Wilfred "Billy" Williams was born on December 28, 1910, in Waco, Texas. His career as a singer began in 1930 with the formation of the Charioteers, of which group he was the original lead singer. The story of the Charioteers and their discography can be found, among other places, in Jay Warner's Book of American Singing Groups. However, Billy's work after leaving the Charioteers in 1950 is not as well documented. An article outlining the highlights of Billy's career from the Charioteer days until he died on October 17,1972, has been posted to the Internet by John Charles Marion.
In 1950 Billy was asked to form a group to perform regularly on TV in Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows. The TV producers thought the Charioteers were too old. So Williams left the Charioteers and joined with Eugene Dixon (bass), Claude Riddick (baritone), and John Ball (tenor) to form the eponymous Billy Williams Quartet. The group was active for about 10 years, releasing recordings on the MGM, Mercury and Coral labels. The recordings by Billy (solo) and by the Quartet seem to fall into that stylistic "grey area" between "pop" and "rock 'n' roll," so they are often ignored by both sides of the spectrum.
Billy lost his voice, due to diabetes, in the early 1960s. He then relocated to Chicago and became a social worker, working on a model cities project and helping alcoholics until he died.
Through my own research, and through the courtesy of members of the Doo Wop Cafe Internet Group, with especial thanks to Bruce "DooWopDJ" Woolf, I have compiled the following discography of Billy's post-Charioteers output, both solo and as a member of the Quartet. Since all these works share stylistic similarities, I have not distinguished the solo performances from those of the Quartet in the listings below.
|
Label & Record # |
Titles |
Release Date |
|
MGM 10764 |
Longing / |
June 1950 |
|
MGM 10857 |
The Room I'm Sleeping In / |
January 1951 |
|
MGM 10928 |
I Won't Cry Anymore/ Gaucho Serenade |
Feb. 1951 |
|
MGM 10967 |
You Made Me Love You / |
1951 |
|
MGM 10998 |
(Why Did I Tell You I Was Going To) Shanghai / |
1951 |
|
MGM 11066 |
(It's No) Sin / It's Over |
1951 |
|
MGM 11117 |
I'll Never Fail You / Busy Line |
1951 |
|
MGM 11145 |
No Other Love / |
1952 |
|
MGM 11172 |
Wheel Of Fortune / |
1952 |
|
MGM 11184 |
Confetti / |
1952 |
|
MGM 11249 |
What You Don't Know Of Love / |
1952 |
|
MGM 11537 |
Gaucho Serenade / |
1952 |
|
Mercury 5866 |
Stay / Azure-Te (Paris Blues) |
1952 |
|
Mercury 5884 |
It's Best We Say Goodbye / Who Knows |
1952 |
|
Mercury 5902 |
That's What I'm Here For / |
1952 |
|
Mercury 70012 |
Mad About 'Cha / |
1952 |
|
Mercury 70094 |
Pour Me A Glass Of Teardrops / |
1953 |
|
Mercury 70180 |
This Side Of Heaven / |
1953 |
|
Mercury 70210 |
Cattle Call / |
1953 |
|
Mercury 70271 |
If I Never Get To Heaven / |
1953 |
|
Mercury 70324 |
I'll Close My Eyes / |
1954 |
|
Mercury 70376 |
You're The Only One I Adore / |
1954 |
|
Mercury 71187 |
Ask Me No Questions / |
1957 |
|
Coral 61212 |
Sh-Boom / When Ever, Where Ever |
1954 |
|
Coral 61264 |
The Honeydripper / Love Me |
1954 |
|
Coral 61363 |
I Wanna Hug You, Kiss You, Squeeze You |
1955 |
|
Coral 61346 |
Fools Rush In / He Follows She |
1955 |
|
Coral 61462 |
Wonderful, Wonderful One / |
1955 |
|
Coral 61498 |
Learning to Love / Just A Little Bit More |
1955 |
|
Coral 61576 |
Cry Baby / A Crazy Little Palace |
March 1956 |
|
Coral 61639 |
Pray / You'll Reach Your Star |
1956 |
|
Coral 61684 |
I Guess I'll Be On My Way / |
1956 |
|
Coral 61730 |
Don't Cry on My Shoulder / |
1956 |
|
Coral 61751 |
Stormy / Follow Me |
1956 |
|
Coral 61795 |
The Pied Piper / Butterfly |
1957 |
|
Coral 61830 |
I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter / Date With The Blues |
1957 |
|
Coral 61886 |
Got A Date With An Angel / |
1957 |
|
Coral 61932 |
Baby, Baby / Don't Let Go |
1957 |
|
Coral 61961 |
Steppin' Out Tonight / |
1958 |
|
Coral 61999 |
I'll Get By / It's Praying Time |
1958 |
|
Coral 62029 |
So Long / It Hurts So Much |
1958 |
|
Coral 62069 |
Nola / Tied To The Strings Of Your Heart |
1958 |
|
Coral 62101 |
Red Hot Love / Goodnight Irene |
1959 |
|
Coral 62131 |
Go To Sleep, Go To Sleep, Go To Sleep / Telephone Conversation |
1959 |
|
Coral 62140 |
Smack Dab In The Middle / I Wonder |
1959 |
|
Coral 62218 |
The Lover Of All Lovers / I Cried For You |
1960 |
|
Coral 62230 |
Begin The Beguine / For You |
1960 |
MGM E-3400: Billy Williams Sings - Billy Williams Quartet [1956]
Gaucho Serenade / Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea / I Won't Cry Anymore / (Why Did I Tell You I Was Going To) Shanghai / (It's No) Sin / Pretty Eyed Baby / Wheel Of Fortune / (What Can I Say) After I Say I'm Sorry / Don't Worry 'Bout Me / You Made Me Love You / Music By The Angels / In The Cool Of The Evening
Mercury MG-20317: "Oh Yeah!" It's Billy Williams - Billy Williams Quartet [1957]
An Invitation To Dance / It's Best We Say Goodbye / I'll Close My Eyes To The Rest Of The World / If I Never Get to Heaven / Ask Me No Questions / Cattle Call / A Smile For Suzette / This Side Of Heaven / Who Knows / Azure-Te / I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)
Mercury/Wing MGW-12131: Vote For Billy Williams - Billy Williams [1959]
I Don't Know Why / Azure-Te / Who Knows / You're The One For Me / This Side of Heaven / A Smile For Suzette / Cattle Call / You're The Only One I Adore / It's Best We Sat Goodbye / Mad About Cha / If I Never Get To Heaven / Ask Me No Questions - Info on this LP is courtesy of David "SwingGate" Stockhoff.
Coral 57184 *: Billy Williams [1957].
I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself A Letter / Butterfly / Follow Me / The Honeydripper / Glory Of Love / Cry Baby / A Crazy Little Palace / Fools Rush In / Love Me / Pray / When Ever, Where Ever / I Guess I'll Be On My Way.
Coral 57213 *: Rock Around the Block - Alan Freed and his Rock & Roll Band featuring Buddy Holly, Billy Williams and the Modernaires [1957].
Two tracks by the Billy Williams Quartet: Don't Let Go and Baby Baby.
Coral 57251 *: Half Sweet, Half Beat [1959.]
Nola, I Wonder, Goodnight Irene, Four Or Five Times, The Little Boy, You Don't Know, A Kiss And A Rose, Smack Dab In The Middle, Dream Of You, Red Hot Love, Pour Me A Glass Of Teardrops, Walkin' By The River.
Coral 57343 *: The Billy Williams Revue - featuring Billy Williams [1960].
He's Got The Whole World In His Hands - Billy Williams & Fats Hudson / I Cried For You - Billy Williams / Mack The Knife - Fats Hudson / Angel Eyes - Clora Bryant / South Of The Border - Don Nero / Over The Rainbow - Four Dukes / Begin The Beguine - Billy Williams / Blueberry Hill - Clora Bryant / Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home - Tommy Butler & Don Nero / Blues For The Q - Bob Bryant / I Was Telling Her About You - Skip Cunningham / Alright, Okay, You Win - Billy Williams
- Info on this LP is courtesy of David "SwingGate" Stockhoff.
* Numbers shown for Coral LPs are for Monaural versions. Stereophonic versions used the same numbers preceded by a "7" - thus, for example, The Billy Williams Revue, "Coral 57343" (Mono), would also be "Coral 757343" (Stereo).
Other Coral LP:
Coral #??: The Billy Williams Quartet [1957]
MGM X1305 - Billy Williams Sings, Volume 1 - [1956] - Gaucho Serenade / Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea / I Won't Cry Anymore / Shanghai
MGM X1306 - Billy Williams Sings, Volume 2 - [1956] - It's No Sin / Pretty Eyed Baby / Wheel Of Fortune / What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry
MGM X1307 - Billy Williams Sings, Volume 3 - [1956] - Music By The Angels / In The Cool Of The Evening (I'll Be There) / Don't Worry 'Bout Me / You Made Me Love You
MERCURY EP-1-3086 - TV Favorites.. of the Show Of Shows - Billy Williams - [1955?] -This Side Of Heaven / You're The One For Me / Cattle Call / A Smile For Suzette
Mercury EP 1-3219 - Billy Williams Quartet - [1956 (?)] - I've Got An Invitation To A Dance / I'll Close My Eyes / If I Never Get To Heaven / Ask Me No Questions
Mercury EP 1-3360 - Oh Yeah! - Billy Williams - Vol. 1 - [1957] - I'll Close My Eyes To The Rest Of The World / You're The One For Me / This Side of Heaven / I Don't Know Why
Mercury EP 1-3364 - Oh Yeah! - Billy Williams - Vol. 2 - [1957] - I've Got An Invitation To Dance / It's Best We Say Goodbye / Ask Me No More Questions / Who Knows
Mercury EP 1-3365 - Oh Yeah! - Billy Williams - Vol. 3 - [1957] - If I Never Get To Heaven / A Smile For Suzette / Cattle Call / Azure-Te
Coral EP 81163 - Date With An Angel - Billy Williams - [1957] - Got A Date With An Angel / I Surrender, Dear / I'm Confessin' / So Long
Coral EP 81164 - Oh Yeah! - Billy Williams - [1957] - I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself A Letter / Lucy Lou / The Lord Will Understand (And Say "Well Done") / The Honeydripper
INFORMATION NEEDED - Any information about Billy Williams / Billy Williams Quartet singles, LPs and EPs not noted above will be appreciated, including any missing track information for noted issues. Illustrations of any "missing" album covers (LP or EP) would also be appreciated. All provided items will be appropriately credited.
1. Information about Australian music hall performer "Billy Williams" [Richard Isaac "Curley" Banks] (1878 - 1915),
2. Information about the 1940s singer named Billy Williams who sang with Sammy Kaye's Orchestra and recorded "cowboy" music for RCA Victor, charting with In My Adobe Hacienda [flip side = I Ain't A-Gonna Leave My Love No More] (RCA 2150) - "Billy Williams and the Pecos River Rangers," in 1947. This recording is erroneously attributed to the Billy Williams Quartet in Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories. He was also responsible for some "children's" cowboy recordings on the Peter Pan label as "Billy Williams and his Cowboy Rangers.'and
3. Information about one or more other parties by the name of Billy Williams who has / have been involved in the music industry beginning in the 1970s, mainly in the country music field.
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