Tony Williams obituary

Tony Williams, an old school friend of mine, who has died aged 80 after complications from Alzheimer’s disease, was a record producer, the founder of Spotlite Records and a pioneer of the appreciation of early modern jazz.

Born in Enfield, north London, he was the younger son of Pip (nee Fortuna) and Ronald Williams, a teacher. Tony attended Glendale grammar school in Wood Green. He left in his mid-teens, after becoming inspired by recordings of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, and the pursuit of bebop and modern jazz became a consuming passion. He fuelled this passion working at HMV and with kindred spirits at Dobell’s record shop in Charing Cross Road. This led to a discography of Charlie Parker that established Tony as an authority on the man and his music.

In the pre-internet world of the 1950s, it would not have been easy to research the somewhat esoteric world of bebop, and it is a tribute to Tony that he did. I was impressed when I heard he had played chess with Gillespie in 1961, backstage at the Gaumont State theatre in Kilburn.

In 1963 I joined Tony to meet Ben Webster at the Tally Ho pub in Kentish Town, when Webster was in London with a touring band. It was evident that Tony was at home in this rarefied world. At this time, he was living with his French wife Francine (nee Mouleux), whom he married in 1963, and their young son, Laurence, in Winchmore Hill, later moving to Harlow, Essex.

Tony established a rapport with Ross Russell in California, the record producer who founded Dial Records in the 40s, under which label Parker had made some of his most important recordings. Russell offered him the rights to the Dial originals, which had almost fallen into obscurity.

This was the impetus for Tony to create Spotlite Records. The name came from a New York club associated with Parker. Interest in bebop was at a low point then and this friendship with Tony encouraged Russell to complete his definitive biography of Parker, Bird Lives. When Clint Eastwood made his film Bird, his studio contacted Tony for guidance on Parker’s music.

Spotlite’s launch in 1968 was based on the “Charlie Parker on Dial” recordings. After the success of the Parker reissues, Tony set out to France to find Parker’s widow, Chan, in order to give her some of the proceeds.

The 70s and 80s were good years for Spotlite, with a growing catalogue of CDs and cassettes as well as LPs. Tony’s networking led to some remarkable musicians enjoying hospitality at his and Francine’s Harlow home, including Joe Albany, Cecil Payne, Al Haig, JR Monterose and Red Rodney. Tony also built on numerous other friendships, and recording sessions took place with leading British musicians including Don Rendell, Pete King, Brian Dee, Elaine Delmar and many others.

After his marriage ended in divorce, Tony met Stephanie Coward, with whom he had a son, Gabriel. Stephanie died in 2019.

Tony is survived by Laurence and Gabriel.