One might think the boy from Baytown, Texas would be C&W, but Johnny Williams loves all kinds of music: traditional country, jazz, blues, and you can hear them all in songs he writes. Williams says all genres have its own soul and if it's soulful, he feels it.

"There's no way I can explain it," he says. "I was not from a musical family. We didn't sing in the church choir. Very few in my hometown even had a guitar, much less a band." Yet, Johnny Williams grew up to be the king of the Houston pre-disco dance clubs before DJs killed live club music and he topped the local and regional charts with a recording of "Long Black Veil.”

His first influences were Glenn Miller and Hank Williams Sr., but Williams grew up in the era when rock and roll was invented; black artists like Lloyd Price, The Spiders, Johnny Ace were getting airplay. He was there when the world heard of Elvis and the Beatles. "While most of the kids grew up listening to The Beach Boys, I was listening to Jimmy Smith, B.B. King, Bobby Blue Bland, and Ray Charles, but I can get goose bumps listening to George Jones, Tony Bennett, John Coltrane or the Houston Symphony."

Johnny’s first major influence was blues singer Joe Tex. When Tex was a disc jockey at KREL he was known as Jivin’ Joe. When Jivin’ Joe Tex would visit his mother in Baytown “I heard a lot of his songs and ideas as I was growing up,” Williams remembers, “he would come by our house and entertain us by singing, playing the piano and telling jokes. He entertained all of Baytown.” Williams and Tex remained friends until Tex died at age 49. In tribute, Williams has recorded two of Tex’s songs with plans to do more.

He might have dreamed about music, but never did much about it until college since being captain of the high school basketball team was his passion. "I only sang one time in public, in junior high; my sister played the piano. I sang, ‘I'm Yours’ and won first place. I never sang in public again until college." Williams went to North Texas State to play basketball, but couldn’t shake his infatuation with music. He got together with his athletic-fraternity brother, Johnny Nutting. Nutting played lead guitar while Williams played rhythm guitar. “Nutting did most of the singing and taught me the song ‘Long Black Veil,’ [an old song originally recorded by Lefty Frizzle]. We used to sing and play for all the beer we could drink. Nutting was definitely the star of the show. I was just learning to play and sing,” Williams remembers fondly.

Three years later, switching to the University of Texas, Williams hung around with childhood friend Joe Tex who by then was gaining popularity in the Austin music scene. "Before he made it big, we played a lot of small towns in the Austin area. He didn't really need me in his band but I would go with him and play what little guitar I knew. When he wasn't performing we would spend hours together at his motel listening to music, hanging out and just having fun. He would stay in Austin 2 or 3 weeks; leave; return 6 months later and we'd do it again. My first trip to Nashville was because of Joe. I learned a great deal from him."

While In Austin, Williams met another huge influence, H.L. Hubbard, who lead a band called The Jets at a club on 12th Street called Charlie's Playhouse. "He introduced me to jazz and the Hammond B3, (which, along with the piano, is still Williams' favorite instrument). I'd wait until he got off around midnight and go eat barbecue and then listen to music, or he'd teach me guitar until the sun came up." H.L. and Johnny are still great friends, and talk on the phone or visit on a regular basis.

Williams spent so much time on music he didn't get to class. In despair, his mother sent him to a UT guidance counselor to "get him on track." The recommendation: he wasn't ready for college. He should get out there and play music as a profession.

Williams dropped out and joined the Air Force. Once again music was important in his life: his sergeant in basic training wanted to learn guitar. “Think of the perks!,” said Williams, "he would sneak me off base, bring civilian clothes and take me to the clubs to sing."

Mickey Newbury, a famous songwriter, and Williams also used to hang out in clubs the late 60's. There were times when Newbury used Williams as a sounding board for some of the songs he wrote. It was around this time that Williams signed with Epic records. His producer while at Epic was a keyboard player for Johnny Cash named Larry Butler. Butler would eventually produce Kenny Rogers to stardom with “Lucille.” One of Williams’ singles released by Epic was, "He'll Break Your Heart." This record almost put Williams on top. Epic records thought this record was going to be a hit for Williams in country and pop, and it was when the song was later recorded by Tony Orlando and became a national hit.

After his discharge from the Air Force, Williams returned to Baytown. One night a friend took him to the most popular club in Houston, Dome Shadows. When the bandleader called Williams up to sing a few songs, neither knew it happened to be the last night for the featured vocalist. The band offered him the job and he took it. Little did he know the band had a recording contract. And that’s how at 23 he recorded "Long Black Veil" as a backside record. The all-night DJ at KILT started playing it and it quickly became a runaway local #1 hit.

Leaving the Dome Shadows, Williams went to work with Mickey Gilley at the Nesadel in Pasadena, Texas (before the days of Gilley’s Club). Gilley would sing the first 30 minutes of a set with his band. As featured singer Williams would follow with 15 minutes, backed up by Gilley. When Williams left the Nesadel, Johnny Lee took his place. “If I had stayed with Gilley I might have been in Urban Cowboy and recorded a song for the album,” Williams says. “Come to think of it, Johnny Lee never did thank me for giving up my job at the Nesadel,” Williams says with a grin. Williams always welcomed Lee coming by and sitting in with him and his band around Houston.

Williams formed his own band immediately after leaving Gilley. Williams pioneered the local Houston dinner club scene by having one of the first bands in town doing dance music with horns and a "mellotron" which sounded like real strings. Williams turned old fogies' supper clubs into vibrant after-dinner dance clubs. The Royal Coach Inn had lines out the door and down the street to see Williams and his band. Then it was the Rubaiyat, Spiro's, and other upper class clubs throughout the region. "The Rubaiyat was famous all over Texas,” says Williams. “Working and singing at the Rubaiyat was the most fun I ever had."

Disco fever and recordings changed the club scene forever in 1978.

Urban Cowboy became the rage in 1980. Williams performed at the Fool's Gold club where George Strait got his start while singing on Willams' nights off. Eventually Williams moved on to Gilley's Honky Tonk in Pasadena for another four-year stint. Williams went on the road with Gilley and says he's grateful he got to see the entertainment world from that perspective, but didn't really enjoy the road. He went back to Gilley's as a featured vocalist and the leader of the house band until he left Gilley's in 1987.

After leaving Gilley's, he did some solo work, but eventually quit singing in night clubs, got married and went into business. He stayed out of the music business for 12 years, but music has inevitably drawn him again. Now Williams says his music is his hobby, “Some people play golf or fish. I write songs, record music and do a lot of reading. I hope to keep on singing and writing for a long time. I've been extremely fortunate to work with the best musicians and engineers in the recording industry and it sure has been a lot of fun! If it’s true that it is a far greater thing to travel than to arrive, it’s been a great ride.”