J. Mayo Williams


J. Mayo Williams
Williams in 1920
Born:(1894-09-25)September 25, 1894
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Died:January 2, 1980(1980-01-02) (aged 85)
Chicago, Illinois
Career information
Position(s)End
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight174 lb (79 kg)
CollegeBrown
Career history
As player
1921Canton Bulldogs
1921–1923Hammond Pros
1924Dayton Triangles
1924Hammond Pros
1925Cleveland Bulldogs
1925–1926Hammond Pros
Career highlights and awards
Military career
AllegianceUnited States United States
Service / branchUnited States Army seal U.S. Army
Years of service1917–1919
Battles / warsWorld War I

Jay Mayo "Ink" Williams (September 25, 1894 – January 2, 1980) was a pioneering African-American producer of recorded blues music. Some historians have claimed that Ink Williams earned his nickname by his ability to get the signatures of talented African-American musicians on recording contracts,[1] but in fact it was a racial sobriquet from his football days, when he was a rare Black player on white college and professional teams.[2] He was the most successful "race records" producer of his time, breaking all previous records for sales in this genre.

  1. ^ Barlow, William (1989). "Looking Up at Down": The Emergence of Blues Culture. Temple University Press. pp. 131–132. ISBN 0-87722-583-4.
  2. ^ Whitman, Burt (October 19, 1919) "22,000 See Brown Hold Harvard to a 7 to 0 Victory", Boston Herald. p. 17.