Ink: The Indelible J. Mayo Williams

J. Mayo “Ink” Williams (1894–1980) wore many hats in his lifetime. A Brown University track and football star, he served in the army during World War I and wrote several articles for the Chicago Whip, a weekly newspaper aimed at Black readers. He also played for the Indiana-based Hammond Pros, one of the first NFL teams. Simultaneously, Williams got into the music business as a collection agent for Black Swan Records. Later, he worked as a talent scout and producer of Paramount Records’ “race records” division (where blues music by Black artists was featured), and that’s when he discovered blues singer Ma Rainey. He went on to work in similar roles for several record companies and as an assistant football coach for Morehouse College. In each capacity, he faced institutionalized racism. Musician and ethnomusicologist Murphy (Yankee Twang: Country and Western Music in New England) thoroughly traces Williams’s life and the early histories of the recording industry and professional football, using archival interviews, articles, and photos. Pointing out the overt bigotry of the era, the book doesn’t shy away from the complexities of Williams’s persona as a shrewd businessman who swindled royalties from several Black musicians and artists.