The Forgotten Singing Cowboy

Unlike so many of the country performers of the day, Williams shows no evidence of having been influenced by Jimmie Rodgers.He appears to be influenced by the more traditional western singers although his material and delivery suggest a second-hand exposure to western folklore rather than the rawness of relating first-hand experiences.His choice of material perhaps adds credence to the possibility that he spent considerable time in the towns as well as on the trail. Alongside the recordings of cowboy ballads such as "Old Chisholm Trail", "Curly Joe" and "Sioux Indians" one can detect the urban influences in pieces such as "Sing Poor Devil Sing" whilst in "Little Old Sod Shanty", "Give My Love To Nell" and "Letter Edged In Black" he draws on the repertoires of old-time country music. This all suggests that although he may very well have worked as a cowboy, his musical influences were more related to established country and vaudeville balladeers than to the minstrels of the road and trail. The melodic simplicity of his delivery however seems ideally matched to the story songs that he chose.