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.