Willie Kent (February 24, 1936 – March 2, 2006) was an American blues singer, bassist and songwriter. Kent was born in Inverness, Sunflower County, Mississippi. Although he had played the bass guitar in Chicago’s clubs since the 1950s, Kent worked full time until he was over 50 years of age. Following heart surgery, he stopped work as a truck driver, and formed a band. His impassioned singing was deemed similar to both Byther Smith and John Primer. In early 2005, Kent was diagnosed with colon cancer, but continued his busy live schedule in spite of chemotherapy treatments. He died in Englewood, California in March 2006.
