| 'Big' Joe Williams was a well-known jazz singer. He was to Chicago as a child and was raised by his mother and grandmother. He grew on the south side of Chicago, surrounded by jazz, blues, and gospel music. In the 1930s, as a teenager, he was a member of 'The Jubilee Boys' and performed in Chicago churches.
He worked as a singer and bouncer in Chicago in the late 1930's and early 1940's. In 1943, he was hired by the Lionel Hampton Orchestra. He toured with with Hampton for several years but never achieved breakthrough success. |
