First scheduled for release in 1979, Jerry Williams' debut album for Warner Brothers Records was pulled from distribution before it ever made the record stores, victim of a dispute with the label. But the story didn't end there; though only promotional copies of the album were ever minted--this record was indeed "Gone"--those copies have been passed from hand over the last 35 years and have become hotly sought-after collector items. But then, such a strange turn of events somehow suits Jerry Williams; born in Oklahoma and raised in the Ft. Worth, Texas area, the man is one of the great mysteries of modern music. Gone was going to be the breakthrough album for Williams. Produced by Chris Kimsey as his first project following the production of the Rolling Stones' smash Some Girls album, Gone offered a totally unique mix of rock and soul, and featured players like bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn, drummer Jeff Porcaro and guitarist Steve Cropper. But, due to a falling-out with the label so severe that Williams was served with a restraining order barring him from entering the Warner Bros. building, the album was quashed. But Williams wasn't done; two years after its release, singer Delbert McClinton hit the Top Ten with the Gone track "Givin' It Up for Your Love," and the next year Eric Clapton would record such Williams songs as "Forever Man," "Pretending" and "Running on Faith." Bonnie Raitt began recording Williams originals in 1982 and has never quit. Fans like Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top, the Eagles and the Fabulous Thunderbirds have spread the Texan's songs around the world, with millions of copies sold. Now, as one of the most enigmatic and intriguing musical figures of the past 50 years, someone whose outsized talent landed him in Little Richard's band at the age of 16 (with another guitarist named Jimmy James a.k.a. Jimi Hendrix) and someone whom the Los Angeles Times eulogized after his death in 2005 as "probably the most successful unknown songwriter in rock and rhythm and blues." Jerry Williams is an artist whose time has come. Finally. Our Real Gone reissue of Gone comes with liner notes by Williams champion Bill Bentley, who has over the years bought about 50 copies of the LP to share with friends--a long-overdue CD debut to say the least!
