Although he was never that famous, Bill Stegmeyer was a fine clarinetist who excelled in trad settings without stealing the spotlight; he was also a talented (if underrated) arranger. Stegmeyer studied at Transylvania College (1934-36). He picked up early experience arranging for Austin Wylie in 1937 and played clarinet and alto with an early version of Glenn Miller's Orchestra (1938). He gained some recognition for his clarinet playing with Bob Crosby (1939-40) and in the 1940's he worked and arranged for Billy Butterfield, Yank Lawson, Bobby Hackett, Will Bradley and Billie Holiday (1945-47). Stegmeyer was the staff arranger for Detroit radio station WXYZ (1948-50) and he made a good living arranging for the popular "Hit Parade" television show during 1950-58 and as staff conductor for CBS in the 1960's before dying of cancer at the age of 51. Stegmeyer did not neglect his own playing, being a member of the Yank Lawson/Bob Haggart group during 1951-54 and occasionally playing with Lawson, Haggart and Butterfield in later years. Bill Stegmeyer, who recorded five selections as a leader for Signature in 1945 along with a couple of VDiscs, appeared on records with most of the aforementioned plus Jimmy McPartland, Will Bradley and Ruby Braff. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi