Biography
During the 1950s and 1960s, Chicago blues guitarist Jody Williams served as a key supporting player on the Windy City scene, where his piercing lead lines distinguished landmark recordings such as Billy Boy Arnold’s “I Was Fooled,” Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love,” Otis Spann’s “Five Spot,” and Williams’s own haunting minor-key instrumental “Lucky Lou.” Disillusioned with the industry, he abandoned performing in the early 1960s, yet returned in 2000 to begin a long-overdue solo career.
Joseph Leon Williams was born in Alabama and arrived in Chicago at the age of six. He matured alongside Bo Diddley, with whom he exchanged guitar ideas as children and began playing professionally by 1951. By the middle of the decade, Williams had established himself as a highly regarded session guitarist in Chicago, only to grow embittered after the distinctive riff he devised for Billy Stewart’s Argo single “Billy’s Blues” was taken by Mickey Baker for the Mickey & Sylvia hit “Love Is Strange.” Baker had heard Williams perform the figure at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. Once disputes ended, the songwriting credit for “Love Is Strange” went to Diddley’s wife, while Williams received no financial return.
Williams first recorded under his own name in 1955 for Al Benson’s Blue Lake label, singing and playing on “Looking for My Baby,” issued as Little Papa Joe. The same pattern continued in 1957 when Argo released the eerie instrumental “Lucky Lou” and its rich slow-blues vocal counterpart “You May” under the name Little Joe Lee; the session featured saxophonists Harold Ashby and Red Holloway, pianist Lafayette Leake, and bassist Willie Dixon. In 1960, Herald Records credited him as Sugar Boy Williams on “Little Girl.” Additional sides appeared during the decade on Nike, Jive, Smash, and Yulando, completing his modest catalog.
Williams left the music business entirely and took a position as a technical engineer at Xerox. He retired in 1994 and eventually considered resuming music. At producer Dick Shurman’s urging, he attended a blues club in 1999 to hear his longtime friend Robert Jr. Lockwood—the first such visit in decades. Shortly afterward, Williams reviewed tapes he had recorded in 1964, found the material deeply moving, and resolved to recreate the sound of his peak session years. Following club and festival appearances in 2000 and 2001, he and Shurman entered the studio for his debut solo album. Return of a Legend appeared in 2002, earning strong critical praise and renewed attention for one of the blues guitar’s overlooked figures. A follow-up, You Left Me in the Dark, was issued in 2004. Although recording ceased after that release, Williams continued performing live through 2014 at Chicago venues and international blues festivals. He died of cancer on December 1, 2018.
Joseph Leon Williams was born in Alabama and arrived in Chicago at the age of six. He matured alongside Bo Diddley, with whom he exchanged guitar ideas as children and began playing professionally by 1951. By the middle of the decade, Williams had established himself as a highly regarded session guitarist in Chicago, only to grow embittered after the distinctive riff he devised for Billy Stewart’s Argo single “Billy’s Blues” was taken by Mickey Baker for the Mickey & Sylvia hit “Love Is Strange.” Baker had heard Williams perform the figure at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. Once disputes ended, the songwriting credit for “Love Is Strange” went to Diddley’s wife, while Williams received no financial return.
Williams first recorded under his own name in 1955 for Al Benson’s Blue Lake label, singing and playing on “Looking for My Baby,” issued as Little Papa Joe. The same pattern continued in 1957 when Argo released the eerie instrumental “Lucky Lou” and its rich slow-blues vocal counterpart “You May” under the name Little Joe Lee; the session featured saxophonists Harold Ashby and Red Holloway, pianist Lafayette Leake, and bassist Willie Dixon. In 1960, Herald Records credited him as Sugar Boy Williams on “Little Girl.” Additional sides appeared during the decade on Nike, Jive, Smash, and Yulando, completing his modest catalog.
Williams left the music business entirely and took a position as a technical engineer at Xerox. He retired in 1994 and eventually considered resuming music. At producer Dick Shurman’s urging, he attended a blues club in 1999 to hear his longtime friend Robert Jr. Lockwood—the first such visit in decades. Shortly afterward, Williams reviewed tapes he had recorded in 1964, found the material deeply moving, and resolved to recreate the sound of his peak session years. Following club and festival appearances in 2000 and 2001, he and Shurman entered the studio for his debut solo album. Return of a Legend appeared in 2002, earning strong critical praise and renewed attention for one of the blues guitar’s overlooked figures. A follow-up, You Left Me in the Dark, was issued in 2004. Although recording ceased after that release, Williams continued performing live through 2014 at Chicago venues and international blues festivals. He died of cancer on December 1, 2018.
Albums
Singles
