- Lefty Williams
Photo by Kasey Brookshire
Lefty Williams, Producer Ashley Dennis and Tree Leaf Music have announced an August 21 release date for the singer/songwriter/guitarist’s upcoming release ALL IN. Williams shares, “Paul Diaz and I have been friends for years. About two years ago when he heard the demos he signed me on the spot. I could not be happier to be a part of the new label Tree Leaf Music has launched.” Diaz echoes these sentiments offering, “Lefty is a uniquely talented writer and performer with wonderful, heartfelt lyrics, and amazing riff oriented guitar playing. We are blessed to be able to help him realize his musical vision at Tree.”
The sessions were Produced and Mixed by Ashley Dennis who also represents Williams as management. Williams reflects, “Once we started working together we realized that we think the same way, and share a lot of the same ideas. So we would get into the studio and I would say ‘this song needs..’ and he would finish my thought and vice-versa. With the new partnership having yielded such immediate and successful results, and with his knowledge and experience working with some of the top artists in The World I was often asking for advice and he was always willing to offer guidance. In an effort to take this to another level, it seemed like a logical step to hire him to manage me.” Dennis adds, “Lefty always impressed me. His great musicianship and work ethic exhibits that he has found his true Passion. He always is having fun when he plays. I was super busy and not looking for any new projects, but one night at a local Jam he hosted in Atlanta he convinced me to listen to some rough ideas of songs he had been working on. Man, I was blown-away! I felt a real connection to the songs, and went right to work staying up almost all night in my home studio, mixing the roughs, and plotting a course to build the songs into something huge and wonderful just like Lefty’s personality. When you get to know him – huge heart, wonderful guy to be around, truly inspiring. The next day I called Lefty, advising I can make something happen with these songs for sure, but if we are gonna do it, we have to be ‘All in.’ No skimping, do it right, or don’t do it at all. Lefty agreed, and with hard work and some favors from great people, the demos turned into a deal with Tree Leaf Music / Paul Diaz, and subsequently recording and mixing at the amazing, world renowned Treesound Studios. I feel like we accomplished our Mission – good, honest, soulful, heartfelt music from the gut performed by men of flesh and bone with instruments of wood and steel. I can’t wait for the rest of The World to hear and enjoy the great talent that is Lefty Williams.”
Lefty Williams has established a respected and endearing reputation as a great rock guitarist and songwriter through the age-old adage of building an audience one fan at a time. Over the last decade, this legion of supporters has grown exponentially with purity. His songs have real depth and power. They are more than just catchy pop numbers that speak to the heart about issues of life and the experiences we all share in the passage of life. His playing is reminiscent of Jimmy Page, Dickey Betts and Eric Johnson, while at the same time frequently receiving comparison to the great lineage of Georgia reared guitarists that include Robert Cray and Duane Allman. With the release of ALL IN, and a new relationship with Tree Leaf Music, his future continues to thrive.
Williams released his first CD, BIG PLANS in 2006. It was produced by John Keane (REM, Widespread Panic), who said, ”Lefty’s sound is a compelling combination of honest, heartfelt lyrics and masterful rhythm and blues muscle.” His next offering SNAKE OIL, issued in 2008, was nominated for Album of the Year by the Homegrown Music Network. His latest ALL IN marks the start of a new alliance with Tree Leaf Music. The songs are soulful, and exhibit an artist wherein the fact that Williams has only one hand should be nothing more than an afterthought. The vocals are reminiscent of Plant, Redding and Allman in their expressiveness. Lyrically, The track “Crescent” captures a story of meeting a girl on a train headed to New Orleans, loosely based on his wife Rayanne taking Williams on a birthday trip on the Crescent Line. With “You Know I Love You,” he pays tribute to his wife on their 10th anniversary and shares, “She puts up with me being on the road all the time, and I wanted her to know that I know we can make it through anything that life throws at us.” “Let It Roll On” is simply a happy song about waking up in a good mood, while “You Don’t Tell Me” is the antithesis as Williams reveals, “I wrote this song in the middle of an argument with my wife.” He continues, “I was ironing my clothes and I was going over the argument in my head. I have always been fond of saying “You don’t tell me…I tell you” I’m not sure where it came from but I’ve said it for years. So when I said it to myself it occurred to me that everybody knows what it’s like to go through a break up. At some point everyone wants out of a relationship. Even though I wasn’t considering leaving my wife, I decided to write a song about breaking up with someone but not being mad at them, just over it.”
Blues stalwart Tinsley Ellis, who played on SNAKE OIL, once shared, “I was knocked out by Lefty the first time I heard his music. I just knew that I had to seek him out and hear more of his stuff. He is a veritable triple threat on certainly guitar, but also as a soulful vocalist and clever songwriter. The fact that he is out there winning over fans one at a time with his nonstop touring schedule is definitely something that I can relate to.” And with the success he now enjoys, Williams remains humble. He reflects, “I do not aspire to sell out arenas or be on the cover of Rolling Stone. I will be perfectly happy playing in theaters and touring all over the world. My biggest hope is to get out of the van and into a bus and be able to make a comfortable living playing my guitar. I want to take care of my family, my band members, and the people on my team to the best of my abilities. And, I want to connect with my audience on a deeply personal level that allows me to make life-long fans.” If karma plays a part in the existence of humankind, Williams has a lot of good coming back his way as he enters the next chapter of his career with the release of ALL IN.
