Thomas Williams

Tommy Williams was a fiddle prodigy of sufficient promise that, at age 13, he was sent by his father to live and work with Ferlin Husky, leaving Ft. Myers, FL, for Bakersfield, CA. A couple of years later, Husky moved to Nashville and Williams remained with him. He continued playing with Husky through the mid-'50s, and was later in the backing bands of Little Jimmy Dickens, Judy Lynn, and Charley Pride. He joined the music staff on the series Hee Haw in 1969 on a part-time basis, and became a regular member of the house band in 1974. By that time, he was also working as a full-time session musician in Nashville, where he based his career until the early '90s. He later became a full-time performer in the Old Dominion Opry, based in Williamsburg, VA. His work is showcased on the recordings of numerous country and bluegrass stars and superstars (including Bill Monroe, among the latter), and he also recorded one LP of his own, Forever Fiddlin', during the early '80s. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi