Spencer Williams
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spencer Williams (October 14, 1889 – July 14, 1965) was an American jazz and popular music composer, pianist, and singer. His hit songs include "Basin Street Blues", "I Ain't Got Nobody", "Royal Garden Blues", "Mahogany Hall Stomp", "I Found A New Baby", "Everybody Loves My Baby", "Squeeze Me", "Shimmy-Sha-Wobble", "Boodle Am Shake", "Tishomingo Blues", "Fireworks", "I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None of My Jelly Roll", "Careless Love", "Arkansas Blues", "Paradise Blues", "When Lights Are Low", "Dallas Blues", and "My Man o’ War".
[edit] Biography
Williams was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He usually gave the dates as October 14, 1889, although he may have been older. Williams was reserved or contradictory in talking about his early life, perhaps because he grew up with underworld ties in the Storyville District.
Williams was performing in Chicago by 1907, and moved to New York City about 1916. After arriving in New York, he co-wrote several songs with Anton Lada of the Louisiana Five. Among those songs was "Arkansas Blues" which would become one of his most popular songs and is still recorded by musicians to this day.
Williams toured Europe with bands from 1925 to 1928; during this time he wrote for Josephine Baker at the Folies Bergères in Paris. Williams then returned to New York for a few years. In 1932, he moved to Europe for good, spending many years in London before moving to Stockholm in 1951 where he spent most of the rest of his life. Williams returned to New York shortly before his death in Flushing, New York on July 14, 1965.
Williams was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 1970.
