McKinney Williams

Mr. Williams was born to Christian an T.L. Williams in Lexington, Mississippi. He was one of 13 children. Growing up, he sang with his siblings in a gospel group known as the Williams Singers. He would spend 35 years singing gospel, first with The Williams Singers and then with Pop and Them Chillen. Despite the gospel upbringing, his passion was the blues. After his children graduated college, he decided to start playing the blues and spent a decade playing clubs and festivals. He set out to familiarize himself with the not only the pioneers, such as Robert Johnson and Tommy Johnson but also more recent artists such as Jimmy Holmes. In 2015, the Mississippi BBQ Trail, named Williams their Blues Artist of the Year.