Buster Bailey, born William C. Bailey on July 19, 1902, in Memphis, Tennessee, was a prominent American jazz clarinetist known for his fast and smooth playing style. He began his musical career at the young age of fifteen with W.C. Handy's Orchestra, touring from 1917 to 1919. After leaving Handy's band in Chicago, Bailey joined Erskine Tate's Vendome Orchestra, where he played until 1923. He then became a member of King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, where he met and befriended Louis Armstrong.

In 1924, after Armstrong joined Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra in New York, Bailey followed him, marking the beginning of his significant presence in the New York jazz scene. Throughout the mid-1920s, Bailey was a sought-after session musician, contributing to numerous recordings, particularly with blues singers and Clarence Williams.

Bailey left Henderson's orchestra in 1927 to tour Europe with Noble Sissle's Orchestra. Upon returning to the U.S., he played with several notable musicians, including Edgar Hayes and Dave Nelson, and rejoined Sissle from 1931 to 1933. In 1934, he reconnected with Fletcher Henderson and later joined the Mills Blue Rhythm Band before settling with the John Kirby Band, where he remained until 1946.

In the late 1940s, Bailey led his own band briefly and played with Wilber de Paris. During the 1950s, he collaborated with Henry "Red" Allen and others. In the 1960s, he worked with Wild Bill Davison and the Saints And Sinners before joining Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars in 1965, with whom he played until his death on April 12, 1967, in New York City. Bailey's contributions to jazz, particularly his clarinet work, left a lasting impact on the genre.