John Gary Williams of R&B group The Mad Lads dies at 73

By Kristin M. Hall The Associated Press

6 years ago

This 2013 image released by Old Bridge Media shows John Gary Williams posing in downtown Memph ... — This 2013 image released by Old Bridge Media shows John Gary Williams posing in downtown Memphis, Tenn. Williams, the lead singer for the R&B vocal group The Mad Lads who sung “I Want Someone” and “Don’t Have to Shop Around,” has died at the age of 73. Filmmaker John Hubbell, who is working on a documentary about Williams, said on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, that Williams died at his home in Memphis. The exact time and cause of his death were not known.(Lance Murphey/Old Bridge Media LLC via AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — John Gary Williams, the lead singer for the R&B vocal group The Mad Lads who sung “I Want Someone” and “Don’t Have to Shop Around,” has died. He was 73.

Filmmaker John Hubbell, who is working on a documentary about Williams, said on Tuesday that Williams died at his home in Memphis. The exact time and cause of his death were not known.

Williams formed the group with William Brown, Julius Green and Robert Phillips in Memphis and recorded on Stax Record’s Volt label. With Williams’ high tenor voice and the group’s soft soul harmonies, The Mad Lads had several songs on the Billboard R&B chart in the 1960s, including “I Want a Girl” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.”

In the middle of his recording career, Williams was drafted into military service and served in the Vietnam War. Williams also recorded as a solo artist in the 1970s.