The married duo of Chickie Williams (1919-2007) and Doc Williams (1914-2011) were mainstays of the WWVA, Wheeling, West Virginia "Jamboree" radio program for many decade... Mr. Williams first played on WWVA in 1937, with Chickie Williams joining him after they married in 1939. They recorded numerous albums and singles, as a duo, as solo artists and in various groups during their long and prolific careers. Here's a quick look at some of their work...
Chickie Williams "...Sings The Old Songs" (Wheeling Records, 1959) (LP)
Chickie Williams "Fireside Songs" (Wheeling Records, 1963) (LP)
Chickie Williams & Doc Williams "Doc And Chickie Williams Sing Together" (Wheeling Records, 1966) (LP)
Chickie Williams "From Out Of The Beautiful Hills Of West Virginia" (Wheeling Records, 1967) (LP)
Doc Williams "We've Come A Long Way Together" (Wheeling Records, 1969) (LP)
A keepsake album drawing on several singles recorded between 1955-65, including a fair number of novelty tunes, a couple of instrumentals, and a bit of gospel. Most of the material is boyish, good-natured, melodic country more or less in the style of, say, Kenny Roberts. However, Williams has a remarkably low-energy approach, as if he were trying to plaster some suave, crooning vocals on top of uptempo twang, more along the lines of guys who went pop, like Red Foley or Ernie Ford. That winds up transforming the songs into mostly-okay material, rather than a doggone good time. Highlights include a goofy tune called "Taxes" (he's okay with a tax on soda pop, but not one on girls) and a curious tribute to John F. Kennedy called "Why Do The Good Die Young," which shifts from maudlin to mildly profane, as Williams seems to conflate Kennedy's "sacrifice" to that of Jesus Christ. Hmm. Overall, this is worth checking out -- it's nice to hear some of the older Doc Williams records, which gives us a better sense of context for his later, more folkloric approach. Heck, we even get to hear him backed by Chet Atkins and Tommy Jackson on a couple of tunes, which is a treat. Iffy sound quality in places, but still a nice slice of historical twang.
Chickie Williams & Doc Williams "The Three Of Us" (Wheeling Records, 1969-?) (LP)
Chickie Williams/Various Artists "THE DOC WILLIAMS SHOW: FEATURING THE ENTIRE CAST" (Wheeling Records, 1972-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Sutton)
Country old-timer Doc Williams and his wife Chickie Williams were both pretty long in the tooth when they released this "mini-opry"-style record as an offshoot of their long-running gig at the WWVA "Wheeling Jamboree." Presumably they took their show on the road as well, and this disc captures one lineup of the Doc Williams Show, circa 1972, with several younger artists in the cast. The most promising member of the '72 cast was singer Jack Jackson, though also in the mix was gal singer Karen McKenzie, who was apparently one of several Williams daughters to perform in the family show, as well as Dapper Dan Martin, the revue's cornpone comedian, who performs several truly awful skits and (hah, hah) super-sexist novelty songs, as well as lead guitarist Curt Dillie and drummer Spyder Webb, who actually got a two-minute drum solo on Side Two of the disc. (He was a good drummer, but still, yikes.) Veering from their hillbilly roots, the Williamses tried to tap into the countrypolitan vibe of the time, emulating (and covering) crooner Freddie Hart, with milky renditions of Hart's "Easy Lovin'," Tommy Overstreet's "Gwen, Congratulations," and "Four In The Morning," a late-career hit for Faron Young. Mr. Williams seems game, though Ms. Williams sounded pretty low-energy. Indeed, the whole record seems pretty dispirited... an authentic "opry" variety revue album, but certainly not one of the best in the genre. I'm not sure if any of these folks pursued a career in country music, though I Karen McKenzie had already made a go of it with a few promising but un-promoted singles, circa 1968-69. Her sisters, Peeper, Poochie and Punkin', had preceded her int he family band, and Peeper (now Barbara Kempf) also sings harmony on this album, and provides one of her own songs, A Happy Thought," as the opening track, sung by her dad.
Chickie Williams "Just A Melody Of Love" (DOXX Records, 1974-?) (LP)
Chickie Williams & Doc Williams "It's Our Anniversary" (Wheeling Records, 19--?) (LP)
Chickie Williams & Doc Williams "Full Circle" (GW Records, 19--?) (LP)
Doc Williams "Daddy's Little Angel" (Wheeling Records, 19--?) (LP)
