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Victoria Williams | |
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 Williamsc. 1990 | |
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| Born | (1958-12-23)December 23, 1958 (age 66) Shreveport, Louisiana, US |
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| Years active | 1986–present |
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Victoria Williams (born December 23, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician, originally fromShreveport, Louisiana,[1] although she has resided inSouthern California throughout her musical career. Diagnosed withmultiple sclerosis in the early 1990s, Williams was the catalyst for theSweet Relief Musicians Fund.
Williams was born inShreveport, Louisiana.[1] In 1986, she worked with then-husbandPeter Case on his debut album, following a year later with her own debut,Happy Come Home, produced byAnton Fier, with an accompanying 28 minute documentary byD. A. Pennebaker.[2] In 1990, she releasedSwing the Statue. She also often appeared onstage and on record with the bandGiant Sand. In 1993, she acted inGus Van Sant'sEven Cowgirls Get the Blues,[3] Van Sant also made the video for "Tarbelly and Featherfoot".
In early 1992, as Williams' career was beginning to take off, she was diagnosed withmultiple sclerosis.[1] Because she did not havehealth insurance, an array of artists, includingPearl Jam,Lou Reed,Maria McKee,Dave Pirner, andLucinda Williams, recorded some of Williams' songs on CD for a benefit project calledSweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams. This led to the creation of theSweet Relief Musicians Fund, a charity that aids professional musicians in need of health care. That year, Williams also released a new album, titledLoose. A second album, covering the songs ofVic Chesnutt, was recorded for the Sweet Relief Fund in 1996 under the titleSweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation, and Williams performed a duet with Chesnutt on the album.
Also that year, Williams appeared onStrong Hand of Love, a fund-raisingtribute album to songwriterMark Heard, who had died in 1992. That December she participated in aChristmas concert withJane Siberry,Holly Cole,Mary Margaret O'Hara andRebecca Jenkins, broadcast overCBC Radio in Canada andNational Public Radio in the United States and subsequently released on CD asCount Your Blessings.
In 1995, Williams released her first live album,This Moment in Toronto with the Loose Band. Williams ended the 1990s with an appearance onJim White'sWrong Eyed Jesus (1997), a duet withRobert Deeble ("Rock a Bye") onDays Like These (1997), and 1998'sMusings of a Creek Dipper. She followed withWater to Drink, in 2000, coproduced withJC Hopkins. She also appeared in the filmVictoria Williams – Happy Come Home, byD. A. Pennebaker andChris Hegedus.[4]
Williams recorded "Since I've Laid My Burden Down" for the compilation albumAvalon Blues: A Tribute To Mississippi John Hurt in 2001.That same year her song "You Are Loved" was included on The Oxford American Southern Music CD #5 .
In 2002, she issued an album of standards recorded during the sessions for her earlier records.Sings Some Ol' Songs includes classics such as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", "My Funny Valentine" and "Moon River". That year, Williams was also a judge for the second annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.[5]
Throughout her marriage toJayhawk memberMark Olson, the pair regularly toured and recorded together as TheOriginal Harmony Ridge Creekdippers, The Creekdippers, and Mark Olson and the Creekdippers, releasing a total of seven albums and one "best of" compilation. "Miss Williams' Guitar", a song on the Jayhawks' 1995 albumTomorrow the Green Grass, was written for her by Olson and bandmateGary Louris. Olson and Williams divorced in 2006 which also led to the dissolution of their musical partnership.[6]
In 2006, she performed on fellow CreekdipperDavid Wolfenberger's albumPortrait of Narcissus and even painted the portrait of Wolfenberger featured on the cover. In that same year, she also appeared as a guest vocalist onModern Folk and Blues Wednesday, the first solo album byBob Forrest ofThelonious Monster.
Williams also plays in a band[7] called The Thriftstore Allstars, a group of accomplished touring musicians who regularly play inJoshua Tree, California. The Thriftstore Allstars play what their MySpace page calls "loose drunken square dance country gone electric fantasmo".[8]
In 2006, Williams was ranked No. 89 onPaste magazine's list of the Top 100 Living Songwriters. The description stated: "Louisiana-born Victoria Williams' music paints impressionistic, personal portraits of nature ("Century Plant"), of the spiritual ("Holy Spirit") and of common folk ("Crazy Mary"). Her songs—as distinctive as her high vibrato—dip heavily into the musical palettes of country, folk, rock, gospel and jazz. Although her debut album,Happy Come Home was released in 1987, Williams was largely overlooked until artists likeSoul Asylum andPearl Jam recorded her tunes for the 1993 Sweet Relief tribute/benefit CD, which helped pay medical bills in her battle against multiple sclerosis."
In 2007, she played numerous shows with M. Ward and is featured on the track "Bottom Dollar" onChristopher Rees' albumCautionary Tales (2007).
In early 2009, Williams commenced the recording of a new album of original material in Tucson withIsobel Campbell asrecord producer.[9] In May 2009, Williams and Olson reunited with fellow Creekdipper Mike Russell for a one-off performance at an exhibition opening being staged at the True World Gallery in Joshua Tree, California. In July 2009, Williams embarked on a tour of Australia and New Zealand with Vic Chesnutt, but he died of an overdose of muscle relaxants on December 25, 2009. In the fall of 2010, she toured Spain and Switzerland with Simone White and in late 2011 Williams returned to the studio to record another vocal forRobert Deeble for the album Heart Like Feathers which was released in February 2012.
In December 2015, Williams had aseizure, injuring her back and shoulder. Although she was expected to recover fully, the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund was seeking donations to help cover the associated costs, which her medical insurance again would not cover.[10]
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