Bill Connors (born September 24, 1949) is an American jazz guitarist who was a member of Chick Corea's band Return to Forever.
After three years of extensive self-study of the rock and blues influences that were his first inspiration, he began to play gigs around the Los Angeles area with a heavy blues/rock group called Middle Earth.
I began listening to people like Bill Evans, Jim Hall, Wes Montgomery, [bassist] Scott LaFaro, Miles Davis, [John] Coltrane—anyone who had a 'jazz' label.
"[2] Connors moved to San Francisco in 1972 to join the Mike Nock Group (formerly known as The Fourth Way) with drummer Eddie Marshall and bassist Dennis Parker.
In 1973, after sitting in on a gig, Connors joined Return to Forever, a fusion band led by keyboardist Chick Corea's that included bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Steve Gadd.
"[2] With Corea's band of Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White, Connors established himself on the national and international music scenes, touring in Japan and Europe, and recording the album Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973).
Then, we'd receive written forms about what clothes we could wear, and graphic charts where we had to rate ourselves every night – not by our standards, but his.
"[3] During this period, recording with vocalist Gene McDaniels and Stanley Clarke kept the guitarist's creative impulses occupied with a variety of challenges—but not for long.
It was just getting to me, so I sat down for a couple of days and transcribed it—on my steel-string guitar, with my funny pick-and-finger technique [laughs].
"[3] Connors recorded his solo album Theme to the Gaurdian (ECM) in 1974, making the switch from electric to acoustic guitar.
During 1976 and 1977, Connors recorded with Lee Konitz, Paul Bley, and Jimmy Giuffre in New York City.
He returned to electric guitar, performing and recording with Garbarek on Places (1978) and Photo with Blue Sky, White Cloud, Wires, Windows and a Red Roof (1979) and with Tom van der Geld and Richard Jannotta on Path (ECM) in 1979.
In 1984, Connors recorded Step It with Tom Kennedy on bass, Dave Weckl on drums and Steve Khan on guitar (on "Twinkle" track only).
He plays plectrum style on a classical jazz guitar and a Gibson L-5 CES archtop electric.