On this day…
In a timeline where a birth date
can also become a death date,
by sheer will,
stood a man determined
to make it so.
And so it was.
Today marks my Grandpa Phil’s
date of birth in 1913.
Born the only son in
a long line of Williams,
he also bore that name,
a name he’d also give to his own only son,
eventually.
From Jasper, Missouri
to Chicago
to Los Angeles
back to Chicago
and on to New York City,
Phil paved his own way
filling his days and nights with
art and jazz,
jazz and art,
and so many dreams.
Father and son,
Brother and Dad,
Entrepreneur and Producer.
Driven and inspired,
Phil lived a grand story in his short life
until cancer took him
45 minutes into his 58th year.
I have no doubt
his dreams extended well beyond
the years he was given
but in the end
just making it to his Birthday
became his final goal.
And so he did.
Damn cigarettes.
Happy Full Circle Day, Phil.
I trust the music is grand
and the art is abundant
wherever you are.
Onward,
Melis
P.S. If you’re curious about some of the music Phil produced, this is a great start and this will get you a bit further. Then, this link will show you all the album covers he created in the late 1950s and early 1960s.