Bill Gaither (blues musician)

{{similar names|Bill Gaither (disambiguation){{!}}Bill Gaither}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Bill Gaither

| image =

| caption =

| image_size =

| birth_name = William Arthur Gaither

| alias = "Little Bill" Gaither
Leroy's Buddy

| birth_place = Belmont, Bullitt County, Kentucky, U.S.

| birth_date = {{birth date|1910|4|21}}

| death_place = Indianapolis, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1970|10|30|1910|4|21}}

| origin =

| instrument = Guitar

| genre = Blues

| occupation =

| years_active = 1920s–1940s

| associated_acts =

| website =

| current_members =

| past_members =

}}

William Arthur Gaither (April 21, 1910 – October 30, 1970),{{cite book| first1= Bob| last1= Eagle| first2= Eric S.| last2= LeBlanc| year= 2013| title= Blues - A Regional Experience| publisher= Praeger Publishers| location= Santa Barbara| pages=146 | isbn= 978-0313344237}} sometimes known as "Little Bill" Gaither or Leroy's Buddy,e.g., Decca 7818: Racket Blues / Wintertime Blues was an American blues guitarist and singer.

Biography

Born in Belmont, Bullitt County, Kentucky, Gaither recorded over one hundred songs in the 1930s for labels such as Decca and Okeh.{{cite book| first= Tony| last= Russell| year= 1997| title= The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray| publisher=Carlton Books Limited | location= Dubai| page= 113| isbn= 1-85868-255-X}} He often wrote and recorded with the pianist George "Honey" Hill. After his friend Leroy Carr's death in 1935, Gaither was often credited as "Leroy's Buddy".{{cite web|author=Steve Leggett |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bill-gaither-mn0001357959 |title=Bill Gaither | Biography |publisher=AllMusic |date=1910-04-21 |access-date=2015-09-07}}

One of Gaither's most famous blues songs was "Champ Joe Louis", recorded on June 23, 1938,{{cite web|url=http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/w4x-md.htm |title=WAIL! The CBZ Journal (Apr 2001) |publisher=Cyberboxingzone.com |access-date=2015-09-07}} the day after Louis won his rematch against Max Schmeling. The blues scholar Paul Oliver has cited Gaither among a group of important, but understudied, 20th century musicians."Blues Research: Problems and Possibilities" Paul Oliver, Journal of Musicology Vol. 2 No. 4 (Autumn, 1983), pp. 377-390 His blues lyrics have been appreciated as poetry.Perfect in Their Art: Poems on Boxing from Homer to Ali Michael Waters, Robert Hedin, editors. {{ISBN|0-8093-2531-4}}. Southern Illinois Univ. Press. 2003. p. 47

Gaither ran a radio repair shop in Louisville, Kentucky, for some time. He died in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1970, and is buried in New Crown Cemetery in Indianapolis.

He is not to be confused with another musician, William Augustus "Bill" Gaither (1927–1985), who recorded with Roy Milton.{{cite book| first1= Bob| last1= Eagle| first2= Eric S.| last2= LeBlanc| year= 2013| title= Blues - A Regional Experience| publisher= Praeger Publishers| location= Santa Barbara| pages=411 | isbn= 978-0313344237}}