George W. Williams

George Williams was born in Houston 'round about 1899, and his vaudeville sparring partner, Bessie Brown, was also born in Texas, roughly four years earlier. In 1918 they began working together as Williams & Brown on the touring entertainment circuit overseen by the Theater Owners and Bookers Association. They played the Putnam Theater in New York the following year with 15-year-old Thomas "Fats" Waller at the piano. Among the earliest African-American vaudeville duos to record for a major label, the team of Williams & Brown made 18 records for Columbia during the years 1923-1...