Gary Williams (February 8, 1938 – November 23, 2018) was a rockabilly and country singer and songwriter known as the “Travelling Blues Boy.”
Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, Williams was inspired early on by his old 78 rpm records of America’s “Blue Yodeler,” Jimmie Rodgers. In 1949, at age 11, Williams received a guitar for Christmas and by ’53 he was performing live on KXOI, the town’s first television station. The Union Oil Co. began sponsoring his radio show on KSPO the following year. Soon he was also appearing on the local cowboy TV show, Saddle Up With Slim.
Later in ’54 Williams decided to attend the second annual Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Celebration in Meridian, Mississippi. Travelin’ cross-country to the event, Williams was arrested for hitchhiking near Colorado Springs. When the UPI newswire ran a photo of him perched up on the local police chief’s desk strumming his guitar, it made a big splash in the nation’s morning papers. In the end, the lawmen chipped in and bought the kid a bus ticket to complete his journey southward. When he arrived in Meridian, Williams was welcomed as a hero and he performed at the event, as did a pre-fame Elvis Presley.
Williams was back in Spokane working several network radio shows when in mid-’55 he was signed to Town hall Party – the west coast’s top country music TV program. He moved to Los Angeles and appeared for several years along with the likes of: Tex Ritter, Lefty Frizzell, the Collins Kids, Johnny Bond, Wanda Jackson, Carl Perkins, and Seattle’s own country star, Bonnie Guitar. Then in ’56 he went to Nashville and guested a few times on Webb Pierce’s ABC-TV show. Williams also performed on the Louisiana Hayride and Red Foley’s Ozark Mountain Jubilee. He returned to Town Hall Party and during the same season sang a few rock ‘n’ roll songs on Screen Gem’s daily TV show, Ranch Party.
Contacted by the big-time showbiz combine, MGM-Verve, Williams participated in his first professional recording sessions. His 1957 hillbilly bopper of a single, “Travelin’ Blues Boy” / “I’m Gonna Return” featured the stellar electric guitar-work of Merle Travis and the backing of additional Hollywood session heavies. The Teen Time album, which also featured a couple additional talents (Rock Murphy and Jeff Allen), gave all of these young musicians a fairly prominent career boost, and is likely why Williams'"Travelin' Blues Boy" is best remembered today, and was even reissued in England on the MGM Rockabilly Vol. 2 LP.
The Fall of ’57 saw Williams forming a band that toured the western states, and by ’59 he was a regular on many a Grand Ole Opry concert tour. Road-weary and longing a bit for home; Williams accepted an offer in May 1960 to spin discs at Spokane’s new country station, KPEG. Later that year he recorded his classic eponymous LP for the local Manito label, a disc that included his rockabilly twanger, “Walla Walla State Prison.”
Between 1961 and ’65 Williams cut numerous records and performed all over the region with his band, the Travelin’ Blues Boys. While gigging in Alaska in ’63 Williams penned a song which was released as a single by Seattle’s Panorama Records in August ’64. “Alaska” became a solid radio hit, charting at numerous stations, and attaining the #1 slot on several including Seattle’s country giant, KAYO.
This brief essay can’t begin to detail all of Williams recordings, or his many wild escapades. But it is a fact that he has recorded over 600 songs for at least 14 different labels, and his tunes have been covered by stars including Webb Pierce, Freddy Hart, and Spokane’s own Bobby Wayne. Williams also produced, wrote, or played guitar on recordings by Little Aldene, Cliff Carl, and Charlie Peltier – and Folk Variety Records has issued several LPs worth of his band’s best recordings.
In 1965 Williams became a born again Christian and his last 23 albums released only contained songs of faith, country hymns, and old-time nostalgia tunes. Williams continued touring and performing mainly for church groups. He died 23 November 2018. It’s a shame that he couldn’t step out of the shadows of his better known contemporaries as Gary Williams should have been among the legendary artists of his time.
(Edited from article by PeterBlecha @ Northwest Music Archives)(* death details from keysandchords.com)