#155 - Perseverance and Persistence - The Making of a Successful Songwriter

Growing up in his own words, "he had a bizarre childhood," Jack Williams enlisted in the Marines, wanting to impress his dad, and became a member of Force Recon. Just before going to Vietnam, knowing he probably wouldn't return if he did, his commanding officer called him into his office and informed him that due to a paperwork snafu, he wound up getting orders to ship out to Hawaii, where he wound up playing in a band while stationed there. While there, he began writing songs and decided that although he wasn't sure about the songwriting aspect of things, he wanted to play music, which he wanted to do for a living. Upon a chance meeting backstage with Peter Gabriel at a Genesis concert, Jack understood what it took to write a song. He became a Sous Chef at a restaurant in Atlanta, and one day while heading to work, he passed a hotel where the rock band "The Who" was staying. Taking a chance, he pulled over, got out of the car, and asked if he could pitch a song to Roger Daltry. Although he didn't get to meet Daltry at that time, he wound up being a part of the tour as a Roadie and spent the next 5 months on the road with the band before he finally had an opportunity to meet Roger and Pete Townsend. Upon finishing his time with the members of The Who, he once again was allowed to meet another Woodstock legend by being "invited" to meet with Richie Havens after knocking on his hotel room all night. Moving to New York, Richie helped get Jack into the doors of such record label industry leaders, including Clive Davis and Ahmet Ertegun. A single songwriting deal with Clive Davis led him to performances, and kudos from the likes Dave Mason, Ronnie Van Zandt from Lynyrd Skynyrd, and members of heavy metal band Uriah Heep who Jack went on to write with (and the only outside songwriter ever to get a song recorded on a Uriah Heep album). He spent time with the likes of Jimmy Page, Alvin Lee, Jethro Tull while in England and honed his songwriting skills. Coming back to the states, he originally was going to connect with the guys from Skynyrd, but due to the unfortunate plane crash that took their lives, that didn't happen. He was, however, able to get to work with Greg Allman and Dickie Betts from Allman Brothers fame, with Dickie producing Jack's next project. And then there's his time with actor and singer Kevin Costner. Jack shares his thoughts on what it's like to work with this Hollywood legend and find just the right song for radio. He's now in the studio working on his solo project. When asked how that was going, he stated that "I reached in and found all the truth I could find." You'd be hard-pressed to find a life, a career, or a body of work quite like that of singer/songwriter/composer H. Jack Williams.  The Business Side of Music ™ © 2021 Beyond the Music Co-Produced and Hosted (by the guy who has a face for podcasting): Bob Bender  Co-Producer, Creator, and Technical Advisor (the man behind the curtain): Tom Sabella Director of Video and Continuity (the brains of the entire operation): Deborah Halle Editor (the "ums' and "aahs' removal guy who makes us sound good): Mark Sabella Marketing and Social Media: Kaitlin Fritts Talent Acquisition and Scheduling (the one who keeps us on track) Tammy Kowalski All Around Problem Solver and keeper of the key to the vault: Connie Ribas Recorded at: The Bunker in Franklin, TN (except during the Covid 19 pandemic, then it's pretty much done VIA Skype or over the phone, with the exception for those fearless enough to come to Bob Bender's living room… and there are a few). Mixed and Mastered at Music Dog Studios in Nashville, TN Production Sound Design: Keith Stark Voice Over and Promo: Lisa Fuson Website: businesssideofmusic.com  Stream or Download (free) businesssideofmusic.com  To submit to be interviewed: [email protected] Sponsorship information businesssideofmusic.com/sponsor-affiliate/ Join our mailing list for show announcements, career advice, industry discounts, free gifts, and more.  Like Free Special Thanks to Tom Sabella and Traci Snow for producing and hosting over 100 episodes of the original "Business Side of Music" podcast and trusting us to carry on their legacy. For our disclaimer and all its details, please click on the applicable link on our website. The music provided for this episode is from: Artist: Jack Williams Single: Got Me Down Composer: H. Jack Williams Website: www.hjackwilliams.com Artist: Jack Williams Single: Running On Composer: H. Jack Williams Website: www.hjackwilliams.com Artist: Jack Williams Single: What A Wonderful World Composer: Bob Thiele, George David Weiss Website: www.hjackwilliams.com