With his honey-sweet vocals, soul singer/songwriter JOHN
GARY WILLIAMS rose to fame as the lead voice of inimitable Stax group, The Mad
Lads (“Don’t Have to Shop Around,” “I Want Someone”). At the height of the
band’s success, however, Williams was drafted into the military to serve in the
Vietnam War and when he returned home his newly discovered political
consciousness led him down a different path altogether. His powerful 1973 solo
effort, John Gary Williams, which would also be his last recording for the Stax
label, presents both sides of a man who proved to be much more than just
another soul singer, one who delivered a message that still resonates
today.
This oft-overlooked gem from the waning days of the Stax
Empire is being reissued Friday, April 28 by Stax Records, marking the first
time the record will be in print on vinyl since its original 1973 release. The
180-gram LP--cut at Ardent Studios on the original Stax lathe and pressed in
Williams’ hometown at Memphis Record Pressing--features brand new liner notes
by author, journalist and filmmaker John Hubbell and comes housed in a
faithfully reproduced replica old-school style tip-on jacket.
This first and only solo recording was produced almost
entirely by the artist with help from notable members of Isaac Hayes’ Movement
and features several original titles by Williams, including the under-the-radar
smash political-groover, “The Whole Damn World is Going Crazy.”
The album is rounded out with tried and true covers of the
likes of the Four Tops and The Spinners, and retains a world-weary, but
ultimately hopeful spirit.
Tracklist for John Gary Williams:
A1. I See Hope
A2. I'm So Glad Fools Can Fall In Love
A3. Honey
A4. Loving You (It Ain't Easy)
B1. Ask The Lonely
B2. How Could I Let You Get Away
B3. Open Your Heart (And Let Love Come In
B4.The Whole Damn World Is Going Crazy
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