Benny Williams
Musician · 1931–2007 · Dayton Mountain, Tennessee
Best known for
Fiddle
Benny Williams was a Tennessee multi-instrumentalist whose six years with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys (1961–1967) and long Nashville sideman résumé with Reno & Smiley, the Stanley Brothers, Jimmy Martin, and Porter Wagoner placed him on countless first-generation and Nashville-bluegrass sessions — recipient of the IBMA Pioneers of Bluegrass award.
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- Born Benjamin Horace Williams on March 28, 1931 on Dayton Mountain, Bledsoe County, on the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee.
- Multi-instrumentalist on fiddle, guitar, banjo, autoharp, and mandolin; also a singer and songwriter.
- Took his first bluegrass sideman job as a teenager with Mac Wiseman on Richmond's Old Dominion Barn Dance.
- Joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in 1961, originally on guitar before moving to fiddle for most of his tenure, which ended in late 1967.
- Worked as sideman with Reno & Smiley, the Stanley Brothers, Flatt & Scruggs, Grandpa Jones, Jimmy Martin, Kitty Wells & Johnny Wright, Stonewall Jackson, and Marty Robbins.
- Later joined Porter Wagoner's Wagonmasters as a guitarist; recorded a version of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" with the band.
- Recipient of the IBMA Pioneers of Bluegrass award.
- Died October 11, 2007 at age 76.
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Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass BoysPlayed on recordings with Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys
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Reno & SmileyPlayed on recordings with Reno & Smiley
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Mac WisemanPlayed on recording with Mac Wiseman
