Andre Williams
Wikimp3 information about the music of Andre Williams. On our website we have 49 albums and 65 collections of artist Andre Williams. You can find useful information and download songs of this artist. We also know that Andre Williams represents Hip Hop/R&B genres.
Biography
[Edit]Multi-talented Zephire "Andre" Williams has worn many musical hats during his long career: recording artist, songwriter, producer, road manager, and so on. The Father of Rap was born November 1, 1936, in Chicago, Illinois, and was raised in a housing project by his mother, who died when Williams was six years old. Thereafter, Williams' aunts raised the precocious lad, who had already become quite the character. The R&B legend is best known for co-writing and producing "Twine Time" for Alvin Cash & the Crawlers, "Shake a Tailfeather" by the Five Dutones, and a greasy solo recording, "Bacon Fat," where Williams talked over a funky, crude rhythm.
A slick, street-smart, dapper Dan, music was one of Williams' hustles. He ventured to Detroit in his late teens and befriended Jack and Devora Brown, the owners of Fortune Records. He started singing with the Don Juans, a group in which the Browns titled their 45s according to who sang lead, something Gwen Gordy and Billy Davis later did with the Voicemasters. At Fortune, Williams became adept at putting songs together. To date he has more than 230 compositions registered with BMI. In 1956, Fortune issued seven singles by Williams, all but two co-billed with the Don Juans: "Going Down to Tia Juana," "It's All Over," "Bacon Fat," "Mean Jean," "Jail Bait," "The Greasy Chicken," and "Country Girl." "Bacon Fat" and "Jail Bait" were solo shots; the former got a boost from Epic Records, which took over the distribution when the demand got too great for Fortune to handle. Fortune also released "Ooh Ooh Those Eyes" by Don Lake & the Don Juans, and two by pianist Joe Weaver & the Don Juans, "Baby I Love You" and "Baby Child," in 1956. Little Eddie & the Don Juans recorded the first Don Juans record on Fortune, "This Is a Miracle" b/w "Calypso Beat," in 1955. Williams later sang with the Five Dollars, who released records on Fortune from 1956 to 1957, and were billed as Andre Williams & the Five Dollars on a 1960 release.
Doing his Fortune stint, Williams kept busy playing the popular clubs in Detroit and other locales, including the Flamingo Club in Memphis, Tennessee. His biggest solo hit, "Bacon Fat," was created during a drive to the Flamingo. When he got back to Detroit he persuaded Devora Brown to book a session. Fortune's recording studio was in the back room of a record shop the Browns owned. "Bacon Fat" was Williams' third single for Fortune; he didn't even have the lyrics written, but hurried and did so on a napkin while Devora busied herself setting up the studio mikes. Thank God for DJ Frantic Eddie Durham, who observed the session. He was the only one who understood what was going on. Everyone else, including Joe Weaver, thought Williams was wasting time and money with this talk-singing. Williams and Durham proved them wrong when "Bacon Fat" took off, becoming, with "The Wind" by Nolan Strong & the Diablos, Fortune's most popular record. Williams started talking instead of singing because he knew he couldn't compete vocally with Nolan Strong, Clyde McPhatter, Little Willie John, Jackie Wilson, and others. He created a new style that was later adapted by Harvey Fuqua ("Any Way You Wanna"), Jerry-O, Shorty Long, Bootsy Collins, and others.
After Fortune, Williams languished with Berry Gordy and Motown from 1961 to 1965. He signed as an artist, producer, and writer. His only 45, "Rosa Lee" b/w "Shoo Ooo," was scheduled for release on Gordy's short-lived Miracle label, but was never issued. Gina Parks, a friend from the Don Juans, enjoyed a couple more solo releases on Motown labels but none scored. Williams co-wrote Little Stevie Wonder's first record, "Thank You for Loving Me"; "Oh Little Boy What You Do to Me," the flip of Mary Wells' "My Guy"; an early Eddie Holland single, "It Cleopatra Took a Chance," and "Mojo Hannah," recorded first by Henry Lumpkin, then Marvin Gaye (outside of Motown it's been remade by Tami Lynn, the Ideals, the Neville Brothers, and others).
His relationship with Berry Gordy was one of mutual respect, but stormy. He never conformed to Gordy's way of doing things, and the four years he spent at Motown weren't consecutive months. When Williams got under Gordy's skin, Gordy fired him; Williams would leave for a few months and produce a hit for someone on another label, and Gordy would invite him back. Williams was still associating with Motown when he masterminded "Shake a Tail Feather" for the Five Dutones and "Twine Time" for Alvin Cash & the Crawlers, on George Leaner's Onederful Records in Chicago. Williams cut a lot of tracks for the Contours; by his estimate he supervised at least two albums' worth of material for the wild, raucous, dancing group, but few were released. During this time Williams co-wrote "Girls Are Getting Prettier," a non-hit for Edwin Starr on Ric Tic Records. At one point, Williams was Starr's road manager.
By 1965, Williams left Motown for good to sign with Chicago's Chess Records and had a string of R&B releases including "The Stroke," "Girdle Up," "Humpin' Bumpin' & Thumpin'," and "Cadillac Jack." His legend grew. A nefarious character but a good entertainer, Williams wore lavender suits, and continued to entertain crowds at bucket of blood-type establishments. He produced and wrote for more acts than he remembers, including "The Funky Judge" by Bull & the Matadors on Toddlin' Town Records. An 18-month stint with Ike Turner led to Williams' hitting rock bottom; after the experience he returned to Chicago a full-blown street junkie and was on the verge of self-destruction for years. His biggest period as an artist came around 1960 when Fortune released the LP Jail Bait. He contributed to many sessions, including some for Parliament, Jesse James, Funkadelic, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Spinners, Trey Lewd (George Clinton's son), and Amos Milburn. He produced tracks for Mary Wells when she left Motown for 20th Century Fox Records.
Williams moved to Queens, New York, and again became active in the business of music. He performs at much better venues then he did during his Jail Bait years, and still dazzles audiences with his swagger and loud, pimpish wardrobe. He released more albums in the '90s than he did during the first 40 years of his career, including Silky and Directly from the Streets. The Black Godfather, and Fat Back & Corn Liquor followed in 2000. He paired with the New Orleans Hellhounds for 2008's Can You Deal with It? on Bloodshot Records. For 2010's That's All I Need, also on Bloodshot Records, Williams worked with Detroit musicians, including members of the Dirtbombs, the Witches, and the Volebeats, as well as the Funk Brothers' Dennis Coffey. Not slowing down one bit, Williams teamed with Coffey again, along with guitarist Matt Smith and guests Jim White, Greasy Carlisi, Jim Diamond, and Don Was, for a funky psychedelic-folk-rock-garage-R&B romp, Hoods and Shades, which appeared from Bloodshot early in 2012. Night & Day was his second full-length release of 2012, his second collaborative LP with Toronto alt-country act the Sadies, following 1999's Red Dirt. Sessions for Night & Day were begun in 2008 amid Williams' troubles with drugs and the law, but rounded out a few years later when he returned to the studio clean and sober. It was finally released in the spring of 2012. Williams, sober and free of legal problems, was on a creative roll. Life, recorded in Detroit, and led by the controversial (and very tongue-in-cheek) single "Blame It On Obama," appeared in October that same year. ~ Andrew Hamilton & Steve Leggett, Rovi
Title: Red Dirt
Artist: Sadies, The, Andre Williams
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues, Rock, Punk, Country, Alternative Country, Alternative
Title: Red Beans and Biscuits
Artist: Andre Williams, The Out Of Sighters
Title: Mr. Rhythm Is Movin'!. The Original 1955-1960 Fortune Recordings
Artist: Andre Williams
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B
Title: Red Beans & Biscuts
Artist: Andre Williams, The Out Of Sighters
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues
Title: Bacon Fat & Another 24 Sizzlin' Cuts Of Detroit Soul Roots: 1961
Artist: Andre Williams
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Holland Shuffle!: Live At the World Famous Vera Club
Artist: Andre Williams, Green Hornet
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Directly From the Streets (Remastered)
Artist: Andre Williams
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues
Title: I Wanna Go Back To Detroit City
Artist: Andre Williams
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues, Rock, Funk
Title: Night & Day
Artist: Sadies, The, Andre Williams
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Rock, Punk, Country, Alternative Country, Alternative
Title: A Fortune of Hits (with The 5 Dollars, The Don Juans & Gino Parks)
Artist: Andre Williams
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Rock
Title: Rib Tips & Pig Snoots (Rare and uneleased Au-Go-Go soul)
Artist: Andre Williams
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Movin On Greasy And Explicit Soul Movers 1956 - 1970
Artist: Andre Williams
Genre: World Music
Collections
Title: Chess Chartbusters, Vol. 3
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: New Coat of Paint - Songs of Tom Waits
Genre: Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative, Songwriter/Lyricist
Title: The Okeh Rhythm & Blues Story 1949-1957
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Making Singles Drinking Doubles
Genre: Rock, Country, Alternative
Title: Slow Grind Fever (Volume 1 & 2)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Rock, Rockabilly
Title: Motown Unreleased 1964
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Lost Soul Treasures Volume 5
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: World of Pain: 20 Pounders, Vol. 2
Genre: Rock
Title: I Smell a Rat
Genre: Rock
Title: The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 1: 1959-1961
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Rumba Blues Vol. 3
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Heritage of the Blues of 1956, Vol. 1
Genre: Pop
Title: Get In the Groove
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Motown Unreleased 1962: Guys, Vol. 2
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Greatest Big Hits of 1961, Vol. 10
Genre: Pop
Title: Lost Deep Soul Treasures, Vol. 5 (Remastered)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Lost Soul Treasures V4
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1957, Vol. 2
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Static Disaster - The UK In the Red Records Sampler
Genre: Rock, Alternative
Title: R&B Doo Wop Girl Songs
Genre: Pop
Title: For a Decade of Sin: 11 Years of Bloodshot Records
Genre: Rock, Pop, Alternative
Title: Download, Dig It or Die
Genre: Alternative
Title: The Finest Vintage Melodies & Retro Tunes Vol. 42
Genre: Pop
Title: Akella Presents - Modern Electric Blues - Vol. 3 (CD1)
Genre: Blues
Title: The Rough Guide To Americana
Genre: World Music
Title: The Sound Of Early Motown (CD2)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Funk
Title: The Chess Story 1947-1975 (CD12)
Genre: Blues
Title: Let's Soul Dance: Black Dance Crazes 1957-1962 (CD1)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Rock
Title: Let's Soul Dance: Black Dance Crazes 1957-1962 (CD2)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Rock
Title: The Bizzarre Circus Of Captain Sidney
Genre: Rockabilly, Alternative
Title: Dirty Boogie - The Fortune Records Story (CD2)
Genre: Rock & Roll, Rockabilly, Pop
Title: The Grill Can't Help It (CD2)
Genre: Rock, Rock & Roll, Rockabilly
Title: The R&B Years 1956: Vol. 2 (CD2)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B
Title: In Beetween - 60er Hits
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop, Funk
Title: I Just Love Truckin' (CD2)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Gospel, Country, Rockabilly
Title: Legends Of Soul
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Funk
Title: Slow Grind Fever 1 & 2
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Funk
Title: The One-Derful! Collection, Vol. 5: Midas Records
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Funk
Title: Funk 45 Sessions (CD1)
Title: Pow City! Fabulous Shakers Soul Party
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Funk
Title: This Is Soul 2015 (CD1)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B
Title: Love Shock About Those Beats From The Heart
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Blues
Title: Motor Town, Pt. 1
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Funk
Title: Motor Town, Pt. 2
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Funk
Title: Best Old Soul Music
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Funk
Title: Shilly Dilly (When Your Mojo Doesn't Work)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B
Title: Barrett Strong And The Roots Of Detroit Soul
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Funk
Featuring albums
Title: Down To The Promised Land
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Rock, Alternative Rock, Country, Alternative Country, Indie
Title: For A Decade Of Sin
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Rock, Alternative Rock, Country, Alternative Country, Indie
Title: The One-Derful! Collection, Vol. 5: Midas Records (Bonus Track Version)
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Funk
Title: Acme - Plus
Artist: The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Genre: Electronica, Blues Rock, Experimental
Title: I Hate CDs: Norton Records 45 RPM Singles Collection, Vol. 1
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Rock, Rock & Roll, Punk Rock