A versatile and well-respected drummer, Frederick Waits worked in many different situations throughout his career. He played flute early on, and even majored in flute at Jackson Street College; however, he soon became a professional drummer. Some of his early gigs were for blues artists, including Memphis Slim and John Lee Hooker, and Waits also picked up experience performing soul music. He played with Jimmy Wilkins' orchestra in Detroit in 1962, was in Paul Winter's band from 1963-1965, and worked in Los Angeles with Gerald Wilson's Orchestra before moving to New York in the mid-'60s.
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