Donnie Williams: Musician with a Mission

Confront your fears; that’s what everyone says. As a guitarist, what scares me most is being on stage with Donny Williams, so I figured maybe the best way to deal with it would be to write an article about him. Why do my knees get shaky when Donny grabs a guitar? Well, there’s his blinding speed; he can play so fast that only dogs can hear it. He once told me he learned to play fast because some club owners “paid by the note.” Then there’s his singing; one minute he’s got a powerful rock and roll growl and the next minute he’s singing “Sons of the Pioneers” harmonies like a choirboy, plus he can scat along with his improvised guitar solos like George Benson. Then there’s the Walter Brennan impression I promised not to tell anyone about. But despite his awesome technical abilities the main thing that makes Donny a great entertainer is the way he looks when he’s playing; the smile on his face, the twinkle in his blue eyes, the pure joy and love of music that come through in his performances.

(Read the rest of this story in Summer ‘08 FACES)