During his decades-spanning career, Benny Waters has played clarinet and saxophone with multiple generations of jazz greats, as well as singing, composing, and arranging. During the 1920s, he played with King Oliver, Charlie Johnson, and Clarence Williams, and in the following decade, worked in the bands of Fletcher Henderson, and Oran "Hot Lips" Page. After moving to France in the '50s, he continued to tour and became a favorite at many U.K. clubs and festivals. Despite an eye operation in 1992 that left him blind, Waters continued playing and recording until his death in 1998.