Mandolinist and tenor singer, Paul Williams got his first
big break with The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, and then, moved on to work
with the man who would become his brother-in-law – the King of
Bluegrass, Jimmy Martin.
Williams sang tenor on many of Martin’s greatest hits, and wrote just about as many of them.
When life on the road got to be too much, Williams hung up his traveling shoes, and went to work for the U.S. Postal Service. After he retired from the post office, he started a little bluegrass gospel band called The Victory Trio, releasing several well-regarded albums and burning up the festival circuit.
Over a decade later, he joined former Jimmy Martin sidemen, J.D. Crowe and Doyle Lawson to make two highly successful bluegrass albums, before Williams stopped touring for good.
He still makes rare appearances, including this one on Marty Stuart’s show last year – the year Williams turned 80.
So, why am I boring you with all this name-and-date stuff?
Because I want to show you what a huge lie it is that if you retire from music, you can never go back. I want to show you that you don’t have to hang it up after you reach official retirement age.
Again, Paul Williams was 80 years old when this was filmed; yet his phrasing is brilliant, his tone clear as a bell, his intonation rock solid, and his emotional impact undiminished after all these years.
This is a brilliant slice of classic country that Williams wrote, and originally recorded with Jimmy Martin. It’s called “What Was I Supposed To Do?”
Williams sang tenor on many of Martin’s greatest hits, and wrote just about as many of them.
When life on the road got to be too much, Williams hung up his traveling shoes, and went to work for the U.S. Postal Service. After he retired from the post office, he started a little bluegrass gospel band called The Victory Trio, releasing several well-regarded albums and burning up the festival circuit.
Over a decade later, he joined former Jimmy Martin sidemen, J.D. Crowe and Doyle Lawson to make two highly successful bluegrass albums, before Williams stopped touring for good.
He still makes rare appearances, including this one on Marty Stuart’s show last year – the year Williams turned 80.
So, why am I boring you with all this name-and-date stuff?
Because I want to show you what a huge lie it is that if you retire from music, you can never go back. I want to show you that you don’t have to hang it up after you reach official retirement age.
Again, Paul Williams was 80 years old when this was filmed; yet his phrasing is brilliant, his tone clear as a bell, his intonation rock solid, and his emotional impact undiminished after all these years.
This is a brilliant slice of classic country that Williams wrote, and originally recorded with Jimmy Martin. It’s called “What Was I Supposed To Do?”
No comments:
Post a Comment