William "Sonny" Criss (October 23, 1927 - November 19, 1977) was an American jazz musician. An alto saxophonist of modest prominence during the bebop era of jazz. Like his partial namesake, Sonny Stitt, Criss was never considered a true innovator (see Charlie Parker), but was a stylist and exceptional player in his own right, and furthered the bebop vocabulary. Life and Work William Criss was born in Memphis, Tennessee and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 15. He then went on to play in various bands including Howard McGhee's, which also featured Charlie Parker. Criss had developed his own, concise, bluesy tone by this point, and though his basic style did not vary much, his ability on the instrument continued to develop. Nevertheless, he continued to drift from band to band, and played on some records with Johnny Otis, and Billy Eckstine. His first major break came in 1947, on a number of jam sessions arranged

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