William "Spaceman" Patterson (born August 18, 1954) is a guitarist and producer, who has collaborated with Miles Davis, James Brown and Frank Ocean.
History
Patterson graduated in 1972 from New Brunswick High School and was indicted among the school's distinguished alumni in 2012.Distinguished Alumni for 2012, New Brunswick High School. Accessed September 13, 2026. "William 'Spaceman' Patterson - '72: Popular musician and consummate musical virtuoso, performer, producer, composer and arranger of all genres of music."
Spaceman Patterson was one of the musicians in Miles Davis' touring line-up in the 1980s. In 1992, Patterson provided music for Ntozake Shange's The Love Space Demands, an adaptation of some of her poetry. In 1995, Patterson produced Melvin Van Peebles' 1995 album Ghetto Gothic. In 2003, he was musical director for the play Dream on Monkey Mountain presented at the Harlem School of the Arts.
In 2008, Patterson was enlisted to produce a hip hop album for Bill Cosby. Known at that time for his comedic work and not for performing hip hop, Cosby's album came as a surprise to some. Patterson told the Associated Press that when Cosby contacted him about making the album, "people started speculating, is he going to rap about Jell-O Pudding Pops or what?" The resulting release, titled The Cosnarati: State Of Emergency, came out on November 14, 2009, on World Alert Music.
In 2016, Spaceman Patterson played guitar on multiple Frank Ocean recordings, including the albums Endless and Blonde. As of 2018, at least 20 hours of outtakes from Patterson's Frank Ocean sessions have not been released.
Discography Per each album's liner notes.
Studio albums With Jamaica Boys 1987: Jamaica Boys (Warner Bros) 1989: J Boys (Warner Bros) 1990: Shake It Up (Warner Bros)
With J-Funk Express 1993: Getting Back To My Roots (Pioneer) 1995: This is Rare Groove (99 Records)
As producer 1983: Trademark – Uh-huh! (Move'n Groove Records) 1995: Melvin Van Peebles – Ghetto Gothic (Capitol Records) 1996: Monifah – Moods... Moments (Universal) 2009: Bill Cosby – The Cosnarati State of Emergency (World Alert Music)
As sideman With James Blood Ulmer 1980: Are You Glad to Be in America? (Rough Trade) 1993: Blues Preacher (Columbia)
With Miles Davis 1989: Amandla (Warner Bros) 2001: 1986-1991: The Warner Years (Warner Bros)
With David Sanborn 1992: Upfront (Elektra) 1994: Hearsay (Elektra)
With Frank Ocean 2016: Endless (Def Jam) 2016: Blonde (Boys Don't Cry)
With others
1976: Hamiet Bluiett - Wildflowers: The New York Loft Jazz Sessions 1989: Sly and Robbie – Silent Assassin (Island Records) 1990: Toshinobu Kubota – Bonga Wanga (CBS) 1993: Teddy Pendergrass – A Little More Magic (Elektra) 1997: Ultramagnetic MCs – The B-Sides Companion (Next Plateau) 2010: Jaheim – Another Round (Atlantic)
References
External links