Sunday, January 12th at 1:00pm CT
Country Music Hall Of Fame - Rotunda
An accomplished musician, master of ceremonies and entertainer, BLAKE
WILLIAMS has been in professional entertainment for over 40 years. After 9
years as a disc jockey for WSMT, he toured with Bobby Smith & The Boys From
Shiloh and soon moved into the role of banjo player for Lester Flatt and the
Nashville Grass until Lester’s death in 1979. Blake went on to work with the
Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe, for 10 years, making him Monroe’s longest
tenured banjo player. In 1991, Blake was invited to play bass with comedian, Hee
Haw star and Grand Ole Opry member, Mike Snider where he stayed until 2001.
In early 2002, Blake founded the group The Expedition Show (formerly
Williams & Clark Expedition) and continues to perform professionally. During
his career, Blake has toured 48 states and 7 countries, played Carnegie Hall, the
Kennedy Center, and the Lincoln Center. He recorded 2 albums with Lester Flatt
and 6 albums with Bill Monroe for which one of them, Southern Flavor, won the
first Grammy for “Bluegrass Album of The Year”. You can hear Blake’s bass work
on 5 albums with Mike Snider and 2 live videos, as well. He has also performed on
projects by Patty Loveless and Vince Gill. Blake has recorded three solo projects
and performed regularly on the Grand Ole Opry for over 23 years. In addition to
his musicianship, Blake is an excellent master of ceremonies and one of the best
country comedians in the business. He has also enjoyed songwriting success
having his songs covered by Lester Flatt & The Nashville Grass, Rhonda Vincent
& the Rage and The Expedition Show. Blake is a 3-time SPBGMA (Society for the
Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America) “Entertainer Of The Year”
nominee (2007-2009) and he graced the cover of Banjo Newsletter in May, 2008.
In 2009, the City of Sparta, Tennessee erected new city limits signs declaring
Sparta as the Home of Lester Flatt, Benny Martin, and Blake Williams.
Made possible by Gibson Guitar Corporation. Takes place in the Museum's Hall of Fame Rotunda. Museum admission or Museum membership required for program admittance.
The educational programs of the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, Hatch Show Print, and Historic RCA Studio B are funded in part by grants from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission, through an agreement with the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
No comments:
Post a Comment