Billy Ward & His Dominoes, not to be confused with '70s pop group, Derek & the Dominos, and sometimes known as just The Dominoes, et al.{1} had one of the finest musical pedigrees of any R&B vocal group of the 1940s, at least based on its founder's training and experience. One of the best-selling American R&B groups of the 1950s. The team began the careers of both Clyde McPhatter and Jackie Wilson.

Billy Ward (born Robert L. Williams, September 19, 1921, in Savannah, Georgia; died February 16, 2002, in Inglewood, California) grew up in Philadelphia. He was the second of three sons of Charles Williams and Cora Bates Williams, and was a child musical prodigy, winning an award for a piano composition at the age of 14. Following military service he studied music in Chicago, and at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. While working as a vocal coach and part-time arranger on Broadway, he met talent agent Rose Marks, who became his business and songwriting partner.