Imperial Dogs drummer Bill Willett, 1954-2009

The Imperial Dogs are shocked, stunned, and immeasurably saddened to learn that Bill Willett -- drummer from our formation in 1972 to our break-up in 1975 -- shuffled off this mortal coil at age 55 on November 22, 2009.

Bill leaves behind a wife, a daughter, two sons -- both of whom are musicians -- and a huge hole in the hearts of everyone who ever shared a stage with him.

A native of Toronto, Canada, Bill was all of 20 years old when his percussive performance was immortalized on the Imperial Dogs' Live! In Long Beach (October 30, 1974) DVD.

"If you watch the DVD, he's holding it all together," notes South Bay homeboy/guitarist Tom Gardner, who served as the I-Dogs roadie that fateful night. "If you listen to parts where there's a guitar solo, you hear Bill having the sense to fill it up somehow. He goes to the cowbell; he does something to build the sound up and keep it going when the chords drop out."

Bill's inventive, powerful stickwork and backing vocals also enliven the Imperial Dogs' Unchained Maladies: Live! 1974-75 album that was posthumously issued by Australian indie Dog Meat in 1989.

Immediately following the I-Dogs' break-up, Bill joined Carson, CA-based Atomic Kid, which evolved into the Zippers and recorded a 1977 single ("You're So Strange" b/w "He's A Rebel") for the Back Door Man indie record label, which was a spin-off of the semi-legendary fanzine of the same name.

After six years of being trapped in major label demo hell -- and opening for everyone from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers to Patti Smith -- Bill left the Zippers during the recording of their self-titled mini-album, which was issued by Rhino in 1981. His drumming can be heard on one of the album's seven songs: "Some Pay The Price (Some Never Will)."

"It was an honor to be half of a rhythm section with him," reflects Zippers bassist/vocalist Danielle Faye. "Beyond his drumming, what I remember most about Bill was that he would say the most shocking -- and hilarious -- things that've stuck in my head for all these years, like 'I told her to put some mucilage on my fusilage.'"

"The biggest thrill [about the Imperial Dogs] for me was playing with that fucking drummer," says guitarist Paul Therrio. "Bill Willett was a goooood drummer. That dude could play."