Andre Williams was an R n’ B singer from the first era of 1950s R n’ B. He rarely made it out of the chitlin’ circuit, but was as important as Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Ike Turner, or Johnny “Guitar” Watson. He made a little talent go a long way, but was inspired by the spirit of wry funk and worked his way through many genres of African-American music.
I discovered him via a cover Frank Zappa did of “Bacon fat”, becoming a fan. We have all heard his work in “Shake a Tail Feather”, which i am sure barely made him a penny. He was a pal of Ike Turner, and when Ike was freebasing in his Chicago mansion, Andre was his wing-man in mischief. Ike eventually cleaned up, but Andre didn’t, and temporarily became homeless.
I don’t quite know what happened next, but certainly he made an album with Jon Spencer of raucous, smutty garage rock (“Silky”), which is unlikely to appeal to those of a delicate sensibility. Several SLIGHTLY less raucous albums followed, though they all have their charms for those who like trashy garage rock and dirty r’n’b. I saw him and a pick-up band play to about 20 people at a pub gig in Leicester. Initially shocked at the emptiness of the room, he nevertheless performed with enthusiasm and dignity to the assembled. One day people will value his contribution.
That looks worth a watch…
This is on my iPod – always perks me up. Doesn’t get downer and dirtier than this…
Thanks for the tip. He is magnificently sleazy and very amusing.
A real discovery.
You really can’t go wrong with him, provided you have his sensibility. This is a good one:
He is one of an odd selection of folk who have used the Sadies, Canada’s finest surfing byrds (SWIDT), as a backing band. John Doe, Jon Langford and Neko Case are the others.