Earl ‘Guitar’ Williams

The Soul King of Bessemer, AL

Music Maker Records

A veteran of the soul blues circuit, Earl “Guitar” Williams, born in 1952, built his first cigar-box guitar at age seven and has been playing ever since. He cut his teeth performing at Gip’s Place, the legendary blues venue in his hometown of Bessemer, Alabama, that was one of the nation’s last backyard juke joints until its closure in 2019. Williams joined the Corruptors at age 13 and went on to form the Afro Blues Band in the early 1970s, which backed numerous singers including Benny Latimore, Tyrone Davis, and Garland Green. Today, he continues to perform both solo and with others in the Bessemer area and beyond, including an appearance at this year’s International Blues Challenge in Memphis, where he was a semifinalist representing the Magic City Blues Society. As part of his partnership with Music Maker Foundation, he also performed at the 2025 Telluride Blues & Brews Festival in Colorado. This album was recorded at the nonprofit organization’s studio in Fountain, North Carolina. The Soul King of Bessemer, AL is Williams’ fourth album and first for the Music Maker Foundation. Williams sings soul, funk, country, and gutbucket blues.

The ten-track recording includes seven originals and three covers. The album is produced by Jimbo Mathus, while Tim Duffy remains the executive producer. Guitarist/vocalist Williams is joined by Mathus on drums, guitar, and keyboards, while the bassist is Bronson Tew. Backing vocals are provided by the Crimestoppers: KeAmber Daniels, Christy “Cree” Moody, and Anthony “Amp” Daniels.

The album opens with “Flashlight,” as Williams sings, “I look for baby in the same time, with a flashlight, it’s three o’clock and my baby’s nowhere in sight, flashlight, flashlight, looking for my baby in the same time, flashlight, flashlight.”

“California Dreamin'” is the album’s first cover, written by John and Michelle Phillips and first recorded by the Mamas and the Papas in December 1965. Although the tempo is slower than the original, Williams chimes, “All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray, I’ve been for a walk on a winter’s day, I’d be safe and warm if I was in L.A. California dreamin’ on such a winter’s day. Stopped into a church I passed along the way, well I got down on my knees and I pretend to pray, you know the preacher like the cold, he knows I’m gonna stay, California dreamin’ on such a winter’s day,” with the Crimestoppers providing perfect harmony.

The second cover is “The Sky Is Crying,” written by Earl Hooker and recorded by him in 1969, featuring Williams as he cries out, “The sky is crying, can you see the tears roll down, the sky is crying, can you see the tears roll down, I’ve been looking for my baby, and I’ve been wondering where can she be, I got a bad, bad feeling my baby don’t love me no more.” The song has also been famously covered by Buddy Guy and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

A third cover is Howlin’ Wolf’s “Howling for My Darlin’,” first recorded by Wolf in 1960. Williams howls, “pretty baby…(wolf howl)…come on home…I love you, if you hear me howling, calling on my darling (wolf howl) uuuuee, she’s hot like red pepper, sweet like cherry wine, I’m so bad she love me, love me all the time…all this love she got do belong to me…every time you kiss me you make the lights go out…I love you…come on home uuuuee.”

On “I Know You Love Me,” Williams moans, “I know you love me, I know you love me, I can tell by the way you look at me, I can tell.”

“Can of Alligator” is one of Williams’ signature songs. He groans, “I want a can of alligator, I want a can of alligator, I was down in Louisiana, walking down the street, I want a can of alligator,” once again featuring the Crimestoppers.

“Woke Up This Morning” is another tune as Williams belts out, “I woke up this morning and my baby was gone, I woke up this morning and my baby was gone, I need her lovin’, I’m all alone. I ain’t got nobody, that gonna be, I ain’t got nobody, that gonna be, I need her lovin’, I’m in misery.”

“74 Blues” is another familiar-sounding song as Williams chants, “74 blues once again, 74 blues once again…I thought I had that gift in the palm of my hand, singing that 74 blues once again.”

“Hey Mr. Gip” is a tribute to Gip’s Place and another of Williams’ signature songs, featuring some houserockin’ slide guitar from Williams as he wails, “Hey Mr. Gip, what’s goin’ on? someone called me on my telephone, somebody playing my own favorite song.”

On the closer, “Bring Me My Shotgun,” Williams croons, “I’m looking for my baby, in the same time before I die…she went out with her girlfriends…woman did nothing wrong, broke up my happy home, my mother told me a long time ago…looking for my shotgun, you better get back home.”

Earl delivers a versatile musical set. His songwriting, storytelling, and guitar styling highlight his wonderful voice. He is witty and fun, and the Crimestoppers provide fantastic background harmony. This album must be heard. Thank you, Earl “Guitar” Williams.

Richard Ludmerer

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