Mayo Williams
Williams in 1920
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| Date of birth | September 25, 1894 |
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| Place of birth | Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States |
| Date of death | January 2, 1980 (aged 85) |
| Place of death | Chicago, Illinois |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | End |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Weight | 174 lb (79 kg) |
| College | Brown |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1921 | Canton Bulldogs |
| 1921–1923 | Hammond Pros |
| 1924 | Dayton Triangles |
| 1924 | Hammond Pros |
| 1925 | Cleveland Bulldogs |
| 1925–1926 | Hammond Pros |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career stats | |
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| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
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| Service/branch |
 U.S. Army
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| Years of service | 1917–1919 |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Jay Mayo "Ink" Williams (September 25, 1894 – January 2, 1980) was a pioneering African-American producer of recorded blues music. Ink Williams earned his nickname by his ability to get the signatures of talented African-American musicians on recording contracts. He was the most successful "race records" producer of his time, breaking all previous records for sales in this genre.
Williams was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, the son of Millie and Daniel Williams. When he was 7 years old, his father was murdered, and the family returned to his mother's hometown of Monmouth, Illinois, where he grew up.
Williams attended Brown University, where he was a track star and outstanding football player. He also served in the First World War. During the 1920s, he played professional football with the Hammond (Ind.) Pros, becoming one of three black athletes (along with Paul Robeson) to play in the fledgling National Football League during its first year. His playing career lasted until 1926. During that span he played for the Canton Bulldogs, the Dayton Triangles, the Hammond Pros and the Cleveland Bulldogs. But his primary focus at this time was not the gridiron but the music industry.
After graduating in 1921, he moved to Chicago. Although he continued to play football until 1926, his first love was music, and in 1924 he joined Paramount Records, which had recently begun to produce and market "race" records. Williams became a talent scout and supervisor of recording sessions in the Chicago area, becoming the most successful blues producer of his time. Two of his biggest discoveries as recording artists were the singer Ma Rainey – already a popular live performer – and Papa Charlie Jackson, the first commercially successful self-accompanied blues singer. He recorded Blind Lemon Jefferson, Tampa Red, Thomas A. Dorsey, Ida Cox, Jimmy Blythe, Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, and Freddy Keppard. He also managed a crew of songwriters, including Tiny Parham.
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