From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Tue Feb 12, 2002  1:27 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : 'Hungry' Williams
 
CHARLES "HUNGRY" WILLIAMS

Born 12 February 1935, New Orleans, Louisiana
Died 10 May 1986, New Orleans, Louisiana

Drummer. Although he was a regular session drummer at Cosimo
Matassa's studio (the only recording studio in New Orleans in the
fifties) since 1953, Williams did not really come into prominence
until Earl Palmer moved from New Orleans to L.A. in February 1957.
After that, "Hungry" was the most in-demand drummer in town.
However, for Fats Domino's sessions, Dave Bartholomew seemed to
prefer Cornelius Coleman. As a result, Williams plays on very few
Domino records (When My Dreamboat Comes Home, Ida Jane,
Whole Lotta Loving). Some of the records that he can be heard on:
"Lights Out" (Jerry Byrne), "Zing Zing" (Art Neville), "I'm Gonna Be A
Wheel Someday" (Bobby Mitchell), "Flat Foot Sam" (Oscar Wills),
"Nervous Boogie" (Paul Gayten), "Don't You Just Know It" (Huey
"Piano" Smith), "Cheatin' Woman" (Frankie Ford) and all the
recordings that Allen Toussaint made under the name Al Tousan.
As a vocalist he had two singles released on the Checker label.
All New Orleans musicians speak about Hungry with the greatest
respect. Though he couldn't read music, he was a natural talent, who
could do things on the drums that no one else could. According to Earl
Palmer, Williams died of "an awful bone disease".