“Mountain City Blues”
Clarence Williams’ Orch
(OKeh 8592 mx 400819) June 23, 1928
“Lazy Mama”
Clarence Williams’ Orch
(OKeh 8592 mx 400818) June 23, 1928
From the Edward Mitchell collection, here are two enjoyable, jazzy recordings by the multi-talented Clarence Williams.
Clarence Williams was an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance music scene as a bandleader, pianist, composer, and music publisher.
Williams not only made records for OKeh, he was the label’s music director for its 8000 catalog series of so-called “race records,” of which this one is an example. OKeh was the first label to issue such records, made by black artists and marketed primarily to black record buyers. In doing so, they discovered that black audiences had buying power and would eagerly buy records that reflected their musical tastes and interests, for which there had been an enormous pent-up demand that had been ignored by the record industry. Other labels quickly followed and introduced their own catalogs of such records.
As music director for OKeh, Williams supervised recording sessions for the series and recruited its roster of various jazz, blues, and gospel artists, including Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Victoria Spivey, Lonnie Johnson, and others.
Clarence William’s wife was singer and actress Eva Taylor. Their grandson, Clarence Williams III, was an actor best known for his role as Linc Hayes in the late 1960s – early 1970s television series The Mod Squad.