Willie Williams

American blues drummer and guitarist. Played with Howlin' Wolf, Carey Bell and others. Nicknamed "Rough Dried" or "Fast Feet". Williams started off playing guitar at fish fries and juke joints in the '30s, before launching a career as a professional dancer. Known as "Fast Feet," Williams tap-danced throughout the South over a 13-year period. After a stint in the Civilian Conservation Corps, he mi-grated to Chicago in 1943 and took up the drums. Before settling permanently in Chicago, however, Williams moved down to St. Louis, where he formed his first band in the mid- '50s. Back in Chicago, he hooked up with Howlin' Wolf and backed up Wolf on tour through the early '70s. Williams is probably best known for his downhome jukebox favorite Wine-Headed Woman, a nationwide hit and one of the most popular Chicago blues records of the 1970s. Wine-Headed Woman appeared on the LP Raw Unpolluted Soul on the Supreme label, an album featuring the backing talents of Hubert Sumlin, Pinctop Perkins, Eddie Taylor, and Carey Bell. Williams also recorded a session for Ralph Bass in 1977, from which several cuts have been released in England on the Red Lightnin' label. Known for his gruff vocals and hard-driving backbeat, Williams was a regular in West Side Chicago taverns, where he was often accompanied by Carey Bell. Probably the co-writer of the song "Rough Dried Woman" recorded by Big Mac (incorrectly credited to Audrey Williams (2) on the BMI website). Born : March 13, 1922 in Lake Village, Arkansas - Died : December 08, 1988 in Chicago, Illinois. Not to be confused with either the 1950s rock 'n roll guitarist Willie Williams (2), reggae artist Willi Williams or set designer Willie Williams (6).