܀Blake Williams܀

An accomplished musician on several instruments, BLAKE WILLIAMS has been a professional bluegrass musician for over 34 years.  He first toured with Bobby Smith & The Boys From Shiloh fresh out of high school and soon moved into the role of banjo player for Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass until Lester’s death in 1979.  Blake went on to work with the Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe, for 10 years, making him Monroe’s longest tenured banjo player.  In 1991, Blake was given the opportunity to play bass with comedian, Hee Haw star and Grand Ole Opry member, Mike Snider where he stayed until 2001.  During his career, Blake has toured 48 states and 7 countries, played Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Lincoln Center.   He recorded 2 albums with Lester Flatt and 6 albums with Bill Monroe for which one of them, “Southern Flavor”, won the first Grammy for “Bluegrass Album of The Year”. You can hear Blake’s bass work on 5 albums with Mike Snider and 2 live videos as well. He has also performed on projects by Patty Loveless and Vince Gill.  Blake has recorded three solo projects and performed regularly on the Grand Ole Opry for over 23 years.  In addition to his musicianship, Blake is an excellent master of ceremonies and one of the best country comedians in the business.  He has also enjoyed songwriting success having his songs covered by Lester Flatt & The Nashville Grass, Rhonda Vincent and The Expedition Show.  He is a 3-time nominee for “Entertainer Of The Year” by SPBGMA (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America) and graced the cover of Banjo Newsletter in May, 2008.  In May 2009, Sparta, TN unveiled new city limits signs declaring Sparta  as "Bluegrass USA" and the home of Blake Williams. In October 2010, Blake was interviewed by Sirius XM disc jockey Kyle Cantrell for the inclusion in the International Bluegrass Music Museum.