Bill Vitt (May 6, 1943 - July 16, 2019, aged 76) was an American drummer and keyboardist. He worked extensively as a live performer and as a session musician. In the 1970s he played with

Brewer & Shipley Brewer & Shipley were an American folk rock duo who enjoyed their peak success in the late 1960s through the 1970s. The duo consisted of singer-songwriters Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley. They were known for their intricate guitar work, vocal ha ...

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence during the counterculture of the 196 ...

Merl Saunders Merl Saunders (February 14, 1934 – October 24, 2008) was an American multi-genre musician who played piano and keyboards, favoring the Hammond B-3 console organ. Biography Born in San Mateo, California, United States, Saunders attended Poly ...

, and the Sons of Champlin. He retired from the music business in the 1980s, but became active again in the 2000s, playing live shows and recording albums. He played the music that he loved until his death. He died with his adoring daughter, Aura, by his side, grateful and content with the life he led

Discography

*'' Tarkio'' –

– 1970 *''Danny Cox'' – Danny Cox – 1971 *'' Hooteroll?'' – Howard Wales and

– 1971 *'' Heavy Turbulence'' –

– 1972 *'' Rural Space'' – Brewer & Shipley – 1972 *''

Tom Fogerty Thomas Richard Fogerty (November 9, 1941 – September 6, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist for Creedence Clearwater Revival. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Biography ...

'' –

– 1972 *''

Excalibur Excalibur is the mythical sword of King Arthur that may possess magical powers or be associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. Its first reliably datable appearance is found in Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. E ...

'' – Tom Fogerty – 1972 *'' Fillmore: The Last Days'' – various artists – 1972 (as a member of Sons of Champlin) *''Casting Pearls'' – Mill Valley Bunch – 1972 *'' Fire Up'' – Merl Saunders – 1973 *'' Live at Keystone'' – Merl Saunders, Jerry Garcia,

John Kahn John Kahn (June 13, 1947 – May 30, 1996) was an American bassist. From 1970 to 1995, Kahn was Jerry Garcia's principal musical collaborator outside of the Grateful Dead. Biography John Kahn was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Adopted at birth by ...

, Bill Vitt – 1973 *'' Keystone Encores'' – Merl Saunders, Jerry Garcia, John Kahn, Bill Vitt – 1988 *'' Fire Up Plus'' – Merl Saunders and Friends – 1992 *''ASAP'' – David Collini – 1992 *''Keepers'' – Merl Saunders – 1997 *'' Side Trips, Volume One'' – Howard Wales and Jerry Garcia – 1998 *'' Garcia Plays Dylan'' – Jerry Garcia – 2005 *'' Well-Matched: The Best of Merl Saunders & Jerry Garcia'' – Merl Saunders and Jerry Garcia – 2006 *''State of Grace'' – Bill Vitt – 2008 *'' Keystone Companions: The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings'' – Merl Saunders and Jerry Garcia – 2012 *''Back At It Again'' – Keystone Revisited – 2013 *'' Garcia Live Volume Six'' – Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders – 2016 *''

Garcia Live Volume Nine ''Garcia Live Volume Nine'' is a two-CD live album by Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders. It contains the complete concert recorded on August 11, 1974 at the Keystone in Berkeley, California. It was released on July 28, 2017. The musical lineup fo ...

'' – Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders – 2017 *'' Garcia Live Volume 12'' – Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders – 2019 *'' Garcia Live Volume 15'' – Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders – 2020

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vitt, Bill 1943 births 2019 deaths American jazz drummers American jazz keyboardists Musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area Place of birth missing American rock drummers American male drummers American rock keyboardists Place of death missing 20th-century American drummers Jazz musicians from California 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Drummers from Washington (state) Drummers from California