Agile Mobile Hostile…A Year with Andre Williams.

In the early 1960s, Williams co-wrote Stevie Wonder’s first song called “Thank You for Loving Me.” Andre Williams’ “Shake a Tail Feather” was also made a super hit in 1963 by the Five Du-Tones and again by Ike & Tina Turner. Alvin Cash & the Crawlers also made a hit out of the Williams song “Twine Time.” As well as making these hits, Williams also supervised the making of 2 or more albums by The Contours. In the ’60s, Andre Williams was the manager and roadie for soul singer Edwin Starr as well.

In 1965, Williams was signed to Chess Records, Chicago’s major blues label. He was back…wearing velvet lavender suits and playing “bucket-of-blood” styled joints. Chess released many hits for Williams—“Humpin’ Bumpin’ and Thumpin’” and “Cadillac Jack” in particular. Then, he began to work with many unknown black labels and pour out songs like “Sweet Little Pussy Cat” and “Rib Tips, Pts. 1 & 2.” In 1968, Williams collaborated with the Natural Bridge Bunch to release “Pig Snoots,” a novelty song about a man named Ricky who would “come all way cross town to get me some snoots”. In the 1970s, Williams wrote some songs for Parliament (band) and Funkadelic, two popular funk groups. (Comedian Redd Foxx then dubbed Andre Williams his most famous nickname, Mr. Rhythm). Once again, Williams began to produce cuts for Ike Turner.

Throughout the 1980s, Andre Williams was in poverty because of his drug addictions. He lived in Chicago, Illinois; at one point, he was begging for money on a Chicago bridge.