Audrey Williams born 28 February 1923

Audrey Mae Sheppard Williams (February 28, 1923 – November 4, 1975) was an American musician known for being the first wife of country music singer and songwriter Hank Williams, the mother of Hank Williams Jr., and the grandmother of Hank Williams III and Holly Williams. 

Audrey Sheppard was born in Banks, Alabama to Artie Mae (née Harden) and Charles "Shelton" Sheppard. She grew up on a farm owned and worked by her parents. Sheppard married her first husband, James Erskine Guy, when she was a high-school senior. On August 13, 1941, their daughter Lycrecia was born. Sheppard and Guy separated soon after. 

Sheppard met Hank Williams in Andalusia in 1943. Despite the objections of Hank's mother and bandmates, Sheppard was added to the band as an occasional singer and upright bass player. In December 1944, the two were married 10 days after the finalization of Sheppard's divorce from Guy. The ceremony was performed by a justice of the peace at the officiant's gas station in Andalusia, Alabama. 

Soon after their wedding, Williams took over as her husband's unofficial manager, a position previously held by his mother, Lillie Williams. The couple visited Nashville with the intent of meeting songwriter and music publisher Fred Rose of Acuff-Rose Publishing. The meeting resulted in Hank Williams recording two singles for Sterling Records: “Never Again” in December 1946 and “Honky Tonkin’” in February 1947. Both proved successful and a contract was signed with MGM Records in 1947, with Fred Rose becoming the singer's official manager and record producer. 

Hank & Audrey with The Drifting Cowboys

Williams, however, began to push for her own spot in the limelight. Country-music biographer Colin Escott wrote "Her duets with Hank were like an extension of their married life in that she fought him for dominance on every note." Having recorded several duets with her husband, Audrey was featured on the recordings of "Lost on the River", "I Heard My Mother Praying for Me", "Dear Brother", "Jesus Remembered Me", "The Pale Horse and His Rider", "Jesus Died for Me", "Help Me Understand", "Something Got a Hold of Me", "I Want to Live and Love", and "Where the Soul of Man Never Dies". 

                                   

In early 1948, tension grew in the Williams marriage when Hank started to again abuse alcohol, a problem he brought with him to their marriage from the beginning. Williams left her husband: she gave him the choice of alcohol or her. They eventually reunited. On May 26, 1949, Williams gave birth to the couple's only child, Randall Hank Williams, in Shreveport, Louisiana. When her husband expressed a desire to adopt Lycrecia, Williams refused, fearing that he would take her if they divorced. 

On December 31, 1951, after allegations of mutual infidelities and the resumption of her husband's health problems, Williams called from a hotel and told Hank to be out of their Tennessee house by the time she returned. Replying to her with a seemingly prophetic statement, Hank Williams stated, "Audrey, I won't live another year without you." In June 1952, the couple divorced. She was awarded the house, their son, and half of her ex-husband's future royalties on the condition that she never remarry. 

Following Hank Williams' death, Audrey Williams worked within the country music community as a music publisher and booking agent. "Through the 1950s and '60s," one writer noted, "Audrey was a powerful force in the traditionally all-male Country Music business with her own record label, publishing and film production companies, talent search, and touring all-star show." She pursued an unsuccessful solo career on Decca and MGM during the 1950s, and later formed the vocal group called the Cold Cold Hearts to back her in one more comeback attempt. Williams was hampered, however, by her reputation for her "out-of-control emotions and substance abuse," noted Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann in Finding Her Voice: The Saga of Women in Country Music. Few promoters were willing to take a chance on Williams, and when the Cold Cold Hearts broke up in 1970, she also left the music business. 

Audrey in 1974

Williams' later years (1970-1975) were highlighted by substance abuse, a suicide attempt, and financial problems. Although she had attempted to direct the career of Hank Williams, Jr., the two became estranged after he turned 18. She was arrested for drunk driving and also gathered media attention when she held a Hank Williams garage sale. It was by the mid-'70s that her finances were in disarray and she owed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) taxes. The day before the IRS arrived to repossess her home in Nashville, Tennessee, however, Williams died in bed due to heart failure on November 4, 1975. She was only 52.

(Edited from Wikipedia & AllMusic)

 

Jesse Powell born 27 February 1924

Jesse Powell (February 27, 1924 - October 19, 1982) was an American jazz and jump rhythm & blues tenor saxophonist and was one of countless practitioners from Texas who became widely known for their full rich sound. 

Jesse “Tex” Powell was born in Smithville, Bastrop County, Texas. He came from a musical family: his father played trumpet and his mother, the piano. He majored in music at Hampton University. When he registered for the draft in Fort Worth in 1942, he was working for the Armour Meat Packing Co. 

He turned professional with the Hot Lips Page Band, staying for a year before joining Louis Armstrong in 1943 and then moving to the Luis Russell Orchestra a year later. In 1946 he replaced Illinois Jacquet in the Count Basie band. He then formed his own band and played on several blues sessions for Champion Jack Dupree, Willie Jordan, Doc Pomus and Brownie McGhee. 

 In 1948 he went out on his own but despite the tenor’s popularity as the primary rock instrument that year he was thwarted by the recording ban that wiped out nearly twelve months of studio dates, so he toured France with Howard McGee and The Jazz All Stars. In 1949 he went back to being part of a larger ensemble, this time playing bop with Dizzy Gillespie. 

Fluffy Hunter

He moved to New York in 1950 and in addition to his jazz playing he found himself in demand for session work for blues and rock sides for a variety of small independent labels. In late 1951 he played briefly with Loumell Morgan, a jive group pianist who had been one of the more popular club and radio acts for a decade, and who at the time was working with female vocalist Fluffy Hunter. The act caught the attention of Federal Records who saw in Powell and Hunter the kind of music that would appeal to rock listeners and signed them both. Powell led a makeshift band which included the rhythm section of Morgan’s group and Hunter sang on the records put out under Powell’s name with Hunter as the vocalist. 

                                     

He got two singles of his own on the Federal label in late 1953 and early 1954 before joining Jubilee and Josie Records as their in house bandleader where he really came into his own backing vocal groups like The Cadillacs while also getting another opportunity to release some records of his own. In 1959 Jubilee Records issued his first album “Blow Man Blow.” He was one of the more frequent tenor horns hired for session duty for Atlantic Records, playing on many of their late 1950’s and early 1960’s classic sides and can be heard on recordings by the Clovers, the Drifters (“Fools Fall In Love”), Bobby Darin (“Splish Splash”) Solomon Burke (”Cry To Me”),  and The Bobbettes (Mr. Lee) among others. 

Jesse Powell with the Cadillacs

After leaving Josie / Jubilee, Jesse recorded a single for the Fling label in 1960 (“Kingfish Rock”/“Let’s Talk It Over Baby”) before he signed with Tru-Sound in 1961, a subsidiary of the Prestige label. Dave Penny describes Powell’s 1961 LP “It’s Party Time” as “tremendous” and the album "that assured his place in music history”. Powell later cut one more album with his quintet “A Taste Of Honey” for Kapp in 1962. In his later years, he worked in Harlem and made only a few recordings, resurfacing briefly nearly ten years later in 1971 on guitarist Billy Butler’s “Nightlife” album. 

But music increasingly took a back seat and Jesse died far too young on October 19, 1982 at the age of  58 in New York City, New York. Though never a star, Jesse Powell was a key contributor to rock of the 1950’s and if few people knew his name then, they definitely knew his sound. 

Jesse Powell has been neglected by the reissue companies. The pick of the Josie / Jubilee tracks was released on three Various artists CDs on the British Sequel label in the 1990s, now hard to find. His 1953 Federal session was included on the Westside CD “Groove Station” in 1999. An 11-track mp3 collection with Federal and Josie recordings was released in 2014 by Vintage Music Association under the title “Hot Box”.

(Edited from Spontaneous Lunacy, AllMusic. This Is My Story, Uncle Marvy & Discogs)

Paul Cotton born 26 February 1943

Norman Paul Cotton (February 26, 1943 – July 31, 2021) was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter. He was a member of the band Poco and the writer of their international hit song "Heart of the Night". Before that, he was co-guitarist for the Illinois Speed Press. 

Cotton was born in Fort Rucker, Alabama. His father, Norman, owned a line of grocery stores. His mother, Edna, kept the books for the family business. Young Norm, as he was known as the time, began playing guitar at 13 years old, and became involved in his first band a year later. When he was 16, the Cottons moved to Chicago, where he attended Thornton Township High School. He toured with various bands in the late 50s, and well into the 60's, including; the Capitols, Mus-twangs(1961) , Starfires (1962)  Gentrys (1965)  and Rovin' Kind (1966) that released several singles and appeared on “American Bandstand.” 

In 1968, after seeing them perform at a club in Chicago, the producer James William Guercio, best known for his work with the jazz-rock band Chicago, signed the group to Epic Records. Mr. Guercio advised them to change their name and relocate to Los Angeles, where they renamed themselves Illinois Speed Press.  Cotton began billing himself as Paul rather than Norm. 

Illinois Speed Press, with Cotton and Kal David as twin lead guitarists, released a pair of roots-rock albums for Epic, to little commercial effect. Mr. Cotton was invited to join Poco in 1970, to replace Jim Messina shortly after the release of the band’s second and last album, “Duet.” Poco was formed from Buffalo Springfield Rock Legends: Jim Messina (Loggins and Messina), and Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield) when Neil Young and Steven Stills departed. Additions other than Paul Cotton  to the newly formed band included Rusty Young and drummer George Grantham from Colorado (Boenzee Cryque), and Timothy B. Schmit (Eagles). 

Most of Cotton's music career was as songwriter, lead guitarist and lead singer for the group. He said in a September 2000 interview with Sound Waves magazine, "I'm just drawn to the South. Hey, I spent 25 winters in Chicago." Cotton's best known song with Poco is "Heart of the Night", which was a major hit from the band's Legend album, released in 1978; the song is an evocation of the night life of the city of New Orleans. 

                                    

Cotton's experiences in New Orleans had been the basis for a previous composition, "Down in the Quarter", featured on the 1975 Poco album Head Over Heels’ In 1977 Cotton and Rusty Young went into the studio to record as the Cotton-Young Band. The following year ABC, the duo’s label, released the recordings, made with British musicians who had accompanied pop hitmakers like Leo Sayer and Al Stewart, but insisted on crediting the band as Poco. 

“Legend,” the album that resulted, yielded an unanticipated pair of hits, the band’s first Top 40 singles: the glittering “Crazy Love,” written and sung by Rusty Young, which reached No. 1 on the adult contemporary chart, and the similarly burnished “Heart of the Night,” written and sung by Paul Cotton. The album was certified platinum for sales of one million copies. 

Rooted more in rock and soul than in the country and bluegrass that had hitherto been the group’s primary influences, Cotton’s sinewy, blues-inflected guitar work and brooding baritone vocals on songs like the ballad “Bad Weather” greatly expanded Poco’s emotional and stylistic palette. He also penned such Poco classics as "Barbados", "Indian Summer", and "Ride The Country". He briefly left the band in 1987, before returning in 1992. 

Illinois Speed Press

Cotton moved to Key West, Florida, in 2005, shortly after Hurricane Wilma struck the area. He was actively involved in the Key West community performing at various benefit shows. He met his future wife there, and went fishing, sailing and sunning when not working on his music. In 2009, he organized the Illinois Speed Press' very successful reunion', where he and former partner Kal David rocked the deep blue sea on a Caribbean Reunion Cruise. He continued to play and tour in his latter days fronting the Paul Cotton Band on annual Cruises with private concerts and personal meet and greet gatherings during 2015. Paul moved to Oregon in 2017 for family reasons. 

Cotton died at his summer home near Eugene, Oregon on July 31, 2021, at the age of 78. 

(Edited from Wikipedia, New York Times and PocoPaulCotton.com) 

 

René Thomas born 25 February 1926

René Thomas (25 February 1926 – 3 January 1975) was considered the best European jazz guitarist of his generation by fellow musicians and critics. 

Born in 1926, René Thomas learned the guitar at the age of 10 thanks to his sister's partner, an Italian amateur guitarist. He began to perform on stage around the age of thirteen in orchestras in the Liège region. In 1943, in Brussels, René played and recorded with the "ball" orchestra of accordionist Hubert Simplisse. At the time, his style was very much influenced by that of Django Reinhardt (the latter, during a tour, dedicated a photo "To the future Belgian Django") to him. 

After the war, he began to play with the rising stars of Belgian jazz, including saxophonists Jacques Pelzer and especially Bobby Jaspar. In the early 1950s, René Thomas began to take an interest in bebop but also in cool jazz and the music of Lennie Tristano. When his father died in 1952, René Thomas inherited the family burlap bag factory, but he preferred to embark on a real career as a professional musician. To do this, he moved to Paris where he performed extensively in clubs. He met Jimmy Gourley who introduced him to the music of guitarist Jimmy Raney. Thomas was inspired by Raney's style and that of Reinhardt and forged a very personal style of his own. Between 1954 and 1956, René Thomas, who was beginning to be recognized by his peers, recorded several records under his own name or as a sideman for Vogue and for Barclay. 

In the meantime, his sister Juliette moved to Montreal, Quebec, and Bobby Jaspar left for New York. In April 1956, René Thomas moved to Montreal with his family and his friend, drummer José Bourguignon. Thomas stayed in Montreal for 5 years, where he was a key member of the Montreal jazz community, which was very lively at the time. He often traveled from Montreal to New York, working with American stars. He could be heard with established musicians such as Jackie McLean, Sonny Rollins or future stars such as Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. He was reunited with his former accomplice Bobby Jaspar for the recording of an album by pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi. In 1960, he recorded, under his own name, the remarkable album "Guitar Groove" with J. R. Monterose on saxophone.

                                   

     René Thomas (g); Benoît Quersin (b); José Bourguignon               (d) Recorded June 30, 1961, Comblain-La-Tour, Belgium            

In 1961, he returned to Belgium with his family and Burgundian. René Thomas and Bobby Jaspar formed the brilliant but short-lived "International Jazz Quintet". In 1962, the two accomplices were back in Italy, recording for RCA an album by Chet Baker ("Chet Is back") and a film score composed by John Lewis ("Una Storia Milanese") by Eriprando Visconti. 

During 1962, Bobby Jaspar had serious health problems and Thomas performed with a new formation with Jacques Pelzer on saxophone. Organist Lou Bennett suggested that René Thomas put together a trio with Kenny Clarke on drums. This "organ combo" became one of the flagship formations of Parisian clubs. At the Antibes festival, René Thomas performed as an accompanist for the organist Jimmy Smith. In 1963, René Thomas was intensely active. He recorded as a sideman with musicians such as Lou Bennett, Sonny Criss, Jacques Pelzer and Ingfried Hoffmann. He recorded under his name, for Barclay, the superb album "Meeting Mister Thomas". 

During the next two years, his collaboration with Lou Bennett was particularly prolific, but he still performed with his own band or in other formations. In 1965, for example, he was briefly part of Lee Konitz's team. In 1966, René Thomas, despite being acclaimed by the critics, withdrew from the music scene for a time. A rather dark period began, during which the guitarist, depressed, remained at home most of the time. 

In 1968, a producer made him make a comeback with a band made up of little-known musicians. He recorded with Eddy Louiss and Kenny Clarke, among others. In 1969, he could be heard with Vince Benedetti, then J. R. Monterose. He recorded as a sideman for Lucky Thompson ("A Lucky Songbook In Europe"). The same year, René Thomas performed in a trio which, for almost two years, was a real success: on the Hammond organ, Eddy Louiss; on drums, Kenny Clarke, then Bernard Lubat. In late 1970, Stan Getz hired the band to accompany him for concerts in Europe. It was with this group that Getz recorded, for Verve, in March 1971, the remarkable double album "Dynasty". 

Thomas with Sonny Rollings

In 1972, René Thomas played with Pelzer. They form the TPL (Thomas-Pelzer Limited). The music is also inspired by modal jazz. In 1974, René Thomas played again in a trio with Eddy Louiss and Bernard Lubat, then in a group set up with the pianist Raymond Le Sénéchal. He also played with Lou Bennett and drummer Al Jones. At the end of 1974, the three musicians went on tour in Spain. It was there, on January 3, 1975, that René Thomas died of a heart attack. He is buried in the Robermont Cemetery in Liège. (Edited from Wikipedia) 

Here’s a video clip of  “I Remember Sonny” with Bobby Jaspar: flute,  René Thomas: guitar, Amedeo Tommasi: piano, Benoît Quersin: bass and Daniel Humair: drums. Bruxelles 1962

Carl Weathersby born 24 February 1953

Carlton Weathersby (February 24, 1953 – August 9, 2024) was an American electric blues vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. He worked with Albert King and Billy Branch, among others, and had a career as a solo artist. He was nominated for the W. C. Handy Award for Best New Blues Artist in 1997. 

Weathersby was born in Jackson, Mississippi. He spent his early years in Meadville, Mississippi and when he was eight, his family moved to East Chicago, Indiana. As a teenager, Weathersby began to learn to play the guitar. One day, after practicing "Cross Cut Saw" many times through, he decided to show his father. After he finished playing it, his father's friend, a man Weathersby knew as Albert, the diesel mechanic, said, "Man, that ain't the way that song goes, that ain't the way I played it." The mechanic turned out to be Albert King, who then showed Weathersby how to play it. Despite Weathersby's mistake, King was impressed and eventually hired Weathersby to play rhythm guitar with him on tour. 

However, his career as musician started many years later. Before then, Weathersby worked many jobs, ranging from steel mill worker to prison guard to police officer. He also served in the U.S. Army from 1971 to 1977, during the Vietnam War after which he began playing rhythm guitar with Albert King on short road trips from 1979 to 1981, but the experience solidified Weathersby's identity as a blues musician. For the next 15 years, Carl worked as the bandleader and songwriter for a number of different Chicago based blues bands, most notably Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues. 

His position as guitarist for the Sons of Blues earned him a name among the blues fans of Chicago, it also left him feeling discontented.  In 1995, Carl met Independent producer John Snyder, and they agreed to work together on Carl's first solo recording. Carl decided to break out on his own, and it was the best decision he ever made. The timing was perfect. Because of his growing popularity, Evidence Records released Weathersby's first album, Don't Lay Your Blues on Me, in 1996, which earned Carl a W.C. Handy Award nomination for “Best New Blues Artist”. Carl also received three Living Blues Magazine Critics' Award nominations for his composition "The Blues Follow Me Around."

                                    

With his second CD, “Looking Out My Window”, Carl's national reputation as a solo recording artist and talented songwriter grew. His six original songs along with his covers like John Hiatt's "Feel Like Rain" and Paul De Lay's "Merry Way" reveal a contemporary, original progressive bluesman. “Restless Feeling”, Carl's third CD, illustrated Carl’s own sound and consolidated those earlier successes, capturing the essence of Carl's talents as player, singer, writer, and interpreter, firmly establishing him in the top echelon of blues musicians.

Carl's range as a musician can be heard through his fierce string busting solos and his heartfelt, passionate vocals. This outstanding third solo effort garnered three W.C. Handy Award nominations for Carl from the Blues Foundation (The Grammy's of the Blues). The categories included “Best Blues Instrumentalist-Guitar”, “Blues Artist Most Deserving Wider Recognition”, and “Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year” where he shared company in the nomination category with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Keb Mo. 

Carl's 4th CD “Come To Papa” shows all listeners who Carl really is. This CD also was nominated for two W.C. Handy Awards. This fourth release was at the top of the blues charts in Japan and was #1 in February 2001. In total he put out nine albums between 1996 and 2019 played on more than 33 albums, a mixture of live and studio recordings between his solo career and with groups such as the Sons of Blues and the Chicago-based blues band Mississippi Heat. He was also a regular in the lineup of the Chicago Blues Festival and was inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame in October 2017. 

His live album, In the House, (2004) was recorded at the Lucerne Blues Festival in Switzerland, when he was joined by the harmonica player and past band mate Billy Branch. In The House was released under the Cross Cut record label. Weathersby has since self produced the album, Hold On (2005). His final release, 2019’s “Live at Rosa’s Lounge,” was recorded at the Logan Square venue, where he returned for another performance in 2021. A few years prior, he had a recurring stint at Kingston Mines in Lincoln Park. 

He performed as the headline artist twice a week at the Kingston Mines in Chicago, Illinois. In his later years, Mr. Weathersby struggled with the effects of diabetes, and a GoFundMe for his medical costs raised more than $16,000 in 2019. He died on August 9, 2024, at the age of 71. 

(Edited from Wikipedia & Chicago Sun Times)

Thom Bresh born 23 February 1948

Thomas Charles Bresh (February 23, 1948 – May 23, 2022), was an American country music guitarist and singer. Active from the 1970s, Bresh charted multiple singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. 

Bresh was born on February 23, 1948, in Hollywood, California, as the son of country singer Merle Travis. As a child, Bresh began acting in films and recording his own music. He also worked as a movie stuntman at the Corriganville Movie Ranch. 

In 1963, he was a member of the rock and roll band The Crescents featuring Chiyo when they recorded an instrumental track, "Pink Dominos". Producer Kim Foley issued this as a 45RPM single with "Breakout" on the B-side. "Pink Dominos" peaked at No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1964. He then released a solo single about D. B. Cooper which was withdrawn due to controversy over its subject matter. 

Starting in 1972, Bresh recorded for Kapp Records. His first charted single, "Home Made Love", made number six on the Hot Country Songs charts in 1976.This was included on an album of the same name for Farr Records. Due to the song's success, Bresh was nominated by the Academy of Country Music as Top New Male Vocalist that year. 

                                    

Bresh recorded two albums for ABC Records as well: Kicked Back in 1977 and Portrait a year later, both produced by Jimmy Bowen. Cash Box magazine reviewed Kicked Back favorably, saying that Bresh had "a perfectly mellow voice and vital tracks with excellent material and interpretation". Record World magazine published a positive review of Portrait, calling the album "versatile" and noting the variety of musical influences. Included on Portrait was a cover of "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)", which featured Bresh performing thirteen different impersonations. 

Bresh hosted a weekly television variety show of his own creation, Nashville Swing, was a regular on The Merv Griffin Show and Dinah!, and made a guest appearance on the TNN special A Salute to the Country Greats. As a producer, he has been employed by country legend Jerry Reed, classical guitarist Valerie DuChateau, and Merle Travis. As a videographer, Bresh has shot, produced, and edited projects for Hank Thompson, Lyle Lovett, Brooks & Dunn, George Jones, Tanya Tucker, Merle Haggard and Jerry Reed. 

In the 1990s, Thom Bresh became popular in Europe. He opened for Brenda Lee in Las Vegas and appeared on the national television shows of Rich Little, Dinah Shore, Lee Greenwood, Barbara Mandrell and Mike Douglas. In 1996, he issued his instrumental CD, Wires to the Wood. 

In the 2000s, Bresh became widely respected as a Nashville guitar instructor. He also indulged his passion for photography. Bresh was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2021. He died in Nashville on May 23, 2022, at the age of 74. 

(Edited fom Wikipedia & Music Row) 

 

Claude Williams born 22 February 1908

Claude "Fiddler" Williams (February 22, 1908 – April 25, 2004) was an American jazz violinist and guitarist who recorded and performed into his 90s. He was the first guitarist to record with Count Basie and the first musician to be inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. 

Claude Gabriel Williams was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma on February 22, 1908, the son of Lee J. Williams, a blacksmith, and Laura Williams, home maker. He was the youngest of six children. 

Talented from a young age, Williams could play multiple instruments in his brother-in-law's string band: banjo, cello, guitar, mandolin. Their early band played outside, in hotels, and at barbershops around their hometown of Muskogee, Oklahoma and on a circuit up through Oklahoma City. At the time he'd make six to seven dollars for a night of playing. He commented that at this time people would work the whole week for about five or six dollars. At a concert in Muskogee he heard Joe Venuti play, and this inspired Williams to start playing jazz violin. In 1925, Williams married his first wife, Mabel. They had one son, Mark, and remained together until her death some 60 years later. 

He went to Kansas City, Missouri in 1927 and became part of the Twelve Clouds of Joy, led by trumpeter Terrence Holder and then Andy Kirk, with Mary Lou Williams on piano. He recorded with them for Brunswick Records the following year. After leaving Kirk, he worked with Alphonso Trent (1932) played in Chicago in a band with Nat King Cole and his brother Eddie Cole and then became the first guitarist to record with Count Basie. As part of the Count Basie Orchestra, from 1936 – 1937), Claude Williams briefly enjoyed national fame. 

He was voted "Best Guitarist of The Year" in a Downbeat national reader's poll. Claude now thanks Freddie Green for replacing him on guitar in the Basie Orchestra, saying that, "if I had stayed with Count, I would have just been playing that ching-ching rhythm guitar for forty years." At this time, Claude was also considered the top violinist in Kansas City, occasionally going head to head in nightly jam sessions with visiting fiddlers like Stuff Smith as well as several horn players including Ben Webster and Lester Young. But during the following decades he worked in obscurity as a guitarist in Michigan in the 1940’s and with Roy Milton’s band in the mid 50’s.Then back to Kansas City where he spent most of his life. 

                     Here’s Fiddler’s Dream from above album

                         

In the 1950s, he played with Eddie Vinson, Hank Jones, and another musician from Muskogee, pianist Jay McShann. For the next twenty years he led his own groups but did not record. He freelanced and led bands around Kansas City through the 1960’s and did brief stints in Denver and Las Vegas before his final return home in 1969. Nearly thirty years since his last recording, he reunited with McShann in the 1970s to record McShann's album Man From Muskogee. Williams performed at Bill's Le Gourmet in Wichita, Kansas from 1972-1977. 

Claude with Stephane Grappelli

1989 was a busy year for Claude as he married Blanche Fouse, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and also performed in a tour called "Masters of the Folk Violin" and in the "Broadway Show Black and Blue." In the former, the finale featured a duet with Williams Krauss and Alison Krauss. At the time Alison was a 16-year-old  fiddler and singer. In the 1990s, Williams performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton. He was profiled on the TV program CBS News Sunday Morning and became the first person to be inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. 

In 1993, Claude was recruited by fiddler Mark O'Connor to teach at a camp outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Well into his ninth decade, Williams continued to share his infectious jump-blues style with everyone from children at the summer camp to sophisticated audiences at the world's premiere jazz festivals. In 1998, a few days after his 90th birthday, Williams performed at the White House with guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and bassist Keter Betts, providing music for tap-dancing master "Jimmy Slyde" Godbolt, with whom Williams performed in Black and Blue. 

He was a recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the highest honor in the folk and traditional arts in the United States. Williams summed up his fluency on his favored instrument in this way: "Whatever runs through my mind, I can play on the violin." His last album, Swingin' the Blues, was recorded in 2000. 

Claude Williams died of pneumonia at his home in Kansas City on Sunday, April 26, 2004. He was the last surviving jazz musician to have recorded before 1930. His memorabilia was donated to the University of Missouri, Kansas City. 

(Edited from Wikipedia, NPR Jazz profiles, Masters of Traditional Arts & New Grove Dictionary of Jazz)