Willie Maiden

Who was Willie Maiden?

William Ralph "Willie" Maiden was an American jazz saxophonist and arranger.

Maiden began on piano at age five and started playing saxophone at 11. He spent most of his career playing in big bands, and while he recorded copiously as a sideman, he never led his own session. He worked with Perez Prado in 1950 and arranged for Maynard Ferguson from 1952 into the 1960s. He played with Charlie Barnet in 1966, and played baritone sax in addition to arranging for Stan Kenton between 1969 and 1973. After this he taught at the University of Maine at Augusta until his death in 1976.