Bill Justis

• Born 14 October 1927, Birmingham, Alabama
• Died 15 July 1982, Nashville, Tennessee

Justis was one of the cornerstones of the studio scene in Nashville. Like Chet Atkins, Floyd Cramer, Jerry Kennedy, Bob Moore, Harold Bradley, and others, Justis worked both sides of the business, collecting steady if anonymous paychecks as a session musician, A&R man, and producer while also releasing albums under his own name.

Justis grew up in Memphis and studied English and music at Tulane University. He played with local bands before Sam Phillips hired him for his legendary Sun label in 1957. Phillips released a raucous sax instrumental written and performed by Justis, changing its title from "Backwoods" to "Raunchy" and garnering Sun its only instrumental Top 40 hit. Billy Vaughn, Ernie Freeman, and others also had hits with their cover versions of "Raunchy." Its honking sax sound became a fixture of country pop music and was adopted by Boots Randolph as his trademark.

Justis never came close to the success of "Raunchy" with Sun, and he spent most of his time working as a musical director, organizing, arranging, and leading the backing groups for Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and other Sun stars. As an A&R man, he discovered Charlie Rich covering Frank Sinatra in a Memphis club and brought him to the label. Although Rich struggled throughout his career to keep his lounge side from being covered up with country, he quickly earned a hit with Justis' arrangement of "Lonely Weekends."

Recordings