Paul Williams
May 19, 1948 – March 27, 2013
Paul Williams was the founder of Crawdaddy!, considered by many to be America’s first national magazine devoted to rock music. Launched while he was in college in 1966, the magazine first consisted of mimeographed pages written entirely by Williams himself. Landing before by Rolling Stone and Creem, Crawdaddy called itself, “the first magazine to take rock and roll seriously,” making Williams a pioneer of rock journalism. He left the magazine in 1968, but took it back over in 1993. It ultimately closed shop in 2003. Through a time before the internet and MTV, the pages of a handful of magazines like Crawdaddy! was where music lovers went to learn the goings-on of their favorite rock bands and musicians. Throughout his career, Williams also penned more than 25 books including the widely acclaimed Bob Dylan: Performing Artist, a three book series. He was considered to be an expert on the works of Dylan, Neil Young, and Brian Wilson. In 1995, Williams suffered a severe brain injury during a bicycle mishap. It is believed that that injury lead to his dementia and ultimately his death on March 27, 2013. Paul Williams was 64 when he passed away.
What You Should Own
Thank you Paul.