Huey P. Williams, Lead Singer of the Jackson Southernaires, Dies at 80

Huey P. Williams, the longtime frontman of the Jackson Southernaires and a cornerstone of American gospel music, died peacefully at his residence in Smithdale, Mississippi, on March 24. He was 80.

A trailblazer in conventional gospel, Williams’ unmistakable voice and soulful storytelling made him some of the beloved vocalists within the style. His passing marks the top of an period for quartet gospel — a mode he helped outline and protect for over 5 a long time.

Williams was born right into a household of gospel royalty. He was the elder brother of Frank Williams, who later based the Mississippi Mass Choir, and of Melvin, Doug and Leonard Williams, members of the Grammy-nominated Williams Brothers. Collectively, the Williams household helped form the sound of recent gospel.

“My massive brother Huey, in my eyes, was in a league of his personal,” mentioned Doug. “He possessed a signature voice that was unmistakably his personal. His music ministry touched so many lives in such a optimistic manner through the years. He had a giant character, however such a humble spirit. Huey was the epitome of a individuals’s individual, a person that beloved all people and by no means met a stranger. He would actually provide the shirt off his again. That’s why so many individuals from throughout the nation gravitated to him and beloved him dearly. His presence might be sorely missed, however his plain legacy will reside on ceaselessly.”

Based in 1940 in Jackson, Mississippi, the Jackson Southernaires gained nationwide consideration within the Nineteen Sixties beneath the management of Huey and Frank Williams, together with Willie Banks. In 1963, they signed with Tune Hen Data, a Peacock subsidiary, and launched their breakout single, “The Biggest Creator.”

Their 1968 music “Too Late” turned an enormous hit and led to the discharge of their first full-length album. Identified for emotionally highly effective performances and messages of religion and perseverance, the Southernaires earned acclaim with radio favorites like “Don’t Let Him Catch You (With Your Work Undone)” and “How Lengthy Will It Final.”

In 1975, the group turned the primary gospel act to signal with Malaco Data, launching a decades-long partnership that noticed them repeatedly chart on Billboard’s High Gospel Albums record with titles comparable to Down Dwelling (1975), Legendary Gents (1979) and Lord We Want Your Blessing (1985). They had been continuously named amongst Billboard’s High Gospel/Soul Artists of the yr.

Huey’s dedication to gospel by no means wavered. When requested if he’d ever retire, he famously replied, “My reply to that query is, how do you quit on God? How do you quit on Gospel? How do you say, ‘I’m going to retire?’ It’s like a superb marriage — till demise do us half.”

The Jackson Southernaires gained a number of accolades, together with three consecutive Gospel Music Workshop of America awards for Conventional Male Group of the Yr within the late ’80s, a Stellar Award in 1989, and a Grammy nomination in 1992. They had been inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Corridor of Fame, and in 2010, town of Jackson renamed a stretch of street of their honor: Jackson Southernaires Drive.

Williams’ closing efficiency with the group was in late 2024, a testomony to his enduring ardour for gospel. A celebration of life might be held on March 29 at Fernwood MB Church in McComb, Mississippi.

When Huey was requested about retiring, he mentioned, “My reply to that query is, how do you quit on God? How do you quit on Gospel? How do you say, ‘I’m going to retire?’ It’s like a superb marriage, till demise do us half.”

Williams is survived by his siblings, prolonged household, and a legion of followers whose lives had been uplifted by his voice.