Piano, vibes, vocals club operator.
Raised in Indianapolis, Gill came to Seattle in 1946 after being discharged from Ft. Lewis and worked in a trio at the Rocking Chair, playing and singing in a Nat Cole style. He subsequently worked at Sessions Playhouse with Al Hickey (tenor saxophone) and Al Larkins (bass) then at the Black and Tan. Gill also worked downtown at the Spinning Wheel with a band called the Question Marks, with Bob Braxton (alto saxophone and vocals), Duke Moore (drums) and Milt Price (guitar). After a stint with Lionel Hampton, in an edition of the band that also included Seattleities Ernestine Anderson and Quincy Jones, Gill returned to Seattle and ran a very popular club on South Jackson Street near Fifth Avenue South, the Ebony, playing there in a trio that featured guitarist Al Turay and bassist Al Larkins until 1957 and reopening in 1959. Gill was instrumental in lobbying the musicians’ unions to amalgamate, thus ending 40 years of racial segregation in Seattle music. In the early ’60s, Gill moved to Canada and lived there and in Europe.
Jackson Street After Hours (print). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_Gill