Andre Williams (musician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andre Williams
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Williams at the 2010 Chicago Blues Festival
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Zephire Andre Williams |
| Born | November 1, 1936 Bessemer, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | March 17, 2019 (aged 82) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, record producer |
Zephire Andre Williams (November 1, 1936 – March 17, 2019) was an American R&B musician who started his career in the 1950s at Fortune Records in Detroit. ..... He was also the co-author of the R&B hit "Shake a Tail Feather".
Biography
Born in Bessemer, Alabama, United States, Williams lived in a housing project with his mother until she died when he was six years of age. A sly and smart young boy, his "aunties" raised him until he was around 16. He then set out on his own and moved to Detroit, Michigan. There, he became friends with Jack and Devora Brown, owners of Fortune Records which was located at the back of a barber shop. Williams would become label mates with Nolan Strong and Nathaniel Mayer.
He then became lead singer for The 5 Dollars in 1955, which already had a contract with Fortune Records. ..... "Bacon Fat" hit #9 on the US Billboard R&B chart in 1957. "Bacon Fat" (written by Williams) was such a success that Fortune Records sold the song to Epic Records, a much larger distributor (released as Epic 5-9196 "Bacon Fat/Just because of a Kiss"). ..... In 1960, he appeared on Motown's Miracle Record label recording "Rosa Lee".
In the early 1960s, Williams co-wrote Stevie Wonder's first song, "Thank You for Loving Me". Williams's "Shake a Tail Feather" (with Otha Hayes and Verlie Rice) was also a hit in 1963 for the Five Du-Tones and then for Ike & Tina Turner plus James and Bobby Purify. Alvin Cash & the Crawlers also made a hit out of the Williams song "Twine Time". As well as these hits, Williams also supervised the making of two albums by The Contours. Additionally, in the 1960s, Williams was the manager and roadie for Edwin Starr.
In 1966, Williams released two records on the Avin Records label, then two records more on Detroit's Wingate label: "Loose Juice" and "Do It". On the Ric-Tic label in 1967, he released "You Got It and I Want It". In 1968, Williams was signed to Chess Records on Checker, Chicago's major blues label. They released many hits for Williams—"Humpin' Bumpin' and Thumpin'" and "Cadillac Jack" in particular. "Cadillac Jack" reached #46 on the Billboard R&B chart, his second and final chart hit. ..... 1 & 2". In 1968, Williams collaborated with the Natural Bridge Bunch to release "Pig Snoots", a novelty song about a man named Ricky who would "come all way cross town to get me some snoots". In the 1970s, Williams wrote some songs for Parliament and Funkadelic. Williams also began to produce for Ike Turner.
..... He lived in Chicago, Illinois; at one point, he was homeless.
In 1996, he released Mr. ..... These included "The Greasy Chicken", "Mean Jean", and "Pass the Biscuits Please". He changed his style with 1998's Silky. In 1999, he began his relationship with Bloodshot Records by recording a country album with The Sadies, entitled Red Dirt. In 2000, Williams released The Black Godfather, with two songs backed by The Dirtbombs. ..... In 2002 and 2003 he toured with the Dutch sleaze rock band, Green Hornet.
..... "The result is a more laid-back and funky groove that's soulful but potent at the same time, fusing '70s blaxploitation sounds, Jimmy Smith-style jazz figures, and Booker T.-influenced R&B workouts into one solid package" is the way Mark Deming described the album.
Williams toured Europe in 2001 (with Green Hornet as backing band), 2005 and 2006 (with the Marshall Brothers). From August to November 2006, he had a short European tour, ending in Switzerland. In early 2008 he undertook a European tour with The Flash Express.
In 2007, Williams finished recording an album with the New Orleans-based band, Morning 40 Federation. The album, titled Can You Deal With It, was released by Bloodshot Records in 2008 and is credited to Andre Williams & the New Orleans Hellhounds (the pseudonymous Morning 40 Federation). .....
In 2010, Williams contributed a cover version of "The Way You Dog Me Around" for the compilation album, Daddy Rockin Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong & The Diablos. The album was a tribute to the late Nolan Strong.
In the summer of 2010, Williams worked on an EP with the up-and-coming producer Kerry (Kerby) Moncreace, founder of Kraw Productions. .....
Williams had also been known to go by the alias "Rudibaker" or "Rutabaga", with which he would put on a different personality and speak in a gravely voice.
In 2012, Williams was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.
Andre Williams died March 17, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois, at the age of 82.
Selective discography
- 1955: "Going Down To Tia Juana"
- 1956: "Bacon Fat"
- 1968: "Cadillac Jack"
- 1990: Directly from the Streets
- 1994: Mr. Rhythm Is Back [compilation]
- 1996: Mr. .....
- 2013: "Waterpipe" (spoken word contribution to the Arabicana/World Music band 'NO Blues' 5th album: Kind of NO Blues)
- 2016: I Wanna Go Back to Detroit City
See also
In Spanish: Andre Williams para niños
