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Bill Black's Combo was formed in 1959 by Bill Black, who was the bassist in Elvis Presley's early band. The original lineup included Black on bass, Joe Lewis Hall on piano, Reggie Young on guitar, Martin Willis on saxophone, and Jerry Arnold on drums. Over the next couple of years, the band experienced several personnel changes, with guitarists such as Hank Hankins, Chips Moman, or Tommy Cogbill, and saxophonist Ace Cannon, along with pianists Carl McVoy or Bobby Emmons. They achieved notable success with hits like "Smokie, Part 2" and "White Silver Sands," which reached #17 and #9 on the U.S. pop charts, respectively, both hitting #1 on the R&B charts. Between 1959 and 1962, eight of their recordings made it into the Top 40. In 1961, they were recognized as Billboard's number one instrumental group. The band continued to release albums following Black's death in late 1965.

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