In about 1957, Bill was studying with Horace Hatchett in Long Beach, California, and was finishing a lesson at his studio there.  Two guys walked in and asked "Hatch" if he knew of a good guitar player who could read and was available to come to Las Vegas to take over for their guitar player who had just been arrested on drug charges.  Hatch said, yeh, this guy right here (Bill) he'll be great.

The job was with the Woodson Family who was the house act at the Sahara Hotel.  Turns out the guitar player he was replacing was none other than Joe Pass - one of the greatest jazz guitarist of all time.  Bill played so well that older guitar players in Las Vegas tried to get him fired because they felt they had "paid their dues" to have that job.

Some years later, Bill met Joe Pass, but I don't believe he ever mentioned the situation - Bill was always a gentleman.   

Bill loved to tell the story of how it happened that John D'Angelico buit him a guitar in the late 1950's.  It seems he was at Mannys Music Store in NYC looking at Gretsch guitars.  As he was playing several guitars to try them out, a guy walked up to him and said "you don't want a Gretsch - you need to be playing a D'Angelico".  Turns out it was Don Arnone, who was Perry Como's guitarist at the time.  Bill says to him "you're Don Arnone - you advertise these Gretsch guitars".  He says, "yeh kid, but I wouldn't play one - I only play D'Angelico's".  He takes Bill outside to a phone booth and calls up John D'Angelico.  He says to John "I got a nice Italian boy who plays really good and needs one of your guitars".  He is saying all this in Italian.  John agrees to see Bill and Don give him directions to go across town on the subway.  He gets there and John tells him to wait and gives him a guitar he is working on for Mundell Lowe to play.  John listens to him play and they talk.  After a while John agrees to build him a guitar, but it will take him 2 years.  Bill tells him that won't work because he is a working musician and needs a guitar now.  He sits and plays and talks for hours with John, negotiating price and timing.  Finally John says, "OK, I'll start on it tomorrow, give me $50 and get outa hear, kid".  About a year later he had the guitar.  Bill's son, Joe has the original receipt.  Bill told the story a lot better, but that's the best I can remember.  If anyone else knows more detail, please add.