Wilmen "Billy" Henry MacCumber Jr.

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Wilmen (Billy) Henry MacCumber, Jr. was born January 18, 1928 in Detroit, Michigan. He moved to Newark, New Jersey at 3 months of age with mother Elizabeth Krocian MacCumber and father Wilmen Henry MacCumber, Sr. He was older brother to Norman, who passed away on September 29, 2020 at age 90 and sister Elizabeth, who passed away in infancy.

His mother, who immigrated to the US from Slovakia as a teen, with determination and a sharp intellect helped the family through the Great Depression by purchasing a two-family home and buying utilities stock with her savings as a young nanny. She bought her sons a trumpet and piano. Norman chased the family dog with the trumpet but Billy had near perfect pitch and took to music instantly. When a school music teacher recognized Billy’s talent, his mom accepted his offer of private piano lessons at 25 cents each. Billy played duets with his father, who played trombone, and piano at church. His first solo performance was age 9 for a school assembly. Although his knees shook in his knickers, he performed on trumpet and remembered what he played note for note until his nineties.

A passionate and talented musician, he joined a three-piece band—performing in neighborhood garages for $5--while in high school where he met his lifelong friend Jay Sher who he convinced to play trumpet also. Joining the famed New York City Local 802 of the Musicians Union at the earliest possible age of 16, he was quickly recruited by bandleader Dinny Dinnofer and dropped out of high school to spend the winter playing trumpet in the Florida Keys. He met another lifelong friend, Bobby Morris, waiting on line to join the Union. Although only a teenager, he performed at the Apollo Theatre and Savoy Ballroom and other New York venues.

Between age 18 and 22, he played trumpet at the Nevele Grand Hotel in the big band led by Art Kohn, who had a weekly coast-to-coast radio broadcast. At 18, he was the featured soloist on trumpet, his knees shaking so much he was sure the radio microphone would pick up the sound. On his weekly day off, he traveled to New York City for trumpet, piano, and arranging lessons with renowned teachers. Following the advice of one, he made the big decision to forego the trumpet for the piano. Also at the Nevele, he fell in love with Charlotte Wexler, a stylish, energetic City native who worked the front desk.

In September 1950 he joined the Charlie Spivak band where he won the acclaim of Downbeat Magazine. On January 18, 1951, he was drafted into the US Army stationed initially at Fort Dix, New Jersey for 15 months. He remembered basic training as the coldest days of his life. Armed with his musical ability and the great review from Downbeat Magazine, he was detailed to the officer’s club at night and playing Reveille in the morning on bugle which means he got little sleep.

In 1952, the Korean War was on and he was given orders to transfer to the Army Band in Sendai, Japan for 9 months. Before he shipped out, he and Charlotte married in a then-uncommon Jewish/Christian ceremony on March 4, 1952. The US Army Band lived at a Japanese country club where they were considered treasured guests, Billy fell in love with the Japanese people individually and at large and remembered his overseas tour as among the happiest times of his life.

After shipping back, Billy was recruited to play with New Orleans band leader Louis Prima for 10 days north of the Catskills. Mostly he played gigs on piano in and around New York City and started his family with Charlotte. Ellen Beth MacCumber was born on March 26, 1955. Then he heard that Louis Prima and the Witnesses were taking off as the lounge act at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, needed a pianist and liked the talented young man who played with them in New York. Billy drove his Buick convertible and Charlotte and six-week-old Ellen, with their dog Mike, flew to Nevada to start their exciting next chapter.

Las Vegas was still a small Western town when they arrived but hosted many famous performers such as members of the Rat Pack. Soon after they arrived, they signed an excellent new drummer, Bobby Morris, Billy’s friend he’d met while on the Union line in New York. Louis Prima, Keely Smith and the Witnesses played the midnight to 6am shift, which in Las Vegas at that time was hopping. Performers from other casinos came after their shows to see this dynamic group, including Frank Sinatra, trumpeter Harry James and his wife Betty Grable and comedian Jerry Lewis. Their high energy New Orleans jazz was a sensation. They recorded albums at Capitol Records in Los Angeles. The group performed on TV shows with Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. They were billed as “The Best Band in the Universe” although Billy never thought they were paid that way. On May 4, 1959, the group led by Louis Prima and Keely Smith won “Best Performance by a Vocal Group or Chorus” at the 1st Annual Grammy Awards for “That Old Black Magic” which opened with Billy on piano playing the famous riff he invented. But by this point, much to Charlotte’s chagrin, Billy came to view Las Vegas as a poor place to raise his growing family that now included Lisa Jane MacCumber born on November 19, 1957 at the lucky weight of 7 lbs, 11 ozs. The MacCumbers drove back to New Jersey to be closer to his beloved mother Elizabeth, brother Norman and his family that included lovely wife Carol and children Lori and Beth.

In New Jersey, the brothers tried their hand at the restaurant business, opening a barbecue place called “The MacCumber” but this wasn’t for them and it closed within a year. Billy played piano gigs in New Jersey often with bandleader Marty Ames. On December 29, 1962, Mathew Wilmen MacCumber was born and Billy felt he needed steady income. Norman’s family gained Christine, and they eventually moved to Clearwater, Florida with Billy’s mom. Billy got steady but fascinating work as the Music Director at the TV station Channel 47 broadcasting Spanish language, live music shows throughout the New York Metropolitan area and abroad. For eleven years he directed music at the Station. Billy loved it there, playing Latin jazz with artists including Tito Puente and Miguelito Valdes. Mathew remembers watching his dad play piano live on a black and white television, wondering how they made him so small inside that box.

In the 1970s, the TV Station moved production to Puerto Rico and Billy began a day job in the Newark School system as an accompanist, ultimately residing only at Newark Arts High School. Evenings and weekends he played at the posh Manor restaurant and at club dates throughout the region. He brought his passion for quality music and his love of people to the students of Arts High and created and played difficult choral arrangements for the choral groups. At one concert, the pianist for the school jazz band was sick and the group only knew Billy as a choral accompanist asked him if he could do his best filling in. Of course he said yes, hammed up a piano solo and brought the house down.

Both Lisa and Ellen married and moved out of the state and Mathew went off to college, so Billy and Charlotte moved to South Florida in the late 1980’s to join many of their friends and extended family members who already lived there. Billy played frequent gigs up and down the east coast, accompanied performers such as Lou Rawls and the Ink Spots, and played with a number of local orchestras including the Sugar Pops and Hallendale Pops, which merged to form today’s Broward Pops Orchestra.

Charlotte passed away on October 27, 2015. They had been married 63 years and Billy missed her so very much for the rest of his life. Now in his 80s he was still in great demand as a jazz pianist, accompanying many singers who resided in or toured the area and sometimes performed the old Louis Prima standards. For several years, he shared his love of music and love of life with singer Linda Torchia.

Billy had a deep Christian faith all his life and truly lived the moral and ethical principles of Jesus: love of and service to others, compassion, humility, honesty and integrity.

He is widely admired and respected not only for his musical talent and professionalism, but even more for his great character. Those who know him well and those who know him only a little are taken by his warmth, generosity, gentle humor, and charm—altogether, his love. He treasured his long-time friends, made meaningful friendships everywhere, and made new friends until the very end of his life. His lovely way of moving through the world was an inspiration and we hope it will long be so.

Billy is the beloved father of Ellen (Steve) Janes, Lisa MacCumber, and Mathew MacCumber (Judith Weinstein) and the grandfather of Jenna and Max Janes, and Abigail, David and Ethan MacCumber.