William C.‭ “‬Bill‭” ‬booth graduated from Smith-Cotton High School in‭ ‬1960.‭ ‬He has made his career as a freelance musician and professional trombonist.‭ ‬He was nominated by several fellow classmates who indicated that Bill attributes much of his success to the education he received in the Sedalia School District.‭ ‬He writes of his CD entitled Balancing Act,‭ “‬What is life if not a balancing act‭? ‬Certainly, the career of a freelance musician is exactly that.‭ ‬I would be remiss not to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to Bob Cummings and many fine teachers and mentors in Sedalia for helping me find and maintain balance in my life.‭”

Bill has had a long and distinguished career of entertaining literally millions of people in all‭ ‬50‭ ‬states and numerous countries by performing with the greatest entertainers,‭ ‬artists,‭ ‬and orchestras.‭ ‬Bill also completed three degrees,‭ ‬including two masters,‭ ‬and has shared his talent and experiences in the classroom.

During his career,‭ ‬Bill has performed in live concerts as lead trombonist with such artists as Frank Sinatra,‭ ‬Elvis Presley,‭ ‬Tony Bennett,‭ ‬Sammy Davis,‭ ‬Jr.,‭ ‬Barbara Streisand,‭ ‬Dean Martin,‭ ‬Ella Fitzgerald,‭ ‬Tom Jones,‭ ‬Paul Anka,‭ ‬Sarah Vaughn,‭ ‬and Mel Torme just to name a few.‭ ‬He has also recorded with Ray Charles,‭ ‬Bruce Springsteen,‭ ‬Barry Manilow,‭ ‬Michael Jackson,‭ ‬Neil Diamond,‭ ‬Prince,‭ ‬Rod Stewart,‭ ‬Arturo Sandoval,‭ ‬and Johnny Mathis.

Bill has recorded phonograph records,‭ ‬tapes,‭ ‬CDs,‭ ‬and DVDs.‭ ‬He has performed in such historic venues as the Hollywood Bowl,‭ ‬Carnegie Hal,‭ ‬Lincoln Center,‭ ‬and the White House.‭ ‬He has performed and recorded for television shows,‭ ‬commercial jingles,‭ ‬and movie soundtracks.‭ ‬Those include The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,‭ ‬the Academy Awards,‭ ‬Dallas,‭ ‬Little House on the Prairie,‭ ‬NBC Nightly News,‭ ‬Sunday Night Football,‭ ‬Titanic,‭ ‬Jurassic Park,‭ ‬Toy Story,‭ ‬Avatar,‭ ‬and Star Trek to name a few of the over‭ ‬1,000‭ ‬soundtracks Bill has recorded.‭