Willis was born in 1950 in Louisiana and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1968. He attended the University of Dayton, graduating in 1972 with a B.S. in Art Education. Willis also became a founding member of the college’s chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
In 1975, Willis was recruited to join the Ohio Players as a rhythm guitarist where he played, wrote and sang.
Ohio Players is thought of as Dayton’s first legitimate funk act.
When he left the Ohio Players, Willis joined James “Diamond” Williams and Billy Beck and they formed their own group called Shadow. The band recorded three albums.
He continued to be involved in several music projects including producing and writing. He had his own venture, the C-Dub Project, with Harry McLoud.
In 2013, Ohio Players was inducted into the inaugural class of the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in Cleveland. The band still tours worldwide today and Willis was the lead guitarist until his illness.
The band’s music not only influenced other musical contemporaries in the 1970s and ‘80s, but also successive generations of rap acts. Parts of the group’s “Funky Worm” have appeared in 261 songs by artists like NWA, Snoop Dogg, Kriss Kross, De La Soul, Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince and the Beastie Boys.
Ohio Players was honored earlier this decade when a portion of Hillcrest Avenue in Dayton was designated Ohio Players Way.
“I can only say, to tell it truly, I am humbled and honored all in the same breath,” Willis said at the road naming dedication event in April 2021. “The things that have gone down musically in Dayton, Ohio are expansive. There are so many people that have done things in music. It’s mind-blowing when you think about it because it goes back quite some years. I’m not just talking about the ‘70s and ‘80s, when the funk music out of Dayton was large, but way before that.”
Willis leaves behind his wife of 45 years, Sheryl, and daughter, Alyssa, plus many other family members and friends.
Writer Don Thrasher contributed to this report.
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