Vocalist Lee "Shot" Williams delivered Southern soul-blues rooted in the lineage of Bobby "Blue" Bland, Johnnie Taylor, and Albert King. His mother bestowed the nickname "Shot" during childhood because of his habit of wearing suits to project the image of a "big shot." Growing up alongside guitarist Little Smokey Smothers, he also became acquainted with the musician’s older sibling, Big Smokey Smothers. Stepsister Arlean Brown belonged to a musical household, and the Brown brothers first exposed Williams to live blues performance in the juke joints of the Delta.
He relocated to Detroit in 1954 and arrived in Chicago four years later. There he reconnected with Little Smokey Smothers and formed ties with Chicago blues figures Magic Sam (McGhee) and Howlin’ Wolf. Williams joined Smokey’s band as singer in 1960 and subsequently became the featured vocalist in Magic Sam’s group. His initial singles, “Hello Baby” and “I’m Trying,” appeared on the local Foxy label in 1962, after which he cut further sides for King/Federal, Palos, Gamma, Shama, and Tchula. The 1964 Chicago favorite “Welcome to the Club” prompted a 1965 cover by guitarist/singer Little Milton Campbell on Checker Records, while the 1969 regional success “I Like Your Style” was later interpreted by Junior Parker; Williams himself re-recorded the track in 1993.
Association with guitarist Earl Hooker brought Williams his first touring experience across the South in the mid-1960s, and he later worked with both Little Milton and Bobby “Blue” Bland. Roots issued his debut album under his own name, Country Disco, in 1977. Returning to Memphis during the 1980s in search of a receptive audience for soul-blues, he issued a cassette album and recorded for a Japanese label in 1992.
Guest appearances on his cousin’s project that same year drew the attention of Black Magic Records, which arranged sessions with Williams’ own band. The resulting album, Cold Shot, surfaced in 1995 and showcased his gospel-inflected, powerful vocals supported by veteran players: bassist Johnny Gayden, formerly with Albert Collins; organist Tony Zamagni, known from Ronnie Earl’s band; saxophonist Charles Kimble; and trumpeter Mike Barber, both of the Chicago Playboy Horns. Living Blues magazine readers voted Cold Shot the year’s top blues release. On the record Williams revisited Gladys Knight’s “Neither One of Us” and Wilson Pickett’s “Don’t Let the Green Grass Fool You.”
His first Ecko Records outing, Hot Shot, followed in 1996; She Made a Freak Out of Me appeared in early 2000, and Somebody’s After My Freak arrived in early 2001. A 1994 appearance at the Chicago Blues Festival raised his profile, yet Williams continued to play primarily club dates throughout the United States in the ensuing years. Lee Williams died on September 24, 2011.
