Joe Williams (jazz singer)

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Joe Williams
Image:Replace this image male.svg
Background information
Birth name	Joseph Goreed
Born	December 12 1918(1918-12-12)
Origin	Image:Flag of the United States.svg Cordele, Georgia, USA
Died	March 29 1999 (aged 80)
Genre(s)	Swing music Traditional pop
Occupation(s)	Singer
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Associated acts	Lionel Hampton, Count Basie

Joe Williams (December 12, 1918 – March 29, 1999) was a well-known jazz singer.

He was born Joseph Goreed in Cordele, Georgia and moved to Chicago as a child. He was raised by his mother and grandmother. He grew on the south side of Chicago, surrounded by jazz, blues, and gospel music. In the 1930s, as a teenager, he was a member of "The Jubilee Boys" and performed in Chicago churches.

He worked as a singer and bouncer in Chicago in the late 1930s and early 1940s. In 1943, he was hired by the Lionel Hampton Orchestra. He toured with Hampton for several years but never achieved breakthrough success.

He rose to national prominence as the singer for Count Basie's Orchestra in 1954. Nicknamed "The Number One Son", by Basie, he remained with Basie for several years. "Everyday I Have The Blues" is his biggest hit.

After leaving the Basie band, Williams continued to have a successful career working with his own jazz combo. He and Basie remained on good terms and he would regularly appear with the band.

Williams gained further notoriety when Bill Cosby cast him as Heathcliff Huxtable's father-in-law "Grandpa Al" Hanks in a recurring role on the hit 1980s sitcom The Cosby Show.

Williams enjoyed a successful career and worked regularly until his death. He died at age 80, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Joe Williams shares a birthday with Frank Sinatra who was also born Dec. 12, three years before Williams

Prior to his death, Williams, his wife Jillean and friends set up the not-for profit Joe Williams Every day Foundation. Its goal: to offer scholarships to talented young musicians. JWEDF continues to this day and details of it can be found at www.jwedf.org.