On March 4, 1972, John “Scarface” Williams was stabbed in the heart with a seven-inch butcher knife during a New Orleans bar fight. He died on the spot.<\/p>\n
Born to a sixteen-year-old mother in 1938 and adopted by a gospel singer, Williams sang all his life and was a revered fixture of the New Orleans music scene. As a member of Huey Smith and the Clowns, Williams sang lead vocals on “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu,” which peaked at #52 in 1957.<\/p>\n
Mourned by fellow New Orleans legends Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, and others, Williams’ was memorialized in song by Cyril Neville, who set his lyrics to a popular African rhythm used in songs like “Jock-a-Mo” and “Iko Iko.”\u00a0 Neville gave the song to his uncle, George “Big Chief Jolly” Landry, who led a Mardi Gras Indian group called The Wild Tchoupitoulas.<\/p>\n
Cyril and his brothers Art, Charles, and Aaron joined their uncle’s group in the studio, and the result was their 1976 recording of “Brother John.”<\/p>\n