Article: The Music In Me: The Last Track

[Gilbert Klein]

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[esimms86]

Thanks for the great though bittersweet story and welcome to CA. It makes me wonder how many amazingly talented musicians went unknown or otherwise did not receive their due as a consequence of the odd inner working of the music business.

[Nikhil]

Wow! Great story. Thanks Gilbert for bringing to light Jerry Williams.

I for one will be re looking album liners for mention of the name.

[Paul R]

I have to go hit the Internet. I know of two Jerry Williams, neither one of which seems to be this chap. One was a radio talk show host, and the other was a Swedish rocker named Sven Fernstrom who took the English name "Jerry Williams."

 

This was one cool article, and the clips were really nice to listen to.

 

Thanks!

 

-Paul

[The Computer Audiophile]

If anyone missed the link in the article to Jerry's credits, here it is. The list is amazing.

 

 

Jerry Lynn Williams | Credits | AllMusic

[The Computer Audiophile]

Here is some additional info about the re-release of Gone. It's available at Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Jerry-Williams/dp/B00QG6IAUO

 

 

 

"First scheduled for release in 1979, Jerry Williams' debut album for Warner Brothers Records was pulled from distribution before it ever made the record stores, victim of a dispute with the label. But the story didn t end there; though only promotional copies of the album were ever minted this record was indeed Gone those copies have been passed from hand over the last 35 years and have become hotly sought-after collector items. But then, such a strange turn of events somehow suits Jerry Williams; born in Oklahoma and raised in the Ft. Worth, Texas area, the man is one of the great mysteries of modern music.

 

Gone was going to be the breakthrough album for Williams. Produced by Chris Kimsey as his first project following the production of the Rolling Stones smash Some Girls album, Gone offered a totally unique mix of rock and soul, and featured players like bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn, drummer Jeff Porcaro and guitarist Steve Cropper. But, due to a falling-out with the label so severe that Williams was served with a restraining order barring him from entering the Warner Bros. building, the album was quashed. But Williams wasn t done; two years after its release, singer Delbert McClinton hit the Top Ten with the Gone track "Givin' It Up for Your Love," and the next year Eric Clapton would record such Williams songs as "Forever Man," "Pretending" and "Running on Faith." Bonnie Raitt began recording Williams originals in 1982 and has never quit. Fans like Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top, the Eagles and the Fabulous Thunderbirds have spread the Texan's songs around the world, with millions of copies sold.

 

Now, as one of the most enigmatic and intriguing musical figures of the past 50 years, someone whose outsized talent landed him in Little Richard's band at the age of 16 (with another guitarist named Jimmy James a.k.a. Jimi Hendrix) and someone whom the Los Angeles Times eulogized after his death in 2005 as probably the most successful unknown songwriter in rock and rhythm and blues. Jerry Williams is an artist whose time has come. Finally.

 

Our Real Gone reissue of Gone comes with liner notes by Williams champion Bill Bentley, who has over the years bought about 50 copies of the LP to share with friends a long-overdue CD debut to say the least!"

[WINDIANRECORDS]

Wow, I just ripped a Jerry Williams record for Bob Berberich, the drummer on the '72 LP "Jerry Williams"; I'm going to reissue a local DC band by the name of "The Hangmen"'s first 7" on which Bob played, and after spending a while at his record shop he handed me the Williams LP and said "you have to listen to this" ... Some of the songs are covers that aren't my style, but some of them absolutely wail! Will definitely check out the Gone reissue, thanks for this!

[Skip Pack]

Now, for neck-wrenching swerve, I noticed the mention of KFAT in Gilbert Klein's mini-bio. As I lived 12 or so miles from the KFAT epicenter, Gilroy, California, for most of KFAT's curious existence, it was hugely formative (deformative?) to my musical outlook. Hundreds of prejudices ruined. I ordered the book. For a song that summarizes KFAT look up "Up in Northern California where the Palm Tree Meets the Pine", originally by Danny O'Keefe. Avoid listening to it in proximity to any HR personnel.

[Gilbert Klein]

Now, for neck-wrenching swerve, I noticed the mention of KFAT in Gilbert Klein's mini-bio. As I lived 12 or so miles from the KFAT epicenter, Gilroy, California, for most of KFAT's curious existence, it was hugely formative (deformative?) to my musical outlook. Hundreds of prejudices ruined. I ordered the book. For a song that summarizes KFAT look up "Up in Northern California where the Palm Tree Meets the Pine", originally by Danny O'Keefe. Avoid listening to it in proximity to any HR personnel.

 

 

Wow. Someone reads the fine print. Thanks for the KFAT shout-out. This was my first submission here, and now I am trying to decide what will follow it. You may have just helped, Skip. You are so right that the Danny O'Keefe song is a perfect intro to KFAT, but I can do one better, and I might for the next essay. But keep an open mind ready for next month's essay. There I said it- you just decided for me. Thanks. And I hope you like the book.

Let me add this: I used to get to KFAT to do my work around midnight, long after all the jocks had their picks of whichever albums came in that day and weren't needed by the by the MD, so when I got there, the choices were thin. Because I was/am an inveterate liner-notes-reader, I'd never heard of Jerry Williams, but I noticed all the well-known LA session players listed in the credits and so I snagged the record. Three years later I met my pal Johnny and during our first evening together told me the story you just read, and lamented that as immensely talented as Jerry was, no one knew either him or the album, and I cemented our friendship at that moment by walking over to my record stacks and casually asking, "You mean this record?" Blew his mind and maybe now yours...

[Superdad]

Terrific story, and well written. I hope Mr. Klein has a few more of Johnny's stories to tell!

[Gilbert Klein]

Terrific story, and well written. I hope Mr. Klein has a few more of Johnny's stories to tell!

 

Johnny laughs at this, knowing I know a lot of his stories, and some of them I can tell you here, but he laughs when he asks if I'm gonna name this the "My Pal Johnny Series." Nah, but I'll check in with him from time to time.

[James Bond]

Eddie Kramer on Zeppelins "A whole lotta love" used a reworked tape to record the vocal and discovered that the burned previous recording was still bleeding, and somehow precursed the "Waaay Doooown, woman you neeeed" vocals as they recorded, but sound haunting and fitting. This same effect I get from this. You gotta sit back and do what you do when tuning in to good tunes and enjoy. This is a good tune!! Bravo, Gilbert!! Bravo!!!

[eligeorgia]

This story is a wonderfully unexpected surprise. it feels like an outlier on this site, but I truly look forward to more stories from you Gilbert. I saw this reissue album cover in my Tidal New Releases section recently, and was struck by the album art, yet I moved on, unknowingly. It now has a "Favorites" star lit up next to it!

 

Interestingly, the bio for Jerry on Tidal's website refers to the Swedish rock n roll singer that Paul referred to in his above comment! They can't even get it right! I'm sure there are lots of people who would say that the secret of Jerry Williams has already been out for a while, but clearly he never got the exposure he deserved.

[Gilbert Klein]

Y'know, that was an issue with me, too. I remember him as Jerry Lynn Williams, and that was the name when I met him. so I asked Johnny about it and he says, "Yes… it was Jerry Lynn after that first Warner Bros. album. There were two other guys named Jerry Williams… a Swedish rock ’n’ roll singer that recorded in the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s and was still going strong after 2000… and of course the great R&B singer that called himself Swamp Dogg. If you’re not familiar with him you should be. When Jerry got his publishing deal with Bill Ham (ZZ Top’s manager) they had to differentiate between him and the other guys."

[mrmb]

Very enjoyable read and a good ancillary addition to C/A! I passed the link along to several of my music/audio buddies. Thanks Chris and Gilbert, I'm looking forward to the future monthly "contributions".

[Gilbert Klein]

I really appreciate how you guys jump onto/into a track or artist, as I do. I was looking for something about Dave Mason and I found a great bio/history of Jerry Williams, so I put it here: The Lone Ranger: Lone Star songwriter of the spheres, Jerry Lynn Williams - Music - The Austin Chronicle

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Guys - Gilbert is back with another installment of The Music In Me - Computer Audiophile - The Music In Me: Really Quite Good, Maybe Great