Joseph Leon "Jody" Williams (February 3, 1935 – December 1, 2018) was an American
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...
guitarist and singer. His singular guitar playing, marked by flamboyant
string-bending, imaginative
chord voicings and a distinctive
tone, was influential in the
Chicago blues
Chicago blues is a form of blues music developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of the first half of the twentieth cent ...
scene of the 1950s.
In the mid-1950s, Williams was one of the most sought-after
session guitarists in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, but he was little known outside the music industry, since his name rarely appeared on discs. His acclaimed comeback in 2000 led to a resurgence of interest in his early work and a reappraisal as one of the great
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...
guitarists.
[Dahl, Bill (2002). CD liner notes. ''Return of a Legend''.] Williams was known for his imaginative
chord selection, characterized by
raised fives, and
minor sixths and
minor sevenths with
flattened fives. He usually played with an unusual
open E tuning, originally taught to him by
Bo Diddley
Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, inc ...
.
In 2013, Williams was inducted to the
Blues Hall of Fame
The Blues Hall of Fame is a music museum located at 421 S. Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Initially, the "Blues Hall of Fame" was not a physical building, but a listing of people who have significantly contributed to blues music. Started in 1 ...
.
Early life
Born in
Mobile, Alabama, United States, Williams moved to Chicago at the age of five. His first instrument was the
harmonica, which he swapped for the
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
after hearing
Bo Diddley
Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, inc ...
play at a talent show where they were both performing. Diddley, seven years his senior, took Williams under his wing and taught him the rudiments of guitar.
Career
Chicago heyday
By 1951, Williams and Diddley were playing on the street together, with Williams providing backing to Diddley's vocals, accompanied by Roosevelt Jackson on
washtub bass
The washtub bass, or gutbucket, is a stringed instrument used in American folk music that uses a metal washtub as a resonator. Although it is possible for a washtub bass to have four or more strings and tuning pegs, traditional washtub basses hav ...
.
Williams cut his teeth gigging with a string of blues musicians, notably
Memphis Minnie
Lizzie Douglas (June 3, 1897 – August 6, 1973), better known as Memphis Minnie, was a blues guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter whose recording career lasted for over three decades. She recorded around 200 songs, some of the best known being "Wh ...
,
Elmore James
Elmore James ( Brooks; January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ...
, and
Otis Spann. After touring with the
West Coast piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
player
Charles Brown,
Williams established himself as a session player with
Chess Records.
At Chess, Williams met
Howlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...
, recently arrived in Chicago from
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
, and was hired by Wolf as the first guitarist in his new Chicago-based band. A year later
Hubert Sumlin
Hubert Charles Sumlin (November 16, 1931 – December 4, 2011) was a Chicago blues guitarist and singer, best known for his "wrenched, shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and daring rhythmic suspensions" as a member of Howlin ...
moved to Chicago to join Wolf's band, and the dual guitars of Williams and Sumlin are featured on Howlin' Wolf's 1954 singles "
Evil Is Going On" and "
Forty Four" and the 1955 releases "Who Will Be Next" and "Come to Me Baby." Williams also provided backing on Otis Spann's 1954 release, "It Must Have Been the Devil", which features lead guitar work from
B. B. King, one of Williams' early heroes and a big influence on his playing.
Williams's solo career began in December 1955 with the upbeat,
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
-driven "Lookin' for My Baby", released under the name Little Papa Joe by
Blue Lake Records
Blue Lake was a Chicago-based record label founded in 1954 by disc jockey Al Benson. It specialized in blues, doo-wop, jazz, and gospel. A subsidiary of Benson's Parrot operation, it lasted until mid-1956. Many of the Blue Lake recordings wer ...
.
The record company closed a few months later, leaving his slide guitar performance on "Groan My Blues Away" unreleased. By this time, Williams was highly sought after as a session guitarist, and his virtuosity in this capacity is well illustrated by his blistering lead guitar work on Bo Diddley's "
Who Do You Love?",
a hit for
Checker Records in 1956. (The rock musician
Marshall Crenshaw
Marshall Howard Crenshaw (born November 11, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for hit songs such as " Someday, Someway," a US top 40 hit in 1982, " Cynical Girl," and " Whenever You're on My Mind." He ...
listed Williams's guitar solo on "Who Do You Love" as one of the greatest guitar solos ever recorded.) Other notable session work from the 1950s include lead guitar parts on
Billy Boy Arnold
William "Billy Boy" Arnold (born September 16, 1935, Chicago, Illinois) AllMusic biography">AllMusic.html" ;"title="AllMusic">AllMusic biography/ref> is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. Arnold is a self-taught harmonica p ...
's "I Ain't Got You" and "I Wish You Would",
Jimmy Rogers
Jimmy Rogers (June 3, 1924December 19, 1997) was an American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, best known for his work as a member of Muddy Waters's band in the early 1950s. He also had a solo career and recorded several pop ...
's "One Kiss",
Jimmy Witherspoon
James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues singer.
Early life, family and education
Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, and his mot ...
's "
Ain't Nobody's Business", and
Otis Rush's "Three Times a Fool".
In 1957, Williams released "You May" on
Argo Records
Argo Records was a record label in Chicago that was established in 1955 as a division of Chess Records.
Originally the label was called Marterry, but bandleader Ralph Marterie objected, and within a couple of months the imprint was renamed Arg ...
, with the inventive B-side instrumental "Lucky Lou", the extraordinary opening
riff
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...
of which Otis Rush copied on his 1958
Cobra Records
Cobra Records (together with its Artistic subsidiary) was an independent record label that operated from 1956–1959. The label launched the careers of Chicago blues artists Otis Rush, Magic Sam, and Buddy Guy and "signaled the arrival of a new ...
side "
All Your Love (I Miss Loving)
"All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" or "All Your Love" is a blues standard written and recorded by Chicago blues guitarist Otis Rush in 1958. Of all of his compositions, it is the best-known with versions by several blues and other artists.
"All ...
".
Further evidence of Williams's influence on Rush (they played on a number of sessions together) is Rush's solo on
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaugh ...
's 1958 debut, "Sit and Cry (The Blues)", copied almost exactly from Williams's "You May".
Disillusionment with music business
The frequency with which Williams found his distinctive guitar phrases being copied without credit led to increasing disenchantment with the music business. When the distinctive riff he created for
Billy Stewart
William Larry Stewart II (March 24, 1937 – January 17, 1970) was an American rhythm and blues singer and pianist who was popular during the 1960s.
Biography
Stewart was 12 years old when he began singing with his younger brothers Johnny, James ...
's 1956 Argo release "Billy's Blues" was appropriated by
Mickey Baker
MacHouston "Mickey" Baker (October 15, 1925 – November 27, 2012) was an American guitarist, best known for his work as a studio musician and as part of the recording duo Mickey & Sylvia.
Early life
Baker was born in Louisville, Kentucky. His ...
for the
Mickey & Sylvia
Mickey & Sylvia was an American R&B duo composed of Mickey Baker and Sylvia Vanderpool, who later became Sylvia Robinson. They are best known for their number-one R&B single "Love Is Strange" in 1957.
Baker and Vanterpool began recording toge ...
hit "
Love Is Strange
"Love Is Strange" is a crossover hit by American rhythm and blues duet Mickey & Sylvia, which was released in late November 1956 by the Groove record label.
The song was based on a guitar riff by Jody Williams and was written by Bo Diddley ...
", Chess Records took legal action. At the conclusion of the case in 1961, Williams gained neither credit nor compensation.
"I was ripped off," he later told John Sinkevics in the ''
Grand Rapids Press
''The Grand Rapids Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is the largest of the eight Booth newspapers. It is sold for $1.50 daily and $7.99 on Sunday.
AccuWeather provides weather content to the ''Grand Rapids ...
''. In the early 1960s, Williams was making a living gigging with his Big 3 Trio (not to be confused with
Willie Dixon's group of the same name), but by the end of the decade, he had retired from the music industry altogether.
He studied
electronics
The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...
and eventually became a technical engineer for
Xerox
Xerox Holdings Corporation (; also known simply as Xerox) is an American corporation that sells print and electronic document, digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut (ha ...
, his job for over 25 years.
Comeback
Only after his retirement did Williams consider picking up his guitar again, which had lain untouched under his bed all the while. "One day my wife said if I started playing again I might feel better about life in general," he told the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago ...
''. In March 2000, he went to a performance by his old friend
Robert Lockwood Jr., and grew nostalgic for his music days. Back at home, an old tape of himself playing moved him to tears and inspired him to pick up his guitar again.
He returned to playing in public in June 2000, when he was featured at a club gig during the 2000
Chicago Blues Festival. He was encouraged in this period by
Dick Shurman
Richard L. Shurman (born May 23, 1950) is an American record producer, sound engineer, music journalist, music historian, and backing vocalist.
He has produced numerous recordings by notable musicians including Johnny Winter, Lurrie Bell, Eddi ...
, who eventually produced his comeback album, ''
Return of a Legend'' (2002), on which his bold playing belies his thirty-year break from music.
"He plays with a verve and vigor that sound as good today as it did on the classic records," wrote ''
Vintage Guitar
A vintage guitar is an older guitar usually sought after and maintained by avid collectors or musicians. The term may indicate either that an instrument is merely old, or that is sought after for its tonal quality, cosmetic appearance, or hist ...
'' magazine.
Williams continued to perform around the world until 2014, mainly at large blues festivals, and often sitting in with the blues guitarist
Billy Flynn at Chicago club appearances. Poor health later curtailed his musical activities.
Death
Williams died from cancer on December 1, 2018.
"Jody Williams, Famed Chicago Blues Guitarist, Dead at 83", ''Guitar World'', December 3, 2018
Retrieved 3 December 2018
Discography
Singles
* 1956 – "Looking For My Baby" / "Easy Lovin'" (Blue Lake 116) (as Little Papa Joe)
* 1957 – "You May" / "Lucky Lou" (i) ( Argo 5274) (as Little Joe Lee)
* 1960 – "Five Long Years / "Little Girl" (Herald
A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms.
Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen to ...
H-555) (as Sugar Boy Williams)
* 1962 – "Lonely Without You" / "Moanin' For Molasses" (i) (Nike 1013)
* 1963 – "Hideout" (i) / "Moanin' For Molasses" (i) ( Smash S-1801)
* 1963 – "Time For A Change" / "Lonely Without You" (Jive J-1004)
* 1964 – "Time For A Change" / "Lonely Without You" (Yulando R-133-8665)
Albums
* 2002 – '' Return of a Legend'' ( Evidence ECD 26120)
* 2004 – ''You Left Me In the Dark'' (Evidence ECD 26130)
* 2018 – ''In Session: Diary of a Chicago Bluesman 1954–1962'' ( Jasmine JASMCD 3100)
Appearances as guitarist
* 1954 – Howlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...
, " Evil Is Going On" / "Baby How Long" (Chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...
1575)
* 1954 – Howlin' Wolf, "Forty Four" / "I'll Be Around" (Chess 1584)
* 1954 – Otis Spann, "It Must Have Been The Devil" / "Five Spot" ( Checker 807)
* 1955 – Howlin' Wolf, "Who Will Be Next" / "I Have A Little Girl" (Chess 1593)
* 1955 – Howlin' Wolf, "Come To Me Baby" / "Don't Mess With My Baby" (Chess 1607)
* 1955 – Sonny Boy Williamson II
Alex or Aleck Miller (originally Ford, possibly December 5, 1912 – May 24, 1965), known later in his career as Sonny Boy Williamson, was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He was an early and influential blues harp st ...
, "Don't Start Me Talkin'" / "All My Love In Vain" (Checker 824)
* 1955 – Billy Boy Arnold
William "Billy Boy" Arnold (born September 16, 1935, Chicago, Illinois) AllMusic biography">AllMusic.html" ;"title="AllMusic">AllMusic biography/ref> is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. Arnold is a self-taught harmonica p ...
, "I Was Fooled" / "I Wish You Would" (Vee-Jay
Vee-Jay Records is an American record label founded in the 1950s, located in Chicago and specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll.
The label was founded in Gary, Indiana in 1953 by Vivian Carter and James C. Bracken, a ...
VJ 146)
* 1955 – Earl Phillips, "Oop De Oop" / "Nothing But Love" (Vee-Jay VJ 158)
* 1955 – Bo Diddley
Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, inc ...
, "Diddy Wah Diddy
"Diddy Wah Diddy" is a song written by Willie Dixon and Ellas McDaniel, known as Bo Diddley, and recorded by the latter in 1956. The song shares only its title with Blind Blake's song "Diddie Wah Diddie" recorded in 1929. Over the years, the Bo D ...
" / "I'm Looking For A Woman" (Checker 832)
* 1956 – Billy Boy Arnold, "Don't Stay Out All Night" / "I Ain't Got You" (Vee-Jay VJ 171)
* 1956 – Lu Mac, "Albert Is His Name" / "I'll Never Let Him Know" (Blue Lake 117)
* 1956 – Bo Diddley, " Who Do You Love?" / "I'm Bad" (Checker 842)
* 1956 – Floyd Dixon
Floyd Dixon (February 8, 1929 – July 26, 2006) was an American rhythm-and-blues pianist and singer.
Life and career
Dixon was born in Marshall, Texas. Some sources give his birth name as Jay Riggins, Jr., although Dixon himself stated that ...
, "Alarm Clock Blues" / "I'm Ashamed Of Myself" (Checker 857)
* 1956 – Bobby Charles
Robert Charles Guidry (February 21, 1938 – January 14, 2010), known as Bobby Charles, was an American singer-songwriter.
Early life
An ethnic Cajun, Charles was born in Abbeville, Louisiana, United States, and grew up listening to Cajun mus ...
, "Why Did You Leave" / "Don't You Know I Love You" (Chess 1617)
* 1956 – Billy Stewart
William Larry Stewart II (March 24, 1937 – January 17, 1970) was an American rhythm and blues singer and pianist who was popular during the 1960s.
Biography
Stewart was 12 years old when he began singing with his younger brothers Johnny, James ...
, "Billy's Blues (Part 1)" / "Billy's Blues (Part 2)" (Chess 1625; Argo 5256)
* 1956 – Billy Boy Arnold, "Here's My Picture" / "You Got Me Wrong" (Vee-Jay VJ 192)
* 1956 – Buddy Morrow
Buddy Morrow (born Muni Zudekoff, aka Moe Zudekoff; February 8, 1919 – September 27, 2010) was an American trombonist and bandleader.
Career
On a scholarship at age 16, Morrow studied trombone with Ernest Horatio Clarke (1865–1947) at Juill ...
, "Rib Joint" / "Rosie's Room" (Mercury 71024)
* 1957 – Jimmy Rogers
Jimmy Rogers (June 3, 1924December 19, 1997) was an American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, best known for his work as a member of Muddy Waters's band in the early 1950s. He also had a solo career and recorded several pop ...
, "One Kiss" / "I Can't Believe" (Chess 1659)
* 1957 – Otis Rush, "Groaning The Blues" / "If You Were Mine" ( Cobra 5010)
* 1957 – Harold Burrage, "Messed Up" / "I Don't Care Who Knows" (Cobra 5012)
* 1958 – Howlin' Wolf, "I Didn't Know" / "Moanin' For My Baby" (Chess 1695)
* 1958 – Otis Rush, "Three Times A Fool" / "She's A Good 'Un" (Cobra 5023)
* 1959 – Bo Diddley, "Dancing Girl" (on ''Have Guitar Will Travel'': Checker LP 2974)
* 1960 – Bobby Davis, "I Was Wrong" / "Hype You Into Sellin' (Your Head)" (Bandera 2505)
* 1961 – Bobby Davis and the Big '3' Trio, "One Love Have I" / "She's A Problem" (Bandera 2508)
* 1964 – Billy Boy Arnold, "I Wish You Would" / "Prisoner's Plea" (Vivid 109) reissues
* 2007 – The Mannish Boys
The Mannish Boys are an American blues band based in Los Angeles. They play classic blues in West Coast, Texas and Chicago styles.
Founded by bandleader Randy Chortkoff, the band is named after the song "Mannish Boy" by Muddy Waters.
Led by v ...
, "Groan My Blues Away", "Young & Tender" (on ''Big Plans'': Delta Groove DGPCD 116)
Tracks issued later than their recording date
* 1967 – Howlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...
, '' More Real Folk Blues'' (Chess; recorded 1953–1956 el. 1967
* 1976 – J. T. Brown, "Lonely (As a Man Can Be)", "Going Home to My Baby", "It's a Shame to Tell the People", "When I Was a Lad", "Use That Spot" (on ''Windy City Boogie'': Pearl PL-9; recorded 1956)
* 1979 – Harold Burrage, "I Love My Baby" (on ''Rockin' Wild'': P-Vine PLP-9021; recorded 1957)
* 1982 – Willie Dixon, "Firey Love" (on ''Blues Roots Series, Vol. 12'': Chess LP 6.24802AG; recorded 1957)
* 1989 – Jody Williams, "Moaning Blues (Groan My Blues Away)", "What a Fool I've Been (I Feel So All Alone)" (on ''Cool Playing Blues'': Relic LP 8025, CD 7016; recorded 12/55)
* 1990 – Jimmy Witherspoon
James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues singer.
Early life, family and education
Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, and his mot ...
, "Congratulations", "Ain't Nobody's Business" (on ''Spoon So Easy'': Chess CH-93003; recorded 1956)
* 1991 – Jody Williams, "What Kind of Gal Is That (What Kind of Girl Is This)" (on ''The Blues Volume 6: 50's Rarities'', Chess/MCA CHD-9330; recorded 1957)
* 1995 – Willie Dixon, "All the Time" (on ''The Original Wang Dang Doodle'', Chess/MCA CHD-9353; recorded 1957)
* 1996 – Bobby Charles
Robert Charles Guidry (February 21, 1938 – January 14, 2010), known as Bobby Charles, was an American singer-songwriter.
Early life
An ethnic Cajun, Charles was born in Abbeville, Louisiana, United States, and grew up listening to Cajun mus ...
, "Watch It, Sprocket", "Hey Good Lookin'" (on ''Chess Masters'': MCA/Victor MVCM-22078; recorded 1956)
References
External links
*
Koti.mbnet.fi
Blues Unlimited #192 - A Legend at 19: A Tribute to Jody Williams
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Jody
1935 births
2018 deaths
Musicians from Mobile, Alabama
Chicago blues musicians
Electric blues musicians
African-American guitarists
American blues singers
American blues guitarists
American male guitarists
Guitarists from Alabama
Guitarists from Illinois
20th-century American guitarists
Deaths from cancer in Indiana
20th-century American male musicians
20th-century African-American musicians
21st-century African-American people