Personal Life
Williams was born in Watertown, Maine. While playing in the CBS Orchestra in New York during the 1930s, Williams studied architecture at Columbia University.
His wife was named Esther (Towner) Williams (not to be confused with actress Esther Williams).
In a 2008 interview with Stan Warnow (Raymond Scott's son, a filmmaker) and Jeff Winner (of RaymondScott.com), John Williams explained that his father was also an expert marksman who won national awards in pistol shooting. "He made his own ammunition," said John, "We had a target range in our basement in Queens where he practiced for pistol competitions." Williams was a marine instructor during World War II, specializing in the use of the Colt .45 handguns. An early Raymond Scott composition on which Williams fired a loaded pistol on microphone in the pre-Quintette days was a novelty entitled "Duet For Pistol and Piano." In one surviving shellac of a live radio program where this number was featured, Williams had to improvise rimshots to simulate the gunshots after the pistol he was firing failed.
Williams died in Los Angeles, California.
Read more about this topic: Johnny Williams (drummer)
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