Eddie Williams

Eddie Williams (June 12, 1912—February 18, 1995) was an American jazz and rhythm and blues bassist and songwriter. He was a member of Johnny Moore's R&B trio Three Blazers and also led his own group, "Eddie Williams And His Brown Buddies".

Eddie Williams was born Edward Earl Williams in San Augustine, Texas, on June 12, 1912.

In 1942, Williams was a founding member of Johnny Moore's rhythm and blues trio "Three Blazers" with pianist Garland Finney (November 17, 1916—December 20, 1946). Finney left shortly after and Johnny recruited Charles Brown (September 13, 1922—January 21, 1999) as the trio's pianist.

In its early days, Three Blazers quickly gained fame in the rhythm and blues scene and won quite a few amateur talent contests, however, record deals were hard to come by. In 1943, when the Nat King Cole Trio moved from Atlas Records to Capitol Records, the trio's guitarist Oscar Moore (brother of Johnny Moore) recommended Atlas founder Robert Scherman to sign on Three Blazers. Scherman agreed and Three Blazers began recording with Atlas in 1944 and had their first hit in 1945 with "Blues at Sunrise" (written by Ivory Joe Hunter). The same year, they recorded "Melancholy Madeline" performed by singer Frankie Laine with lyrics by Robert Scherman.

Three Blazers' biggest hit came in 1945 with "Drifting Blues", a slow blues song featuring Charles Brown's smooth, soulful vocals and piano. Reaching #2 on the Billboard R&B charts in 1946, it was one of the biggest blues hits of the 1940s. The Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have also acknowledged its influence and lasting popularity. "Drifting Blues" was also recorded by British guitarist Eric Clapton on his 1975 LP E. C. Was Here.

In the 1940s, Three Blazers also made a few recordings on Leon René's Exclusive Records.

On September 7, 1947, Three Blazers performed at the third Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, California, which was produced by Leon Hefflin, Sr. Many celebrated musicians of the time performed that day, including T-Bone Walker, Sarah Vaughan, Johnny Otis, Slim Gaillard, and Woody Herman.

In 1948, Three Blazers' pianist, Charles Brown, left the group for a solo career. Johnny and Eddie continued with the group with occasional appearances by Johnny's brother, Oscar Moore, and made several recordings with a variety of singers, including Lee Barnes ("Blues For What I've Never Had, 1949), Billy Valentine ("Walkin' Blues", 1949), Frankie Ervin ("Dragnet Blues", 1953 and "Johnny Ace's Last Letter", 1955), Floyd Dixon ("Telephone Blues", 1951), Mari Jones ("Nightmare Blues", 1953), Nelson "Lex" Alexander ("I Don't Know Yes I Know", 1953), and Linda Hayes ("Why Johnny Why?", 1955).

With Three Blazers, Eddie made many recordings until 1949 when he left to form his own band:

• 1945: "Blues At Sunrise" and "You Taught Me To Love" (both written by Ivory Joe Hunter)
• 1945: "Maureen", "Melancholy Madeline", and "Fugue In C Major"
• 1945: "Drifting Blues" and "Groovy"
• 1945: "End O' War Blues" and "Johnny's Boogie"
• 1945: "Axis Doom Blues" and "You Taught Me To Love"
• 1945: "Tell Me You'll Wait For Me" and "Escapade", with Oscar Moore
• 1946: "Baby, Don't You Cry" and "Blazer's Boogie"
• 1946: "C.O.D" (written by Marcel LeMayes) and "No Greater Love" (written by Isham Jones and Marty Symes)
• 1947: album Johnny Moore's Three Blazers on Exclusive Records (Ex-1002)
• 1948: "You Better Change Your Way Of Lovin'" (written by Otis Rene) and "Friendless Blues", with Oscar Moore
• 1949: "Peek A Boo" (written by Lorenzo Pack) and "Love Me Tonight"

Eddie left Three Blazers in 1949 and formed his own group named "Eddie Williams And His Brown Buddies," with drummer Ellis Walsh, pianist/singer Floyd Dixon, and guitarist Mitchell "Tiny" Webb. In March 1950, the group appeared at the big Easter Promenade Show sponsored by the Los Angeles Sentinel, a free-to-the-public celebration of the Black Community in the greater Los Angeles area. In May of 1950, pianist Floyd Dixon left for a solo career and was replaced by Lester Myrat. Tiny Webb also left around that time and was replaced by another guitarist named Edgar Rice. In September 1950, Claude Maxwell replaced Lester Myrat as the group's vocalist.

Eddie's short-lived band made a few recordings until 1951:

• 1949: "Saturday Night Fish Fry"
• 1949: "Houston Jump", "Blues In Cuba", "You Need Me Now" (Supreme Records)
• 1949: "Red Head 'N' Cadillac", and "Broken Hearted" (Supreme Records)
• 1950: "Blues For Cuba" and "Meandering" (Discovery Records)
• 1950: "Unfaithful Woman" and "Right Now" (Selective Records) — with piano and vocals by Lester Myrat
• 1951: "Worries" and "You Need Me Now" (Supreme Records)

Two of Buddies' songs stand out:

1. "Broken Hearted", which was written by Mark Hurley and John Hogg (the cousin of Smokey Hogg), reached #2 on the R&B charts.
2. "Saturday Night Fish Fry" gained recognition when it was recorded by Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five with members Aaron Izenhall, Bob Mitchell, and Hal Mitchell (trumpet); Josh Jackson (tenor saxophone); Bill Doggett (piano); James "Ham" Jackson (electric guitar); Billy Hadnott (bass); and Joe Morris (drums).

In March 1951, Swing Time Records bought some masters of the Buddies' recordings for Supreme Records and re-released "Houston Jump" and "Broken Hearted" on #261. In April, they re-released "You Need Me Now" and "Worries" on #287.

In late 1951, "Eddie Williams And His Brown Buddies" was folded. Eddie then worked with Floyd Dixon's band for a year alongside guitarist Roy Hayes and drummer Monk McFay. In June 1952, Dixon's group released "Call Operator 210" and "Wine, Wine, Wine" (with tenor saxophone of Maxwell Davis) on Aladdin Records. The same year, they released "Tired, Broke, And Busted", "The River" (written by Que Martin), "Red Cherries", and "Come Back Baby" (Aladdin Records).

Not much is known about Eddie Williams' music life after his 1952 recordings.

Video: Saturday Night Fish Fry (1949)

Williams died in Los Angeles, California, on February 18, 1995, at age 82.