William Alonzo "Cat" Anderson (September 12, 1916 – April 29, 1981) was an American jazz trumpeter known for his long period as a member of Duke Ellington's orchestra and for his wide range, especially his ability to play in the altissimo register.

[1] Born in Greenville, South Carolina,[2] Anderson lost both parents when he was four years old, and was sent to live at the Jenkins Orphanage in Charleston, where he learned to play trumpet.

He toured and made his first recording with the Carolina Cotton Pickers, a small group based at the orphanage.

[2] Author and jazz critic Dan Morgenstern said of Cat that "he was...the [Ellington] band's Number One utility trumpeter, capable of filling in for anyone else who was not there."

[5] With Gene Ammons With Louie Bellson With Duke Ellington With Ella Fitzgerald With Lionel Hampton With Johnny Hodges With Quincy Jones With others