ION INDIE MAGAZINE November 2014, Volume 6 | Page 28

Music by THE WILLIAMS BROTHERS “Chinaman Blues”

THE WILLIAMS BROTHERS BAND
Good Times, Good Vibes
Good People…GREAT MUSIC!

By Yvonne Day
Cradled in a quaint Valley approx. 245 miles West of Denver, Colorado on Interstate 70 you will find Grand
Junction. It’s a small city with 150k people, along with a mecca of talented musicians, of all genres. There
are a few Grammy Award winners and nominees, and other “local” musicians are well known or established
song-writers and performers who travel the world. There are “resident artists” who have chosen this area to
settle and retire. Some simply seek refuge here for the summer to get away from the daily grind. What they
bring with them, their stature, experience, professionalism, their instruments, and a need to continue to find
an artistic outlet in front of an audience has quite an impact on our local music scene. You might be
astonished by the list of who’s who and the artists that jump on stage to jam with our local musicians.
Among them are two brothers from the San Francisco Bay Area, both very talented men, who left California
in 2000 and landed in Grand Junction, CO. They have created not only a home for their family, but JAMES
and PHIL WILLIAMS have become two of the most prominent and sought after musicians in the state. This
past summer THE WILLIAMS BROTHERS as a duo--and with their “Big Band”--have played with several BIG
names in the music industry. In September they opened for LIVING COLOUR (Rock), another show featured
JO DEE MESSINA (Country), and they jammed with LOS LOBOS. Quite often they are the headliners who
entertain thousands of music lovers. On Sunday you may find James Williams playing Gospel at church,
while accompanied by his lovely daughters. This is a very talented family, with musical diversity that allows
them to perform just about any place, in front of any crowd. Don’t take my word for it. They are developing a
huge fan base all over the world. ARICHIE LEE HOOKER came over from France to record “Mr. Lucky” with
them. Here are a few compliments from other musicians whom have seen or performed with The Williams
Brothers:
FRED TACKETT (LITTLE FEAT): "I liked your stuff…you guys are really funky."
DANNY HUTTON (3 DOG NIGHT): "You guys are good—really good."
VINCE HERMAN (LEFTOVER SALMON): "How about those Williams Brothers? That’s some good stuff!"