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Ink: The Indelible J. Mayo Williams

Ink: The Indelible J. Mayo Williams

by Murphy, Clifford R
No customer reviews yet ISBN 9780252087981 University of Illinois Press

The product of a hardscrabble childhood, J. Mayo "Ink" Williams parlayed an Ivy League education into unlikely twin careers as a foundational producer of Black music and pioneering Black player in the early NFL. Clifford R. Murphy tells the story of an ambitious, upwardly mobile life affected, but never daunted, by white society's racism or the Black community's class tensions. Williams caroused with Paul Robeson, recorded the likes of Ma Rainey and Blind Lemon Jefferson, and lined up against Chicago Bears player-coach George Halas. Though resented by the artists he exploited, Williams combined a rock-solid instinct for what would sell with an ear for music that put him at the forefront of finding, recording, and blending blues and jazz. Murphy charts Williams's wide-ranging accomplishments while providing portraits of the cutthroat recording industry and the possibilities, however constrained, of Black life in the 1920s and 1930s.

Vivid and engaging, Ink brings to light the extraordinary journey of a Black businessman and athlete.

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Product details

BrandUniversity of Illinois Press
Pub dateJul 23, 2024
ISBN-100252087984
ISBN-139780252087981
LanguageEnglish
Dimensions9.25 × 0.83 × 6.12 in
Weight1 lb
Last updated 2026-03-16 19:14
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