(October 31, 2016) We are sad to inform SoulTrackers of the death of a longtime favorite soul singer, Jimmy Williams, who died this morning from after a battle with an aggressive cancer. Williams was best known to soul music fans as a co-founder and lead singer for Double Exposure, and he later took over the lead for a reconstituted version of The Trammps.
(October 31, 2016) We are sad to inform SoulTrackers of the death of a longtime favorite soul singer, Jimmy Williams, who died this morning from after a battle with an aggressive cancer. Williams was best known to soul music fans as a co-founder and lead singer for Double Exposure, and he later took over the lead for a reconstituted version of The Trammps.
One of the stalwart acts of the Salsoul music label in the 70s, Double Exposure was a fixture in the clubs with a bevy of well performed, melodic tunes that bore the classic Philly Soul sound and hot dance beats. Originally formed in the mid-60s as United Image, Williams, Leonard Davis, Chuck Whittington, and Joe Harris originally cut some forgotten tracks for the legendary Stax label before changing their name to Double Exposure and working with Philly's top musicians, such as Bobbi Eli, Baker/Harris/Young, Larry Goldon and Bunny Sigler, on the Salsoul label. They issued a trio of albums in the late 70s that didn't burn up the pop or R&B charts, but provided two number one Disco hits ("Everyman" and "Ten Percent") and another top 5 charter ("My Love Is Free").
The group split in the 80s, and Williams joined the Trammps for several years, following the departure of Trammps lead singer Jimmy Ellis. However, the original four Double Exposure members reunited in 2010 and began performing shows again. In 2012 the group recorded a new single, "Lady."
Williams continued to perform with Double Exposure as well as sporadically working with Stanley Wade’s version of The Trammps until he recently became too ill to perform. Friends and family recently created a GoFundMe page to help pay for anticipated funeral expenses, and sadly this morning he succumbed.
Williams was a major part of the great Philly music of the 1970s and will be remembered for his contribution to the emerging disco and funk sounds of that decade. He was a great singer who was part of a memorable generation of singers in that incredibly musical town.
By Chris Rizik
Many thanks to Gary Van den Bussche of DSG for letting us know