Walter “Jelly” Hines (August 1, 1951-August 11, 2022)
Walter “Jelly” Hines, jazz drummer, was born in Champaign, and was active in the Champaign High School band program, beginning in eighth grade. Hines says he was attracted to percussion listening to the Douglass Center’s Drum Corps as a kid. During his time as a student at the University of Illinois he honed his skills as a drummer, playing in the U of I Lab Band sponsored by the Afro-American Cultural Center. During the mid-1970s he met Russell Cheatham. From this meeting the jazz group Sorgum was formed with Cheatham on organ, Hines on drums and Chuck Trip on guitar.
Article in Jazz and Blues News: The Newsletter of Champaign-Urbana Jazz and Blues Association (Feb.-March 1993, Vol. 2, No. 1) “Spotlight On…Walter “Jelly” Hines” by Anna Flanagan and Jeff Machota.https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/walter-hines-obituary?id=36228157