Gentle Giant Don Williams gave us giant country hits over decades. Now, songs found in a cellar after his death bring “new” music.
Almost a decade after his death in 2017, the first posthumous music release from the man known as “The Gentle Giant” is finally seeing the light of day.
Available now, Don Williams’ Epilogue: The Cellar Tapes captures the Texas born singer at his best across several sessions recorded between 1979 and 1984 with his longtime coproducer, Garth Fundis, who returned to the same production role for this project alongside Williams’ son Tim.
Tim first became aware of the tapes stashed away in the cellar of the family’s rural Tennessee home when one of his father’s longtime managers asked for access to get them digitally transferred.
Initially, Williams wasn’t too enthused about the idea.
“At first I was pretty lukewarm about it,” Williams recalls. “I didn’t even know what was on the tapes, but once we got them restored and I heard the songs — especially my dad’s voice and how strong it was — I became real excited.”
Fundis was likewise lukewarm till thoughts of the original recording sessions nearly 40 years prior began flooding back.
“It took me a while to get on board too,” Fundis says. “But once I heard the songs, it took me right back to when we first recorded them, which left me wondering why they hadn’t seen the light of day yet.”
In many ways, Fundis says, working on the project was like revisiting an old friend. “Those years between 1979 and 1984 were some of Don’s prime years, with songs like ‘Good Ole Boys Like Me’ and ‘I Believe in You.’ So to get to transport myself back to that time — even for a brief moment — is very special.”
Although time had done a number on some of the multitrack elements of the tapes, Fundis and Williams were able to reconstruct the arrangements by enlisting many of the musicians who previously toured with Don, including Joe Allen (bass), Kenny Malone (percussion), and Charles Cochran (strings). Fortunately, Williams’ original vocal recordings remained intact, offering a shining glimpse into his golden era.
“If I had to play a song [from this new record] for an alien to show them what Don sounded like, I’d play ‘How Can I Miss What I Never Had,’” Williams says. Other standouts include the Rodney Crowell-penned “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight” and two versions of “I’m the One,” a cowrite between Don and longtime collaborator Wayland Holyfield, who he also joined forces with on No.1 hits like “You’re My Best Friend,” “Some Broken Hearts Never Mend,” and “Till the Rivers All Run Dry.”
Rodney Crowell and other country luminaries — Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood, Brandy Clark, Jamey Johnson, and more — will celebrate the legacy of “The Gentle Giant” when the special show Opry 100 Honors: Don Williams takes place June 10 in Nashville. Get tickets here.
PHOTOGRAPHY (Cover image): Credit Jim McGuire.
