From an early age, local musician Josh Williams knew he was inclined to play music, bluegrass music to be specific. Currently on somewhat of a break, Williams has spent over two decades touring nationally and internationally as a solo artist and a band member for several bands including Rhonda Vincent and the Rage.
His love for bluegrass began longer than 20 years ago, though. “When I was five, my granny lived next door to us, so I would always go over there during the daytime, or she would come over and stay with me at the house either one, when mom and dad were at work,” said Williams. “So one day I had told her to get her ukulele out. She had these cute little songs that she used to sing all the time, and one day for whatever reason, I ran back to the house and I grabbed this little bitty ukulele that we had. I ran back over to Granny’s and said ‘is this in tune?’ And she tuned it for me and right there I just decided I was going to learn to play with her, and I did.”
Williams spent the next 13 years performing at local venues like the Kentucky Opry and the former On Stage at D.J.’s and meeting his musical idols like Ricky Skaggs and Allison Kraus. “When it finally started, it took off,” he said. “It was definitely a full-time thing by that point. Like, I knew I was going to do it. Matter of fact, I started learning as many different instruments as I could because I knew I wanted to play music the rest of my life. I decided I was going to learn everything I could because that way I had a better chance of getting a job,” Williams said reflecting on his adolescent years.
In addition to his granny, William’s father, Tony Williams who passed away in 2017, was also a big influence on his career. “Dad showed me some guitar stuff. It was a couple years before I actually started taking lessons from Scottie (Henson). I didn’t decide I wanted to play the banjo at first. I just couldn’t figure it out,” said Williams. “Dad was my manager, agent, my biggest fan.”
His father was instrumental in organizing Bluegrass on the Court Square in Benton among other bluegrass events in the Jackson Purchase.
Three days after graduating Marshall County High School in 1999, Williams immediately immersed himself in the music scene on a professional level. “We graduated on Friday. Monday I was in Branson (Missouri) working full-time,” he said. He played five shows per day for a week straight with the band Special Consensus. From 1999 to 2003, Williams played with several bands, and even solo, before joining the Grammy award-winning Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, playing guitar and a little mandolin.
“The first time I ever really met her and was around her, she needed a fiddle player for a weekend festival in Missouri. A friend of mine she had called to ask about gave her my name, and anyway, I went out there and played fiddle for her for the weekend. That’s it, that’s all I did. It was fun,” said Williams. “But the funny thing is, now when I joined the band, and reminded Rhonda about that, and reminded her about that weekend, she said ‘holy crap, do you realize you were the first fiddle player I ever hired.’ ”
Williams played with Vincent until 2007, when they parted ways. He began touring and recording as The Josh Williams Band, a five piece ensemble. With Williams on guitar, Clayton Campbell on fiddle, Greg Blaylock on dobro, Jason McKendree on banjo, and a bass and mandolin player, The Josh Williams Band was named the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Emergency Artist of the Year in 2010. Williams himself was named IBMA’s Guitar Player of the Year three years consecutively in 2008, 2009 and 2010, as voted on by his peers.
During this time Williams also had the opportunity to play mandolin and tour with his idol and mentor, Tony Rice.
He rejoined Vincent in 2012 as a guitarist and vocalist, where he stayed for nine years before stepping back in April 2021 to spend more time with his children and focus on being a father. Over the course of his career, Williams has put out five albums of his on and four albums with The Rage, including the Grammy winning ‘All The Rage — In Concert Volume 1,’ a live recording, in 2018.
He has earned the Society for Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America’s National Guitar Player of the year for the past 18 years, as voted on by fans of bluegrass music.
His most recent album, ‘Modern Day Man’ is available for purchase at joshwillliams-music.com, featuring ballads and folklore songs about adolescent heartbreak, divorce, and stresses in everyday life.
Looking back on his career, Williams experienced many special moments. “Getting to meet and hang out with Merle Haggard was one of those. Anytime I’m at the Grand Ole Opry, it’s awesome. I’ve never had a bad time there. Eventually I would love to be able to get the chance to play there by myself. I have been able to play the Ryman (Auditorium) myself. The times that I’ve been on stage with people like Ricky Skaggs or Vince Gills have always been a highlight. But some of these people I grew up knowing. I met them at a very young age. Like Allison Kraus, I met her when I was 12, and not many people knew who she was then,” he said. “I’ve gotten to play with Dierks Bentley a few times. I’ve got to play with Mark Wills, Daryle Singletary, Daryle was a good friend of mine. I have a few cowboy hats he gave me. He sent my mom a quilt when my dad passed away, and then eight months later he passed away. “
Looking towards the future, Williams says he still plans to play here and there, but is taking a step back from touring. “Maybe when the kids get older I may tour a little, but never like I did. When I first joined Rhonda, we were gone 300 days a year,” he said. Williams has three children — Weldon, 12; Whitley, 9; and Gus, 6.
Eventually he would like spread his love of bluegrass music and open a studio giving string lessons in the community. “It’s something my dad and I had for years growing up. And when he passed away in 2017 it’s just still been in the back of my mind,” said Williams.
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