A WORLD GONE CRAZY
The trials of Stax soul singer John Gary WilliamsAn influential Memphis soul singer
returns to the spotlight after 40 years
As a young man, John Gary Williams led The Mad Lads – one of the first major acts on the legendary Stax Records label – to worldwide fame. Daryl Hall and John Oates, among others, were greatly influenced by seeing the Mad Lads perform. But a series of tragic events soon conspired to push Mr. Williams and the group from the spotlight. The Vietnam War, Mr. Williams involvement in the Black Power Movement and Stax Records’ untimely closure combined to effectively ruin his career. Williams never stopped writing or believing in the beauty and power of music, even as his bandmates Julius Green, William Brown and Robert Phillips passed away. He lived a life out of the spotlight, choosing principles over profits, and friendships over fame. Now 40 years later, Williams is making a comeback, recording original soul music in Memphis, and preparing for his first-ever major solo concert.
Client: In Time On Time LLC
This documentary about John Gary Williams of Stax Records recording group The Mad Lads finds Willliams trying to reconcile his past and rekindle the flames of his earlier recording career. As he works to make music for the first time in decades, aging Memphis soul singer John Gary Williams struggles to overcome the ghosts of Vietnam and the long-ago murder of his mother by his own father. With time running out, can he finally transcend his tortured past and find his true voice?
Role: Cinematographer and Editor
A WORLD GONE CRAZY: The Trials of John Gary Williams. USA, 57 mins. Written and directed by John Hubbell. Co-produced by Robert Gordon and James Blagden. Cinematography and editing by Lance Murphey. Original music by STAX Records recording artists Isaac Hayes, The Mad Lads, William Bell and Deanie Parker. ©2020 In Time On Time LLC.
Role: Cinematographer and Editor
A WORLD GONE CRAZY: The Trials of John Gary Williams. USA, 57 mins. Written and directed by John Hubbell. Co-produced by Robert Gordon and James Blagden. Cinematography and editing by Lance Murphey. Original music by STAX Records recording artists Isaac Hayes, The Mad Lads, William Bell and Deanie Parker. ©2020 In Time On Time LLC.
More than a soul singer
When author, journalist and filmmaker John Hubbell met singer John Gary Williams, he instantly recognized that he was much more than a soul singer. His political consciousness and his path through some of America’s most divisive conflicts made his voice resonate far beyond his singing career. Hubbell assembled a team to follow Williams on a quest to find his master tapes, to hear him as he writes new music, and works towards his first ever solo performance with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.