If the album covers on the walls of Chris Williams’ office put a spin on his story, Sunday’s Grammy Awards ceremony will bring it full circle.
A longtime songwriter and music journalist, Williams – assistant director of the University of Mary Washington’s James Farmer Multicultural Center (JFMC) – has been published in Ebony, The Atlantic, The Huffington Post and more. His latest accomplishment, professional membership in the Recording Academy, gives him a voice in the music industry’s most glamorous night of the year – the Grammys.
“I’ve had a love affair with music for the majority of my life,” said Williams, whose induction over summer allowed him five entries for artists vying for 2025’s golden trophies. JFMC’s Gospelfest will keep him busy on campus this weekend, but he plans to tune in from home to the show, airing live Sunday, Feb. 2, on CBS and Paramount+.
“It’s cool watching the different categories and seeing who wins,” said Williams, who opened up about his journey, the giants he met – and impressed – along the way and how it all led to this crowning achievement.
Growing up in Spotsylvania County, he sang in the choir at church, where he developed a love for gospel music. He began writing songs in college at VCU, forming connections and earning a degree in journalism, then landed a job writing for a magazine near his hometown. He’d finish his work in a hurry, then network like crazy, building a playlist of industry bigwigs like former Vibe Magazine editor Mimi Valdés and others who believed in his talent.
“They really put a battery in my back,” said Williams, who began pitching stories and getting published. “I started to realize I could be good at this music journalism thing.”
When his piece on Whitney Houston’s untimely death in 2012 ran in London-based Soul Culture magazine, the BBC asked for a follow-up interview, and “it kind of just took off from there,” said Williams, advisor to UMW’s gospel ensemble Voices of Praise.
More than a decade later, his articles have run far and wide. He’s interviewed hundreds of people, covered icons like Bob Marley and Marvin Gaye, and appeared on TV and in documentaries. “My love for music has been seamlessly interwoven into my love for writing,” he said.
So when Philadelphia Radio legend Dyana Williams (no relation) DM’d him last year to say she’d nominated him for potential membership in the Recording Academy, the pressure was on. He spent the spring updating his social media pages and website for potential perusals by academy decision-makers.
“He’s a brilliant writer,” said Dyana Williams, co-founder of the International Association of African American Music Foundation. “Chris has a wealth of knowledge as a researcher and writer, and he can teach others.”
In search of a second nomination, he flipped through his rolodex, landing on former Recording Academy chair James “Jimmy Jam” Harris III, who with partner Terry Lewis, has produced mega-stars like Janet Jackson.
“People who love music and are able to articulate that love and passion through their pen are few and far between,” Harris said of Williams during a recent phone call. “It’s one thing to love a song; it’s another to be able to articulate why.” But, alas, Harris had already used his allotted votes for new members.
Williams persevered, moving on to renowned trumpeter, teacher and D’Angelo mentor Bill McGee. The effort paid off this past summer when Williams learned he’d been welcomed into the Recording Academy. “I was ecstatic,” he said.
As a member of the Washington, D.C., chapter, he receives free access to the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, emails containing industry news and invitations to special events. Perhaps most importantly, he’s able to connect and collaborate with academy colleagues on advocacy projects to protect and build musicians’ rights.
And, of course, he’ll be glued to this year’s Grammy Awards – dedicated in part to aiding victims of the L.A. fires through its affiliated charity, MusiCares – when they unfold this weekend.
“You want to see any artist be successful,” Williams said. “All who’ve been nominated are deserving of being the victor.”
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