Charles Williams (born April 2, 1952) – Your Life (1975)

The unsung singer's ultra-rare LP was released only in Finland, backed by future members of Andraé Crouch's band and featuring this epic philosophical closing cut.

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The unsung singer/songwriter Charles Williams only ever recorded one album, the rare soul masterpiece Love Is A Very Special Thing (1975). It was released only in Finland and never issued elsewhere, ensuring it remained much sought-after by deep soul and rare groove collectors.

Born in Columbus, Georgia, Charles Lee Williams II was raised in San Bernardino, California. He first sang in church and developed a love of classical music when he learned to play the piano. While living in San Bernardino he formed his first groups, starting with the vocal group Sensations, then a jazz quintet, and finally a soul-rock band called Manna.

Williams fell in love with a woman from Finland and moved there to be with her in the early seventies. He was in the process of recording songs for his debut album, with most of the rhythm tracks and vocals cut in the United States and the rest completed in studios in Finland and Sweden. He sang all vocals and played keyboards, with the rest of the backing band consisting of his friends, the gospel-rock group Psalm 150. Four of its members later played with Andraé Crouch and the Disciples.

Psalm 150 recorded two of Williams’ songs for their 1974 LP Make Up Your Mind, one of them being the heartfelt sermon “Your Life Is At Hand.”

In 1975, Williams’ album Love Is A Very Special Thing was completed and released on EMI Records in Finland. He produced and co-arranged it, and wrote all of the LP’s songs. Its lead single was the funky cut “Change It” b/w the superb jam “Standing In The Way.”

Original copies of the 7” single today sell for nearly $500 on Discogs.

The album itself sells for $300 on average on Discogs, but it has been reissued several times. First by the Finnish reissue label Rocket Records in 2013, then the Japanese “label-ish special project” Universal Dessinee in 2019, and finally by Finland’s Svart Records in 2022.

Its other tracks were golden from start to finish, leading off with the epic funky instrumental opening cut “Theme From Long Road.”

Additional highlights included the laid back instrumental “Standing,” the beautiful love song “Reason To Make You Smile” (the only track on the album wholly recorded in Finland, featuring Heikki Laurila on guitar and Heikki Virtanen on bass), and the epic, philosophical closing cut “Your Life.”

Happy Birthday to the unsung legend Charles Williams.

Further info:

“Charles Williams: Love Is a Very Special Thing,” SoulExpress.net, October 2022.

#soul #funk #gospel #CharlesWilliams