![]() Williams in 1920 | |
Born: | Pine Bluff, Arkansas | September 25, 1894
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Died: | January 2, 1980 Chicago, Illinois | (aged 85)
Career information | |
Position(s) | End |
Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
Weight | 174 lb (79 kg) |
College | Brown |
High school | Monmouth (IL) |
Career history | |
As player | |
1921 | Canton Bulldogs |
1921–1923 | Hammond Pros |
1924 | Dayton Triangles |
1924 | Hammond Pros |
1925 | Cleveland Bulldogs |
1925–1926 | Hammond Pros |
Career highlights and awards | |
Military career | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service | ![]() |
Years of service | 1917–1919 |
Battles / wars | World War I |
Jay Mayo "Ink" Williams (September 25, 1894 – January 2, 1980) was a pioneering African-American producer of recorded blues music. Some historians have claimed that Ink Williams earned his nickname by his ability to get the signatures of talented African-American musicians on recording contracts,[1] but in fact it was a racial sobriquet from his football days, when he was a rare Black player on white college and professional teams.[2] He was the most successful "race records" producer of his time, breaking all previous records for sales in this genre.