R.I.P. Billy Paul Williams...

December 1, 1934 – April 24, 2016

Even though I heard this sad news yesterday, I was doing G-Parent duty over the weekend and feeling a little tired when it was over. So, I'm paying my respects to this wonderful man today.

The last time I saw him (in the flesh) was back in the '90s, when he actually sat on the steps at Penn's Landing before a summer performance and talked with me and my family for about an hour. He had such a beautiful spirit and he was a very down-to-earth guy. We all laughed and talked as though we had known each other personally for years.

He was quite amused when I told him I literally 'played the grooves' off of my 45rpm record 'Me & Mrs. Jones', and I had no idea what the song was about at the time because I was young. And, I didn't care what it was about either. I simply feel in love with the arrangement, melody, orchestration, and of course, his smooth vocal delivery of the song. Now, those kinds of things I did know about because I had played the violin for 5 years.

Of course, he did other songs that I loved just as much, but I won't name them all now. I just want to say--Billy, thank you for taking the time to have that conversation with me and my family. We often reflect on it fondly and we will never forget you. Rest well, my friend. We love you!

UPDATE 04/30/16: Billy's Homegoing Service was held today at Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Philadelphia, PA. This is a copy of program I found on the internet (click on image for larger view).