– Billy Williams guests on The Howard Miller Show – CBS Radio – June 17, 1957 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
Billy Williams – probably not a name that rings bells these days – but if you were around in the 1950s, or even earlier in the 1940s when he was one of the founding members of The Charioteers, the groundbreaking Gospel-turned-pop group that broke color lines in radio, Billy Williams would be instantly recognizable. His clear tenor voice and his impeccable singing style made him a household name and put The Charioteers on the top of the pop charts for a number of years.
But like everything, The Charioteers was not destined to go the distance and Billy Williams left the group in order to pursue a solo career. After stints at several labels where his choice of music was pretty dismal at best, he finally landed at the Decca subsidiary label Coral and hit paydirt with one of the biggest hits of 1957, and has gone on to become one of the most recognizable Pop hits of the 1950s. His rendition of “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter” was a brisk and breezy tune, originally made famous by Fats Waller in the 1930s. But this latest incarnation featured what eventually became an iconic twist, or gimmick that made the song totally memorable – sprinkled throughout the song, during the instrumental breaks, Williams piped in, shouting “Oh Yeah” – and it was to become his trademark – it also sold over a million records and became one of the biggest hits of 1957.
Promoting the disc (which had just been released only weeks earlier), Billy Williams appeared on the CBS Radio Network via Howard Miller and his show which originated in Chicago. Howard Miller’s show was interesting in that his guests ran the gamut and his music choices might be considered “cutting edge” at the time (Network radio was getting its feet wet with Rock n’ Roll and Rhythm n’ Blues). Together it made for a good combination and Billy Williams is a natural.
So you may not be familiar with the name, but I have a sneaking suspicion that once you hit the play button, the song will be recognizable.
Whether it is or not, it’s still what Pop Music was all about in America at the dawn of Rock n’ Roll.
