Rudy Williams (September 21, 1909[1] – August 30, 1954)[2] was an American jazz alto saxophonist.
Nicknamed 'Looney',[4] Williams started on saxophone at age twelve, and concentrated on alto, though he was also capable on baritone and tenor sax.
[1] In the 1940s, he played with Hot Lips Page, Luis Russell, Chris Columbus, and John Kirby, and led his own bands in Boston and New York City later in the decade.
After his death, Charles Mingus wrote a memorial piece, "Eulogy for Rudy Williams", then recorded it for Savoy.
The liner notes of the Savoy album state Williams died by drowning in 1954, in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.