Vern Williams
Musician · Newton County, Arkansas
Best known for
Guitar
Vern Williams was an Arkansas-born mandolinist and lead singer whose Vern & Ray duo with Ray Park and the long-running Vern Williams Band defined Bay Area bluegrass for two generations — the tenor voice that mentored Jerry Garcia, Herb Pedersen, Laurie Lewis, and Pete Wernick.
- Born Delbert Lavern Williams on December 9, 1930 in rural Newton County, Arkansas; died June 6, 2006 in San Andreas, California.
- Grew up on a farm in a musical family; switched from guitar to mandolin at age 17, ordering his first mandolin from Sears Roebuck.
- Drafted into the U.S. Marine Corps in 1952; served at Twentynine Palms, California, which led him to settle in California after discharge in 1954.
- Met fellow Arkansan fiddler Ray Park in Stockton in 1959; formed the duo Vern and Ray in 1960, recording for Starday in the early '60s.
- After Vern and Ray broke up in 1974, led the Vern Williams Band featuring son Delbert on guitar, fiddler Ed Neff, and banjoist/singer Keith Little; recorded "Bluegrass from the Gold Country" (1980).
- Tenor singer widely credited as the defining tenor influence on Bay Area bluegrass; mentored Jerry Garcia, Herb Pedersen, Laurie Lewis, Pete Wernick, Sandy Rothman, and Rick Shubb among others.
- Received the IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award in 1997.
- First recipient of an Honorary Lifetime Membership in the California Bluegrass Association.
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The Vern Williams BandPlayed on recordings with The Vern Williams Band
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Rose Maddox and the Vern Williams BandPlayed on recording with Rose Maddox and the Vern Williams Band
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Vern and RayPlayed on recording with Vern and Ray
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Vern and Ray With Herb PedersenPlayed on recording with Vern and Ray With Herb Pedersen