At 66, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs continue to wow them with  Doo-Wop show coming to the Fabulous Fox Theater December 1

By Daniel Hines
Publisher
America’s Seniors at www.TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com

When ‘rock ‘n roll’ was first making its mark on the music scene, Mitch Miller—yes, the same Mitch Miller of the massive men’s choral singing and following the bouncing ball—derisively scolded the teens who had taken the new music form to heart and to dance.
 

“I feel sorry for the young people of today,” Miller said.  “What type of music will they have to make memories with when they grow older.”

I was one of those young people.  So was Maurice Williams, then a teenager in the small town of Lancaster, SC.
 

Well, Mitch, while no one really plays your music anymore or remembers you, the music you scorned is still going strong and playing to full houses as one of the most popular PBS fund-raising efforts with the song-packed Ultimate Doo-Wop Tour…and one of the stars will be that young man from SC... Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs. 

Williams, who is now 66 (one source identifies his birthdate as 1938) , has also been recognized by the State of South Carolina with that state’s Palmetto Award, an honor that reflects his long-running standing as one of the most significant and successful song-writers of his era.

 

One only has to look at some of his hits to realize what an impact Williams has had, especially first with his ‘Little Darlin’”, which enjoyed its greatest success when picked up by The Diamonds, and the doo wop classic, “Stay.” 

It was “Stay” (just a little bit longer) that rocketed him back to prominence when it was a mainstay of the movie “Dirty Dancing”, whose sound track sold more than eight million copies, earning Williams a multi-platinum sales award from RCA.

 

But, there’s more to come.  In addition to his success as a part of The Ultimate Doo Wop tour, Williams has recorded a new album, “Back to Basics” in which he includes own gold record performances, but a number of other songs of the genre.

 

To what does he attribute the success of the music—and the show—which has been one of PBS TV’s most successful fund-raisers?

“People just like the music and the beat,” Williams explains.  “And, when I perform, I always try to give my all to the audience.”

 

I asked if people every danced in the aisles during a show.  Williams chuckled, and then explained:

 

“We play to all size of audiences.  When we’re playing locally or at a smaller venue, people do get up and dance.  They have fun.”

Williams made a bold move when he bluffed his way into a session with a Nashville recording studio—at age 16. 

 

Fortunately, his producer was a man of integrity who took the budding young writer and talent under his wing, making sure that Williams retained full frights to his massive hit “Little Darlin’”. 

 

Originally called the Gladolias, the group changed its name to Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs in 1960.  The rest is music history.

 

Undoubtedly a major part of the staying power of Williams is that he is a highly talented musician, one whose budding career kept him from accepting a music scholarship to Allen University in Greenville, SC.

 

But, Allen University’s loss was the gain of millions of people who have been entertained by the type of music Mitch Miller scorned.  The beat…it always goes back to the beat, something Mitch Miller didn’t understand, but thank goodness, Maurice Williams does.