros. Records, 1981)
 * My Romance (Arista Records, 1990)
 * Have You Seen Me Lately (Arista Records, 1990)
 * Second Childhood (Columbia Records, 1976)
 * Never Letting Go (Columbia Records, 1977)
 * Against the Grain (Columbia Records, 1978)
 * Bert Sommer (Capitol, 1977)
 * Living Without Your Love (Mercury Records, 1979)
 * Ringo's Rotogravure (Polydor Records, 1976)
 * Two Against Nature (Giant, 2000)
 * Is What It Is (Atlantic, 1994)
 * These Times (ESC, 2004)
 * All Over the Place (Heads Up, 2012)
 * Back to Earth (Island Records, 1978)
 * Songbird (Columbia Records, 1978)
 * Wet (Columbia Records, 1979)
 * Tonin' (Atlantic Records, 1995)
 * Faster Than the Speed of Night (Columbia Records, 1983)
 * Romantic the 60's (Universal Motown, 2007)
 * Garden of Love Light (Arista, 1976)
 * Dionne (Arista Records, 1979)
 * Friends Can Be Lovers (Arista Records, 1993)
 * Star Bright (Mercury, 1996)
 * Next (Mercury, 1997)