Macon Magazine

SPOTLIGHT Gladys Williams A hidden music-making and teaching maven BY CLARENCE W. THOMAS, JR. eing Black and female in the segregated South was uniquely challenging. For them, finding a voice in a society that wasn't listening to "their kind" took monumental effort. But Macon's Gladys Williams found hers in music as a bandleader and instructor, creating sounds and students that were as loud as thunder. "All her students thought the world of her," reflected legendary trumpeter Newton Collier in reference to iconic Macon music maven Gladys R. Williams. "They said, and I agree, she was a sweet lady that meant business." Their assessment is on point when one considers her accomplishments. Williams was a Black and female bandleader in the 1930's and likely the only one who fit that description during the time period. Over the next three decades she would go on to add composer, singer, and music teacher to her resume, instructing such notables - in addition to Collier - as Little Richard, Otis Redding, Lena Horne, and Robert Scott, Jr. - the renowned bandleader of Ballard Hudson High School. Her reputation was also one of being firm about students practicing and developing a mastery of their music. Collier described her teaching style as both rough and sweet at once. The means by which students became show people and accomplished musicians was solely through her: "Musically, she was it. She taught me right," the senior Macon residing music buff shared. Williams was Collier's neighbor in Tindall Fields, which later became known as Tindall Heights. As a 9-year-old with an interest in music, he began studying piano under Williams. But a chance encounter with Sammy Davis, Jr. - in town for a practice session at her home - put Collier on the path of playing trumpet instead, a er Davis let the boy try his hand at handling his horn. Davis was just one of many Williams guests. Others included Cab Calloway, Ethel Waters, Pearl Bailey, and James Brown. According to Collier, she and another of her famous students Lewis Hamlin, Jr. lined up the songs on Brown's Live at the Apollo album. According to a 1950 Macon Telegraph interview with Moses Lightfoot supplied by Muriel Jackson, the head of the Middle Georgia Regional Library's Genealogical and Historical Division, Williams was born Gladys Rawlins in Macon in the early 1900's. She overcame polio from childhood, but still walked with a slight limp as an adult. Her musical journey began at age four and continued later as a music student at Hampton Institute in Virginia, where her work remains on display. Her musical prowess was in full swing by the late 1920's and early 1930's, when she opened a nightclub and founded a show for local talent. As the city's first Black female bandleader, she founded and played piano for the Gladys Williams Orchestra, which employed many young musicians from around Macon. American historian and author Deborah Patrice-Hamlin said, "Gladys Williams' story is one of triumph over adversity. Her career is significant not only because she was once stricken with polio, but also because her numerous accomplishments were achieved in the context of a segregated community." In 1955 Williams was honored for 25 years of service by the city during a major concert at the Macon City Auditorium. Williams died on January 25, 1977. Williams said in the book "Something in the Water" that her parents only wanted her to play traditional music, hymns, and classical. But jazz and blues were in her blood. "I used to sneak around and practice it when my mother was at work," Williams allegedly admitted. Collier described her home as ornately decorated, which doubled as a Green Book location for Black people looking for a safe stay traveling overnight. The house is where Williams also taught Macon senior citizen Patricia Duval in the 1960's. Duval says Williams had a deep appreciation for the arts and in addition to piano, was proficient in violin, woodwinds, strings, and drums. Her ear for pitch was on full display when listening to practicing students inside her house from her porch, and correcting them without going inside. But hard work paid off in other ways for students, Duval stated. Williams would dole out candy to them occasionally. Extending lesson times at no charge was common. And taking a child from the neighborhood that really wanted to learn on a moment's notice was o en the case with Williams, says Duval. "She was a good villager and outstanding instructor," said Duval. She considers Williams a big deal for the time period, who wanted the best for her students and made sure they could read notes, master music theory, and keep time. She can still hear Williams correcting students with a so , melodious, but serious voice indicating her love for the cra …and for them. "Any of her students would say she paved the way," added Duval. "She had a deep, strong passion for them and music." B 92 maconmagazine.com | JUNE/JULY 2023

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