William Alexander Greer

William Alexander "Sonny" Greer was born on December 13, 1895 in Long Branch, New Jersey. He was a jazz drummer and vocalist. Greer started his career in his mid-teens when he began playing at resort hotels along the Jersey Shore with local orchestras. After a performance in the Plaza Hotel, he received an invitation to appear in Washington, D.C. with the Howard Theatre where he played for three years until he met Duke Ellington. In the mid-1920s, he began working exclusively with Ellington. Due to drinking issues, Greer was fired from the Ellington Orchestra and later joined a group of a former Ellington saxophonist, Jonny Hodges for a bit. Greer was married for over 50 years to his wife Millicent, who was a Cotton Club dancer. Greer continued to play in New York jazz clubs until he reached his 70s where he was forced to stop as he was diagnosed with cancer. He died from it on March 23, 1982.

Source: Discography of the American Historical Recordings