John Gary Williams

Memphis-born singer and songwriter (Died 28th May 2019, aged 73)

A proudly and fiercely independent figure, Williams' shot at stardom was interrupted when he and William Brown, a fellow Mad Lad, were drafted into the military in 1966. After returning from Vietnam in 1968, he rejoined the group, and recorded a solo album for Stax in 1973. The Mad Lads reunited in 1984, and continued to perform off and on for many years.

He had previously joined the Invaders, a Memphis "militant" group inspired by the Black Panthers that was especially active in the late 1960s, during the sanitation strike that brought Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis.