Doug Williams

There’s something to be said about longevity in the music business. Most never experience it and the few who do, show the battle scars brought on by a rocky ride through the business of it all. But the same can’t be said for Doug and Melvin. In fact, their experience has been a seemingly joyous cruise that’s ensured their place in the Gospel music hall of fame.

Quite frankly, in an industry where careers flame out quicker than match boxes, The Williams Brothers have endured and flourished over nearly two generations by writing, producing, recording and performing the best gospel music Mississippi has to offer to several generations of gospel fans.

At this point, their success has allowed them to soar into promising solo careers. And with the recent release of When Mercy Found Me by Doug Williams, it was time to take notes on how a couple of good ole boyz from Mississippi keep on “keeping-on” for the Lord.

Christopher Heron: Let's start off by talking about your new release – When Mercy Found Me (Blackberry); it's your second solo project. How does this new album differ from Heartsongs (Blackberry).

Doug Williams: Well, this is my second solo project that I been working on with Blackberry Records. I'm very excited about this new project because I was able to step out and try different musical styles, do some different things musically from what I would normally do with The Williams Brothers. I branched out a little bit on Heartsongs but on When Mercy Found Me, I stepped out a little further. I was basically trying to show some versatility even though our fan base is traditional quartet music, per se. But we're really not limited to that; we've been blessed to do all sorts of music and styles. I wanted to share that talent with the general public and show some vocal versatility and doing things I wanted to do but haven’t done in the past.

CH: You've brought some very special people on board to sing along with you on When Mercy Found Me. Kelly Price and a favorite of mine, Kim McFarland are just a couple that come to mind. Do you have special relationships with these artists?