Decorated Veterans

What did it take to sing tenor to Jimmy Martin?

When he left Bill Monroe for a solo career, Jimmy Martin had to answer that question with a tenor whose power equalled Monroe’s. Martin found the perfect foil in Paul Williams.

A few years ago, Williams got together with two other Martin alumni – Doyle Lawson (who plays guitar here), and banjo man, J.D Crowe. They’ve made a couple of well-received albums, but when they hit the stage, they blow the roof off the dump.

In this clip, they’re joined by Jason Barie on fiddle and Dale Perry on bass – both of whom were members of Lawson’s band, Quicksilver, at the time. And though everyone is in top form, it’s hard not to single out Crowe’s return to a more traditional, blues-based style (He has said he learned a lot from Fats Domino’s piano playing) for his work with this group. This is his best picking in years!

Here they are with Williams out in front, singing one of his signature numbers, “The Hills Of Roane County”.

With Paul Williams, The Best Keeps Getting Better

Bluegrass gospel stalwart, Paul Williams, is a national treasure. Ever since his days with Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys, Williams has been renowned as a soulful tenor singer, a tasteful mandolinist, and a brilliant songwriter who's contributed several standards to the bluegrass songbook.

Every one of those talents is in evidence on "Just a Little Closer Home". Ten or twenty years from now, bands will be covering the exuberant, spine-tingling "He Answered My Plea" -- easily one of the strongest gospel songs Williams has ever written. His "The Best Time of My Life" is equally touching, and theologically sound, too.

Williams is, as always, a generous collaborator, and his band, The Victory Trio, gets several turns in the spotlight, both with tasteful, joyful picking and with new songs that some of them have written especially for this record.

If you're looking for traditional, high lonesome bluegrass gospel from one of the greats of the genre, do yourself a favor and pick up "Just a Little Closer Home".

A Bluegrass Gospel Legend's Return To the Fold

In 2003, over 30 years after leaving a hugely successful career as the mandolin picker, tenor singer, and prolific songwriter for Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys, Paul Williams returned to bluegrass with this outstanding bluegrass gospel CD, Ain't God Good?

Assisting him were the late James King on vocals, Adam Poindexter on banjo, Jason Carter on fiddle, and Jason Moore on bass. As with most gospel recordings, the vocals are the standout. Williams and King are as perfect together as Williams and Martin were back in the day.

The vocal perfection is especially evident on "With the Church I'll Fly Away," "Jesus Had Rose From the Dead," "Saved Through Jesus' Blood," and "I Don't Know What I'd Do". Every one of these tracks has the bluesy edge and soul fire that listeners have come to expect from hardcore, traditional bluegrass gospel.

Williams' songwriting chops hadn't deserted him, either. He wrote seven out of the twelve tracks on "Ain't God Good?" Among the strongest are "Church Will Be Home", which speaks of a time when church won't be just another building or activity, but the place where we live in unimaginable joy and complete fulfillment.

Williams presents plenty of Biblical and lyrical evidence to answer the question "Ain't God Good?" He confesses his dependence on God in "I Don't Know What I'd Do", while giving listeners the ultimate weapon against the slings and arrows of daily life.

Worthwhile work form other writers gets equal play here. Roger Porter's "Jesus Had Rose From the Dead," which recounts the whiplash emotions that Jesus' disciples experienced through His death and resurrection, is one of the most compelling tracks.

An equally fascinating story from the Bible is told in "Paul's Ministry", about the mighty apostle who started his religious career determined to snuff out Christianity.

The classic "Two Coats" from Ralph Stanley takes Williams in an uncharacteristic direction with spare, almost harsh mountain-style harmonies.

"Ain't God Good" is a stunning comeback from one of the true legends of bluegrass.

Rock-Solid Bluegrass Gospel From Jimmy Martin Vets

J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson, and Paul Williams had all worked for bluegrass legend Jimmy Martin. That shared history gave them a great idea for a bluegrass gospel CD: Why not get together to record a CD of gospel tunes that each had performed with Martin?

Old Friends Get Together, released in June of 2010, is the happy result, and even with all that star power, everyone has some great moments in the spotlight.

"This World is Not My Home" is a tasty duet between Doyle Lawson on lead and Paul Williams on tenor, while Williams turns in a soulful lead vocal on "When the Savior Reached Down for Me."

Two of the CD's best tracks are "Lord, I'm Coming Home" and "Shake Hands With Mother Again". "Shake Hands" is especially tight with gutsy, high lonesome harmonies, and a lead vocal by Doyle Lawson that's pure soul.

Jimmy Martin fans will love the vocal arrangements, which stick closely to those of the original recordings, which often featured women on tenor vocals (Both Penny Jay and Gloria Belle, who also played bass for Martin, filled this vocal spot). Sonya Isaacs and Cia Cherryholmes contribute distinctive high harmonies.

Although the emphasis is on the vocals, J.D. Crowe's picking shines, especially on "Voice of My Savior" and "The Little White Church".

The combination of mountain soul with high lonesome vocals and polished Nashville-style arrangements is pure Jimmy Martin, but the record never sounds like a museum piece. Clearly, this CD was made by a top-notch group of musicians who gave their all and had a great time doing it.

What Retirement Sounds Like

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?”

J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson, and Paul Williams were, one might say, The Earls of Leicester of Jimmy Martin tunes, even before The Earls of Leicester came to be. For the last couple of years or so – and two well-received albums – they’ve been covering Jimmy Martin favorites as only three Martin veterans can.

They do an especially good job on this one – “Prayer Bells Of Heaven”. There’s even a good ‘n’ country drummer, just like Jimmy had on his recordings.

Jimmy Martin, reunited after 25 years with the classic lineup of The Sunny Mountain Boys – Paul Williams and J.D. Crowe – and sounding just as hungry as they did then. It may sound like a brother duet, but in fact, it’s a brother-in-law duet; Paul Williams is married to Jimmy’ s sister, Edria. This is “Hold Whatcha Got”.