Description
Brooks Williams is one of those select few ‘’how on earth does he do it?” artists. He can sing. He can write. And, man oh man, can he play guitar.
Cambridge UK-based, Statesboro, Georgia US-born, admired by both listeners and fellow musicians, Brooks Williams has been a leading light on the acoustic music scene for three decades. FATEA says his performances show “the greatest level of true expertise.”
Listed as one of the ‘Top 100 Acoustic Guitarists,’ his guitar skills are evident as he effortlessly slides in and out of folk, blues and country. “He was playing Americana before it had been given the name,” says CMP . “How soulful a solo guitarist can be when he has talent, taste and astonishing technique,” writes Blues Revue.
Williams left his Georgia home in his late teens and moved to Boston at the height of the 1990’s acoustic music renaissance. He did his apprenticeship in the bars and clubs in New York and New England and cut his teeth supporting artists like Shawn Colvin, Chris Smither, Rory Block, Leo Kottke, Odetta, Billy Bragg and Taj Mahal.
His first album, North From Statesboro, caught the attention of The Washington Post and National Public Radio, which set the ball rolling and Williams never looked back. People took notice and acoustic music radio played him from the very beginning, including WUMB-FM in Boston, where Williams is one of their Top 100 Artists Of All-Time.
In subsequent years he has released a staggering 34 recordings in 35 years for labels like Green Linnet Records, Solid Air Records, Signature Sounds and Reveal, including Diamond Days, his latest, which At The Barrier calls a “stunning collection from the chocolate-voiced, guitar maestro.”
Never one to shy away from the road, the list of venues and festivals Brooks Williams has played is staggering. Newport, Winnipeg, Cropredy, Cambridge, Philadelphia, are but a few of many.
Here is a video of Brooks performing Blind Willie McTell’s Stateboro Blues:
