Bill Lee, jazz musician who worked with Bob Dylan and on son Spike Lee’s early movies, dies at 94

May 24, 2023, 10:19 AM

FILE - Director Spike Lee, left, and his father Bill Lee attend a special 20th anniversary screenin...

FILE - Director Spike Lee, left, and his father Bill Lee attend a special 20th anniversary screening of "Do the Right Thing", in New York, on June 29, 2009. Bill Lee, a well-regarded jazz musician who accompanied such artists as Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel and Harry Belafonte as well as scoring four of his son Spike’s early films, died Wednesday, May 24, 2023, according to Theo Dumont, a publicist for Spike Lee. He was 94. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Peter Kramer, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Bill Lee, a well-regarded jazz musician who accompanied such artists as Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel and Harry Belafonte as well as scoring four of his son Spike’s early films, including the hit “Do the Right Thing” and two songs for “Jungle Fever,” has died. He was 94.

Lee died Wednesday at his home in Brooklyn, said Theo Dumont, a publicist for Spike Lee. The younger Lee posted several photos of his father on his Instagram page announcing the death.

Lee was a session bassist who has played on albums by Odetta, Woody Guthrie, Cat Stevens, Gordon Lightfoot, John Lee Hooker and Peter, Paul and Mary, among many others. He can be heard on Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” and Lightfoot’s “Oh, Linda.” He played on Aretha Franklin’s Columbia album debut in 1960, “Aretha.”

Lee wrote the soundtracks to Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It,” “School Daze,” “Do the Right Thing” and “Mo’ Better Blues.” Bill Lee also appeared in “Do the Right Thing.” Terence Blanchard took over the role starting with “Jungle Fever.”

Bill Lee and Spike Lee were estranged after a falling out in the 1990s that the father attributed to his remarriage to Susan Kaplan.

In addition to Kaplan and Spike Lee, the elder Lee is survived by his sons, David, Cinque and Arnold; a daughter Joie; a brother, A. Clifton Lee; and two grandchildren.

United States News

Associated Press

Week after Iowa building collapse, Minnesota condo evacuated over stability concerns

ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) — Less than a week after an apartment building partially collapsed in Iowa, more than 140 people were evacuated from a condominium in Minnesota after a structural engineer expressed concerns about its stability. Officials in Rochester, Minnesota, ordered residents of the 15-story, 94-unit Rochester Towers Condominium to evacuate Friday afternoon, police said. […]

13 hours ago

President Joe Biden addresses the nation on the budget deal that lifts the federal debt limit and a...

Associated Press

Biden signs debt ceiling bill that pulls US back from brink of unprecedented default

President Joe Biden signed legislation on Saturday that lifts the nation’s debt ceiling, averting an unprecedented default on the federal government’s debt.

13 hours ago

FILE - Inmate Michael Tisius, sentenced to death in the killing of two jail officers, shows his tat...

Associated Press

Federal court reinstates death penalty order for Missouri inmate convicted of killing jailers

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A federal appeals court has vacated a stay of execution for a Missouri inmate who is scheduled to be executed on Tuesday for his role in the deaths of two jailers. Michael Tisius, 42, was sentenced to death after being convicted of killing Randolph County jailers Jason Acton and Leon Egley […]

13 hours ago

Retired Phoenix Police Capt. Carroll Cooley demonstrates Wednesday, March 13, 2013, at the Phoenix ...

Associated Press

Retired Phoenix police officer in landmark Miranda rights case dies at 87

Retired Phoenix Police Capt. Carroll Cooley, the arresting officer in the landmark case partially responsible for the Supreme Court's Miranda rights ruling, has died.

13 hours ago

Associated Press

Twitter executive responsible for content safety resigns after Elon Musk criticism

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A top Twitter executive responsible for safety and content moderation has left the company, her departure coming soon after owner Elon Musk publicly complained about the platform’s handling of posts about transgender topics. The departure pointed to a fresh wave of turmoil among key officials at Twitter since Musk took over […]

13 hours ago

FILE - A makeshift memorial with crosses for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooti...

Associated Press

Connecticut governor poised to sign state’s most sweeping gun measure since post-Sandy Hook laws

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A slate of gun control measures was headed Saturday to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s desk, after an all-night state Senate debate and early morning vote to approve the state’s most wide-ranging gun legislation since the laws that followed the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting. Lamont, a Democrat, plans to sign the […]

13 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

SANDERSON FORD

Thank you to Al McCoy for 51 years as voice of the Phoenix Suns

Sanderson Ford wants to share its thanks to Al McCoy for the impact he made in the Valley for more than a half-decade.

...

Desert Institute for Spine Care

Spinal fusion surgery has come a long way, despite misconceptions

As Dr. Justin Field of the Desert Institute for Spine Care explained, “we've come a long way over the last couple of decades.”

(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...

Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.

Bill Lee, jazz musician who worked with Bob Dylan and on son Spike Lee’s early movies, dies at 94