Billy Higgins
- Type: Influential Sideman
- Country: United States
- Born: October 11, 1936 in Los Angeles, California, United States
- Died: May 3, 2001 in Inglewood, California, United States
- Active: 1936 - 2001
Biography
Known for his joyful smile and an endlessly swinging, shimmering cymbal beat, Billy Higgins was one of the most beloved and prolific drummers in jazz history. He was a pioneer of the avant-garde as a founding member of the classic *Ornette Coleman* Quartet, playing on the groundbreaking 1959 album 'The Shape of Jazz to Come'. Higgins soon became the unofficial house drummer for #Blue Note Records#, where his light, responsive, and buoyant pulse graced hundreds of hard bop classics by artists like *Lee Morgan*, *Dexter Gordon*, and *Herbie Hancock*. In his later years, he co-founded The World Stage, a vital community arts space in Los Angeles.