#728 (Week of 10/8/11 - 10/14/11)

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"It's Best We Say Goodbye"/"Who Knows"
by The Billy Williams Quartet
on Mercury 5884
released in 1952

[Above photo provided by Paul Ressler.]

Above: The Billy Williams Quartet. In the above photo, Williams is fourth from left and Conchita Nikkitani, entertainment writer for the Pittsburg Courier Press, is sitting.

Click HERE for an article about Billy Williams by J.C. Marion.
(Will open in a separate window)

Above: The Billy Williams Quartet clipping, from The Billboard magazine dated 6/7/52, touting that Mercury Records has them.

WILLIAMS QUARTET ON TV
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 30, 1950—The Billy Williams Quartet, popular vocal group, is now a regular feature on NBC Television's "Saturday Night Revue," a two-and-a-half-hour video show which is presented in two portions, "The Jack Carter Show," 8 to 9 p.m. and "Your Show of Shows," 9 to 10:30 p.m.
    The Williams unit is among the first Negro quartets to be used regularly on a television variety show. The group was featured as a guest on the revue last spring. It has returned to be part and parcel of the revue's new program, "Your Show of Shows," this fall. Sid Caesar, young rising comedian, is star of the show.
    In its last two performances, the Williams quartet received tremendous ovations from studio audiences. The quartet features the stylings of popular song hits.

Above Left: Label image of Mercury 5884 released in June 1952. It was The Billy Williams Quartet's second of ten records for Mercury (1952-54). They also recorded for M-G-M (1950-52) and Coral (1954-58).

The Billboard January 1950: Charioteers' Williams Forms Own Group—Billy Williams, former leader and lead voice of the Charioteers, has departed that vocal unit to strike out on his own.... Williams is currently forming a new vocal group....

The Billboard September 1951: This town [Los Angeles] can show its appreciation of a fine thing musically at times, as it did in the case of Billy Willaims and his great quartet, which drew a run of full houses to the Tiffiny Club on 8th Street during a few weeks stay.

The Billboard June 1954: Coral Records topper Norman Weintroer this week signed Billy Williams and his quartet. Williams, who formerly recorded for Mercury, will cut his first sides for Coral this month....

Listen to this week's selections by The Billy Williams Quartet on Mercury 5884 from 1952:
[Audio restoration by Dave Saviet.]

A. Stream RealAudio (DO NOT USE...LISTEN USING DOWNLOAD REALAUDIO)...             1. It's Best We Say Goodbye           2. Who Knows             BOTH played in sequence      B. Download RealAudio...             1. It's Best We Say Goodbye           2. Who Knows      C. Stream/Download Media Player...             1. It's Best We Say Goodbye           2. Who Knows

Billy Williams 1951

     [To download audio files, right-click on link and then select "Save (Link) Target As..."]

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