Not to be confused with the American country guitarist, singer and songwriter: Wild Bill Emerson, composer of Sheba (BMI mistake)

Bill Emerson (born January 22, 1938, Washington, D.C., USA - died August 21, 2021) was an American five-string banjo player and songwriter. He started singing and playing the banjo in 1953 and went on to become the founder of The Country Gentlemen. He is considered to be one of the finest five-string banjo players in music history. In 2019, he was inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.