Biography
The barrelhouse pianist Jabo Williams, who made his home in St. Louis, remains known solely through eight recordings he made during May 1932 at the Paramount studio located in Grafton, Wisconsin. These sessions occurred near the close of the Paramount label's operations. Limited pressings meant his discs reached few listeners and saw minimal circulation. References within the track "Pratt City Blues" have led to the supposition that Williams originated from Pratt City, Alabama, though details apart from his discs are scarce and consist only of his introduction to Paramount via St. Louis record store proprietor Jesse Johnson. Among record collectors his distinctive approach to the keyboard received notice quite soon, prompting reissues of selected cuts during the 1940s and the first half of the 1950s on the American Music, Steiner-Davis, and Jazz Information imprints, each aimed at enthusiasts. Even so, this attention arrived too late to allow for the rediscovery of Jabo Williams or the revelation of his actual given name.