- Bill Justis
William E. "Bill" Justis Jr. (
October 14 ,1926 –July 15 ,1982 ) was an American pioneerRock and Roll musician ,composer , andmusical arranger best known for his 1957Grammy Hall of Fame song "Raunchy."Bill Justis was born in
Birmingham, Alabama but grew up inMemphis, Tennessee and studied music at Christian Brothers College (high school department) andTulane University inNew Orleans, Louisiana . Atrumpet andsaxophone player, while in university he performed with local jazz and dance bands. He returned home to Memphis in 1954 and was eventually taken on bySam Phillips atSun Records where he recorded music for himself as well as arranged the music for Sun artists such asJerry Lee Lewis ,Roy Orbison ,Johnny Cash andCharlie Rich . Released in November 1957, his song "Raunchy" was the first Rock and Rollinstrumental hit and its popularity was such that it reached No.2 on the American Billboard record charts and to No. 1 on the Australian charts. Justis had one other significant hit record, "College Man", that went to No. 42.In 1961, Bill Justis moved to
Nashville where he became a successfulrecord producer and music arranger for both Pop andcountry music performers at Monument andMercury Records and other labels. He played saxophone on thesoundtrack for the 1964Elvis Presley film, "Kissin' Cousins " and that same year took over as manager of the singing group,Ronny & the Daytonas .Bill Justis had a [http://www.menziesera.com/number_1_hits/1963.shtml number one hit in Australia in 1963 with "Tamoure"] . The song did not chart in the USA on the Billboard hot 100. In the early 1960s he produced a successful series of instrumental LP's on the
Smash label. Justis is credited byRay Stevens in the TNN special "The Life and Times of Ray Stevens " for giving him the phrase "gitarzan" for which became a million selling pop hit for Stevens in 1969.Justis also wrote the music for several Hollywood
motion picture s including the 1977Burt Reynolds /Sally Field hit "Smokey and the Bandit " and the acting duos 1978 film, "Hooper".Bill Justis died of
cancer inNashville in 1982 at the age of only 55 and was interred in theMemorial Park Cemetery, Memphis .External links
* http://www.geocities.com/shakin_stacks/billjustis.txt
* http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:7m9yxdjbjol7~T1
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