Lenny Williams Live

 As with many of secular music's greatest singers they often have a deeply religious background. Usually it's the disco divas that are born in the church musically, every now and then a male artist
will emerge from the church to have a profound impact on secular music, Leonard Charles Williams is one of those.
    Born in Little Rock Arkansas on February 6th, 1945 he escaped the racially charged south at the age of one to be brought up in the diverse Oakland, California area. Lenny's uncle was Bishop
Charles Harrison Mason, founder of the Church of God in Christ (America's leading black Pentecostal church), so naturally church was an important part of his life from the beginning. In fact Williams
studied to become a minister while also singing in the church choir.
    Upon graduation from high school Lenny took on a series of odd jobs while at the same time discovering the wonderful world of secular music, particularly the emerging Motown sound. Between
1963 and 1968 he worked his odd jobs and honed his singing talent by entering a series of local talent contests, often winning them. In 1968 local Berkley record company Fantasy Records offered him
a contract. Fantasy was on the cusp of success with Creedence Clearwater Revival and Lenny's singles, "Lisa's Gone" and "Feelin' Blue," did not have the benefit of proper promotion and only
achieved marginal regional success.