Episode Overview
Lamar Williams Jr. is the son of Allman Brothers bassist Lamar Williams, and he’s spent two decades building his own place inside the Allman Brothers’ extended musical family. I talked with him about The Offering, the long-gestating album with Oteil Burbridge recorded in Iceland, and about the lineage that carried him from Macon’s church choirs to Butch’s Les Brers, the Big Band of Brothers, and touring/recording with New Mastersounds, North Mississippi Allstars, and the Allman Betts Revival.
Our Crossroads
We are Lamar lost his father young and our shared experience of grief and carrying someone’s memory forward came up directly in our talk. I’ve seen Lamar live multiple times in a variety of settings. He’s one of my favorite singers of the Allman Brothers canon, perhaps my favorite. When you listen to the conversation, you’ll hear why. Lamar is not only a fantastic vocalist, he’s a student of the craft. His voice is his instrument. Overlooked is his how much love he puts out into the world as a lyricist and singer. I certainly gravitate to that presence.
The Conversation
The Offering. Lamar’s latest project began a decade ago when Allman Brothers’ bassist Oteil Burbridge picked up a banjo at home while his wife spent a year in Africa working with gorillas—just exercises to keep himself busy and learn the instrument. Williams heard them in Burbridge’s basement studio, told him “I hear something all over it,” and took the instrumentals to his writing partner, the late Victor Clark. After the ABB closed up shop, Dead & Co. pulled Burbridge away for a decade. Lamar, Oteil, and friends finished it in Iceland, near Akureyri, the same coast where Williams had already recorded twice with the New Mastersounds.
Singing onstage with the Allman Brothers Band. This is a great story. Riding to the Beacon Theatre with Gregg Allman and godfather Chank Middleton, Allman quizzed Williams on songwriting and planted the idea that he needed a writing partner. Hours later, Chank pointed him out to Gregg before the ABB’s set that night; Allman’s only response was, “Come see me at halftime.” Lamar tells the full story.
Lamar Williams Sr. Jaimoe and Lamar’s pops grew up together on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. They essentially learned to play music together. Lamar was the obvious choice when Berry Oakley died in 1972, when Butch Trucks cut the audition short and announced something to the effect of “As far as I’m concerned, this decision is made. We’ve found our bass player.” Williams Sr. died in 1983 of lung cancer linked to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. His son shares a very specific memory of him—walking on his back while he watched sci-fi on the floor after returning from tour. Lamar Jr.’s favorite moment from his pops? His father’s upright bass on “Ponyboy.”
