Blake Williams

Born: 10/8/1956

As a Blue Grass Boy: Blake Williams was a Blue Grass Boy for nearly ten years, the longest tenure of any banjo player. He was nicknamed "The Sparta Flash" after his hometown of Sparta, TN, also home to Lester Flatt and Benny Martin.

Recording Sessions: 12/23/1982, 1/6/1983, 1/26/1983, 1/27/1983, 2/1/1983, 2/22/1983, 4/20/1983, 5/4/1983, 5/2/1985, 5/6/1985, 5/7/1985, 6/10/1985, 6/17/1985, 3/17/1986, 3/18/1986, 8/19/1986, 9/7/1987, 1/4/1988, 1/5/1988, 1/8/1988, 1/12/1988, 1/13/1988, 1/14/1988, 6/14/1989

Before and After: Blake's first professional work was with Bobby Smith and the Boys From Shiloh in the 1970s, followed by a stint with Lester Flatt's Nashville Grass from 1978 through Flatt's death, then with James Monroe's Midnight Ramblers in 1980-81. After leaving the Blue Grass Boys he joined Mike Snider's group playing bass; he stayed with that group for about ten years and appears on a number of Snider's recordings. In 2002 he started a new band, the Williams and Clark Expedition, with mandolinist Bobby Clark; after Clark's departure the band was renamed The Expedition Show.