Joseph G. Williams
Encyclopedia
Joseph "Joe" George Williams (b. July 1, 1920 in Warsaw, Missouri
) is best known for his songwriting work in country music
from the mid-1950s until the early-1980s.
on July 1, 1920 in Warsaw, Missouri
. His father George Earl Williams (b. 1900) was a farmer
and his mother Jenny Martha Williams (b. 1901) was a homemaker
. Williams had 1 older brother John (b. 1918) and 3 younger brothers Gregory (b. 1922), Samuel (b. 1924) and David (b. 1925).
After working on the farm most of his life Joe finished school in 1938 and right after school he went right into the Army
. In 1950 after 12 years in the Army
Joe came back home to Warsaw
and married his high school sweetheart Dolly Johnson on March 3, 1950. Then in June 1950 Joe and his wife Dolly moved to Nashville, Tennessee
to become a country music
artist
.
he started to work in the night clubs for tips and was writing songs for superstars such as Ernest Tubb
, Kitty Wells
and many others. After working in clubs and bars for 4 years he was signed to Six-Shooter Records in 1954 and released his first album titled "Joe Williams' Songs." In 1955 Joe and Dolly welcomed their first son, James and in 1957 they welcomed their second song Joe, Jr. and in 1959 they welcomed their 3rd and final son Merle.
, Conway Twitty
and Bill Anderson
just to name a few. Williams made it close to #1 on the charts but never made it but he did come close with a song called "It's Never Too Late Baby" released in 1975 by Jerry Lee Lewis
and it made it to #3 on the country charts.
-like stars such as Mickey Gilley
and Johnny Lee
. But after a few years off the charts he came back with a few Top 10 hits in the mid-1980s with stars such as Willie Nelson
and Hank Williams, Jr.
with his wife Dolly in 1990 were he is a hometown hero. In 1993 Joe bought a gas station in Warsaw
and renamed Ol' Joe's, then in 2003 Joe's oldest son James bought the gas station from his father and kept the name. In 1999 his father George Williams died at the age of 99 in Kansas City, Missouri
and on December 31, 2006 his mother Jenny Williams died at the age of 105 in Warsaw, Missouri
.
Well into his 80s Joe still did a few shows every year in his homestate of Missouri mostly at the Missouri State Fair
in Sedalia
. In 2007 at the age of 87 Joe performed for the last time at the State Fair
and ever do to his failing health and age.
In November 2007 Joe and his wife Dolly attended the funeral services for Porter Wagoner
in Nashville, TN
. Also in November of the same year Joe and his wife Dolly attended the "celebration of life" services for Hank Thompson in Ft. Worth, TX
at Billy Bob's Texas.
On May 1, 2009 Joe's contract with Eagle Records was terminated. Joe had been with Eagle Records since 1985 but hasn't released an album with Eagle or at all since 1990.
Warsaw, Missouri
Warsaw is a city located in Benton County, Missouri. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 2,070. It is the county seat of Benton County. As of 2005, its estimated population was 2,268.-State and U.S. records:...
) is best known for his songwriting work in country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
from the mid-1950s until the early-1980s.
Birth and early life
Joseph George Williams was born on a farmFarm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
on July 1, 1920 in Warsaw, Missouri
Warsaw, Missouri
Warsaw is a city located in Benton County, Missouri. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 2,070. It is the county seat of Benton County. As of 2005, its estimated population was 2,268.-State and U.S. records:...
. His father George Earl Williams (b. 1900) was a farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
and his mother Jenny Martha Williams (b. 1901) was a homemaker
Homemaker
Homemaking is a mainly American term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping or household management...
. Williams had 1 older brother John (b. 1918) and 3 younger brothers Gregory (b. 1922), Samuel (b. 1924) and David (b. 1925).
After working on the farm most of his life Joe finished school in 1938 and right after school he went right into the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. In 1950 after 12 years in the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Joe came back home to Warsaw
Warsaw, Missouri
Warsaw is a city located in Benton County, Missouri. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 2,070. It is the county seat of Benton County. As of 2005, its estimated population was 2,268.-State and U.S. records:...
and married his high school sweetheart Dolly Johnson on March 3, 1950. Then in June 1950 Joe and his wife Dolly moved to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
to become a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
.
Nashville
Once Joe moved to NashvilleNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
he started to work in the night clubs for tips and was writing songs for superstars such as Ernest Tubb
Ernest Tubb
Ernest Dale Tubb , nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" , marked the rise of the honky tonk style of music...
, Kitty Wells
Kitty Wells
Ellen Muriel Deason , known professionally as Kitty Wells, is an American country music singer. Her 1952 hit recording, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", made her the first female country singer to top the U.S. country charts, and turned her into the first female country star...
and many others. After working in clubs and bars for 4 years he was signed to Six-Shooter Records in 1954 and released his first album titled "Joe Williams' Songs." In 1955 Joe and Dolly welcomed their first son, James and in 1957 they welcomed their second song Joe, Jr. and in 1959 they welcomed their 3rd and final son Merle.
Big star writer
After many un-successful albums in 1967 he became one of Nashville's best songwriters. He had many Top 10 and Top 20 hits for artists like George JonesGeorge Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
, Conway Twitty
Conway Twitty
Conway Twitty , born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, was an American country music artist. He also had success in early rock and roll, R&B, and pop music. He held the record for the most number one singles of any act with 55 No. 1 Billboard country hits until George Strait broke the record in 2006...
and Bill Anderson
Bill Anderson (country music)
James William Anderson III , better known as Bill Anderson, is an American country music singer, songwriter and television personality. He has released more than 40 studio albums and has reached No...
just to name a few. Williams made it close to #1 on the charts but never made it but he did come close with a song called "It's Never Too Late Baby" released in 1975 by Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
and it made it to #3 on the country charts.
Still writing
After writing many Top 10 and Top 20 in the 1960s and 1970s country music changed over to more Urban CowboyUrban Cowboy
Released as a 2× vinyl record album, re-released on CD in 1995.Side A:#Hello Texas – Jimmy Buffett #All Night Long – Joe Walsh #Times Like These – Dan Fogelberg #Nine Tonight – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band...
-like stars such as Mickey Gilley
Mickey Gilley
Mickey Leroy Gilley is an American country music singer and musician. Although he started out singing straight-up country and western material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more pop-friendly sound in the 1980s, bringing him further success on not just the country charts, but the pop charts as...
and Johnny Lee
Johnny Lee
Johnny Lee is an American country music singer. His 1980 single, "Lookin' for Love" not only spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard country singles chart in the second half of 1980 but also went to the Top 5 on the Pop charts, and Top 10 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary survey...
. But after a few years off the charts he came back with a few Top 10 hits in the mid-1980s with stars such as Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
and Hank Williams, Jr.
Hank Williams, Jr.
Randall Hank Williams , better known as Hank Williams, Jr. and Bocephus, is an American country singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of Southern rock, blues, and traditional country...
Retirement and today
After 40 years in the country music business Joe retired to his family farm in WarsawWarsaw, Missouri
Warsaw is a city located in Benton County, Missouri. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 2,070. It is the county seat of Benton County. As of 2005, its estimated population was 2,268.-State and U.S. records:...
with his wife Dolly in 1990 were he is a hometown hero. In 1993 Joe bought a gas station in Warsaw
Warsaw, Missouri
Warsaw is a city located in Benton County, Missouri. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 2,070. It is the county seat of Benton County. As of 2005, its estimated population was 2,268.-State and U.S. records:...
and renamed Ol' Joe's, then in 2003 Joe's oldest son James bought the gas station from his father and kept the name. In 1999 his father George Williams died at the age of 99 in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
and on December 31, 2006 his mother Jenny Williams died at the age of 105 in Warsaw, Missouri
Warsaw, Missouri
Warsaw is a city located in Benton County, Missouri. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 2,070. It is the county seat of Benton County. As of 2005, its estimated population was 2,268.-State and U.S. records:...
.
Well into his 80s Joe still did a few shows every year in his homestate of Missouri mostly at the Missouri State Fair
Missouri State Fair
The Missouri State Fair is the state fair for Missouri which has operated since 1901 in Sedalia, Missouri. It lasts 11 days. It includes daily concerts, exhibits and competitions of animals, homemade crafts, shows, and many food/lemonade stands. Its most famous event, which has run since its...
in Sedalia
Sedalia, Missouri
Sedalia is a city located about south of the Missouri River in Pettis County, Missouri. U.S. Highway 50 and U.S. Highway 65 intersect in the city. As of 2006, the city had a total population of 20,669. It is the county seat of Pettis County. The Sedalia Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of...
. In 2007 at the age of 87 Joe performed for the last time at the State Fair
Missouri State Fair
The Missouri State Fair is the state fair for Missouri which has operated since 1901 in Sedalia, Missouri. It lasts 11 days. It includes daily concerts, exhibits and competitions of animals, homemade crafts, shows, and many food/lemonade stands. Its most famous event, which has run since its...
and ever do to his failing health and age.
In November 2007 Joe and his wife Dolly attended the funeral services for Porter Wagoner
Porter Wagoner
Porter Wayne Wagoner was a popular American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. He introduced the young Dolly Parton near the beginning of her career on his long-running television show, and they were a well-known duet throughout the late 1960s and...
in Nashville, TN
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Also in November of the same year Joe and his wife Dolly attended the "celebration of life" services for Hank Thompson in Ft. Worth, TX
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
at Billy Bob's Texas.
On May 1, 2009 Joe's contract with Eagle Records was terminated. Joe had been with Eagle Records since 1985 but hasn't released an album with Eagle or at all since 1990.
Six-Shooter Recordings: 1954 – 1974
- 1954 – Joe Williams
- 1955 – These Songs
- 1956 – From Missouri to Tennessee
- 1957 – The Road
- 1958 – Yesterday's News
- 1959 – Joe Sings Hank
- 1960 – Gospel Songs For Mama
- 1961 – My Songs
- 1963 – My Friends & Family
- 1964 – Them Old Songs I Love
- 1966 – Songs by Joe
- 1967 – Joe Williams' Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
- 1969 – Joe of 1969
- 1972 – Then & Now
- 1974 – Here I'am, Vol. 1 (best selling album)
Nashville Records: 1974 – 1984
- 1975 – Guitars and Girls
- 1976 – Maybe Next Time
- 1978 – Joe Sings Hank...Again!
- 1979 – Well Here I'am, Vol. 2
- 1980 – Just Me & My Songs
- 1982 – Songs I Wrote
- 1984 – Joe: Live
Eagle Records: 1984 – 1990
- 1985 – I Might Be Wrong This Time
- 1987 – Time and Time Again
- 1988 – Joe Williams' Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
- 1989 – Here I'am, Vol 3: The Last Time
- 1990 – That's All (final album)
External links
- Official Website (website suspended)