Bill Benford was an American jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 double-bassist and tubist

Tuba

The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...

. He was born in Charleston, West Virginia

Charleston, West Virginia

Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...

.

Benford was the brother of drummer Tommy Benford

Tommy Benford

Thomas "Tommy" Benford was an African American jazz drummer.Tommy Benford was the younger brother of tuba player Bill Benford. He studied music at the Jenkins Orphanage located in South Carolina. He went on tour with the school band including traveling to England in 1914.In 1920, he was working...

. He, like his brother, was a member of the Jenkins Orphanage

Jenkins Orphanage

The Jenkins Orphanage was established in 1891 by Rev. Daniel J. Jenkins in Charleston, South Carolina. Jenkins was a former slave turned minister who, upon stumbling across homeless youths, decided to organize an orphanage for young African American children...

 band in South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

 as a child, touring with the band in 1915 in the United States and Europe. While Tommy worked out of Europe for much of this time, Bill worked in America, playing with Bubber Miley, Marie Lucas, Elmer Snowden

Elmer Snowden

Elmer Snowden was a banjo player of the jazz age. He also played guitar and, in the early stages of his career, all the reed instruments. He contributed greatly to jazz in its early days as both a player and a bandleader, and is responsible for launching the careers of many top musicians...

, the Gulf Coast Seven, the Plantation Orchestra, Thomas Morris

Thomas Morris

Thomas Morris may refer to:*Thomas Morris , U.S. Representative from New York*Thomas Morris , Senator from Ohio* Thomas John Morris , U.S. federal judge...

 & His Seven Hot Babies, Ethel Waters

Ethel Waters

Ethel Waters was an American blues, jazz and gospel vocalist and actress. She frequently performed jazz, big band, and pop music, on the Broadway stage and in concerts, although she began her career in the 1920s singing blues.Her best-known recordings includes, "Dinah", "Birmingham Bertha",...

, Willie "The Lion" Smith, and Jelly Roll Morton

Jelly Roll Morton

Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe , known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and early jazz pianist, bandleader and composer....

. His last recordings date from circa 1930.