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By JOE BUTKIEWICZ; Times Leader Staff Writer
Thursday, October 06, 1994 Page: 2A
Bill Challis, an innovative music arranger who greatly influenced the swing
jazz era, died Tuesday evening at Riverstreet Manor in Wilkes- Barre. He was
90 years old.
A native of Wilkes- Barre, Challis arranged music in the 1920s and 1930s
for the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, band leaders Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller,
Artie Shaw and Fletcher Henderson. In 1926, Challis began arranging for the
innovative Jean Goldkette Orchestra in Detroit.
“He was a pioneer in the art of arranging,” said Warren Vache Sr., a band
leader and for 20 years, editor of the music journal, Jersey Jazz. “At the
beginning of orchestrating for a swing ensemble, Bill put much more life in”
arrangements, said Vache.
Norman P. Gentieu, a jazz historian in Philadelphia, interviewed Challis
many times during the past 30 years; “I won’t say Bill invented it, but Bill
was very influential in establishing the format of what became the big bands.”
Newell “Spiegle” Willcox, 91, the trombonist and last surviving member of
the Goldkette Orchestra, recalled the innovations Challis brought to the
group.
“Bill allowed the soloist to show off with certain background riffs,” said
Willcox, who lives in New York state. “He used built-up chords. He was far
ahead of who was arranging in those days.”
While writing arrangements for the popular Whiteman Orchestra, Challis
highlighted the full, baritone voice of Bing Crosby, propelling the singer’s
career.
Challis later arranged for the Casa Loma Orchestra, worked in the early
1930s for network radio shows including his own show, “Bill Challis and His
Music.”
In later years, Challis arranged for the Manhattan Transfer. In 1985,
Challis rewrote his original Goldkette charts — which had been lost — and
his protege, Vince Giordano, led a hand-picked band on a recording that
included original Goldkette trombonist Newell Spiegle Wilcox. The subsequent
album was titled “Bill Challis: The Goldkette Project.”
“We was happy to be working,” recalled Giordano, who at age 13 became
Challis first student. “He was never heady about it. He never had a big ego.”
Despite his achievements and his place as a seminal figure in swing jazz
history, Challis was relatively unrecognized. Audiences at jazz concerts at
Wilkes University may recall band leaders introducing Challis.
“One of the most neglected persons in the in the jazz dance band is the
arranger,” Gioradano said. “He lays the foundation. He can make the whole
package great or something terrible.”
Challis’ obituary appears on Page 7A.
Bill Challis