Bill Cunningham was born on January 23, 1950 in Memphis, Tennessee, where he grew up in a family of musicians that molded his career. Growing up, Bill's father worked as a SUN recording artist and worked with Sam Phillips at SUN studio intermittently from 1953-1961. First recording under the name Buddy Cunningham, later known as Buddy Blake, Bill's father was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame as the first percussionist on an Elvis Presley record. Following a similar path, Bill's older brother, B.B. Cunningham, Jr., was a member of The Hombres, where he sang and co-wrote the hit "Let It All Hang Out." B.B. Cunningham, Jr. continued his career playing bass for Jerry Lee Lewis for almost 15 years.
Bill played various instruments in a number of early 1960s Memphis bands, before joining the group that eventually became The Box Tops. One of these bands, The Jynx, included Chris Bell (who later founded Big Star). Between his time with The Jynx and The Box Tops, Bill played with another Memphis group known as The Jokers, which included Richard Rosebrough who would later play on a number of Big Star, Alex Chilton, and Chris Bell recordings.
Bill remained a member of The Box Tops until September of 1969, when he decided to return to school to earn a music degree in performance (upright bass). Though Bill virtually vanished from the pop music scene after leaving The Box Tops, he rose in the ranks of classical musicians, playing in many symphony orchestras and in ballet and opera companies throughout the Midsouth while attending university. During this time, he backed in performance artists as diverse as Eddy Arnold, Van Cliburn, Isaac Hayes, The Romeros (Spanish guitarists), and Dionne Warwick.
For a brief period, Bill became a resident of Germany, where he worked, studied, and traveled in many European countries. During work on his Master's Degree in music (back in the U.S.), Bill worked with Chris Bell at Ardent Studio, providing the string arrangement for Chris' "You And Your Sister." Around this time, Bill competed with numerous bassists from across the country for an opening in the White House orchestra in Washington, D.C. As a victor of the competition, in the mid-to-late 1970s Bill moved to Washington, D.C. and continued to play for most White House dinners, receptions, and special quest performances for Presidents Ford and Carter. For each performance, Bill also played for many State Department celebrations for Secretaries of State Kissinger and Vance. During this time, he also played for various dignitaries, including the Queens of England and Holland, as well as multiple heads of states from around the world. Additionally, Bill recorded sound tracks for a number of TV specials, including some with Jim Henson and The Muppets.
Throughout his classical music career he played with many of the world’s best known performers and conductors. In 1979, Bill was studying in Philadelphia with Roger Scott, the principal bassist of the Philadelphia Philharmonic, when he decided to change professions. This shift led to a MBA (Master of Business Administration) degree in international business and to a profession that assists with U.S. bilateral and multilateral trade issues. In 1996, Bill played the principal role in reforming the original Box Tops. He played bass and shared responsibility for keyboard parts with John on the ‘Tear Off’ album. Bill toured with the group from 1997-2010, holding down the bottom end on stage with his bass lines.
In 2015, Bill teamed up with Gary to bring back The Box Tops’ music to audiences, playing bass and sharing vocal responsibilities, where he has continued to perform, playing bass (both bass guitar and upright bass), the cello, the piano, and the organ.
