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| Kentucky native, Larry Williams, performing at The Stage in Nashville, TN. |
Recently, I was able to catch up with
Larry Williams on his newfound success while playing in Nashville. Just a few years ago, he was playing gigs at
various honky tonks in Kentucky, including Lexington's Austin City Saloon. It was during a visit to Nashville that he
received a phone call that changed his life.
Larry recalled that he was visiting
Nashville and got a call from the owner of Tootsies. “He had heard my music online and offered an
audition. He asked when the next time I
would be in town and I told him that I was down here right now. He asked if I would be able to play Saturday
from two to six o'clock. I called up my
guys and they came down and played with me that Saturday. A few hours after, the owner called me up and
offered a full time slot,” according to Larry.
Within a week, his mom helped moved his belongings down to Nashville.
Larry Williams’ family has been
influential in his career. Reflecting on
his past, Larry said that his love of music “started out with my grandfather,
my dad's dad. He was a preacher in
eastern Kentucky in Hazard. He played
all of the gospel music and that is how dad learned. He learned from growing up in the
church. I remember when I was 8, my dad
loaned me a guitar. I didn't know dad
could play guitar. I was sitting on the
edge of my parents' bed. He put some
strings on a guitar and tuned it up. As
soon as he played that first chord, I was like, 'okay, this is it.' I told dad that I wanted to learn and he
said, ‘I'll teach you, but you have to promise me that you'll never quit it. He showed me a few chords and turned me
loose.”
Growing up, Larry and his dad would go
to all of the bluegrass festivals and after the show would end, they would all
grab their guitars and go to each other's campsites. Larry said, “We would all sit around and
play. That is where I learned how to
play. I do remember my first song I ever
learned. It was an old traditional
bluegrass tune called Long Journey Home. I want to say that the first show that my dad
and I got to see together was Ralph Stanley.
I remember after a show, my dad walked up to his (Ralph's) tent and he
shook my hand. I didn't realize how big
of an icon he was in bluegrass and country music. I keep looking back now, thinking about
that. It was an honor.”
That music bug caught on early,
performing at the age of 8 and by the age of 17, playing in the clubs
throughout Kentucky. Now Larry Williams
has a recurring role of performing at Tootsies.
In the meantime, he has been working on songwriting and producing his
first EP album. With that album, Larry
said that fans can expect songs that are, “about my life, what I've been
through with the move to Nashville, love, and love gone wrong.” The goal is to have the album released in
around six months. His current single, “Drinkin’About You,” has been receiving frequent airplay on WFKY.
In the meantime, fans can see Larry
Williams at the Froggy Field Party, along with other fellow Kentucky
natives. His stage performance is a
mixture of his influences of Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Bob Segar, and the
Eagles. He plans to perform all original
songs to showcase his songwriting and performing abilities. Fans can also check him out performing at one of the many honky tonks on lower Broadway in Nashville.
For more information on Larry Williams,
be sure to check him out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LarryWilliamsArtist. You can check out his new single, “Drinkin’
About You” on I-tunes by clicking here.
