J. Mayo Williams - member of the National Football Hall of Fame Association, and posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2004 - was the son of Daniel Williams and his wife, Millie McFall. Mayo's parents were born in Stewart county, Tennessee during the Civil War, and married 25 January 1887 in Covington, Tipton county, Tennessee. Son Luther Morris Williams was born to the couple on 2 November 1887 in Monmouth. By 1894, the family was listed as residing in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas city directory. Mayo was born there on 25 July 1894, and his brother Maurice Sam Williams was born there on 22 November 1897. The 1900 US Census of Pine Bluff shows that the couple had two other children who apparently died young, and remain unknown. That was confirmed by the 1910 census, in which his mother again stated she was the mother of 5 children, 3 living.
Mayo's father was shot and killed by another black man, Fred Hillard, in Clio, Arkansas on 16 November 1901. Newspaper reports stated Dan Williams boarded an evening train at Pine Bluff, with the intent of finding and killing Hillard on sight, blaming him for some unstated domestic trouble. Hillard, recently married, was a lumber yard employee in Pine Bluff, and possibly Dan's co-worker. The report stated Hillard and his wife pleaded with Williams to leave them alone, until Hillard shot him 3 times in self defense. Following the death of her husband, Millie returned to Monmouth with her three sons, to be near other family there. It was in Monmouth that Mayo attended public schools, and proved himself to be an athlete. In 1910, Mayo was a half-back for the Monmouth High School "Maroons" football team when they played Rockford for the state championship; they lost in Rockford, 38 - 5. He spent that summer at the Sunnyside Inn in Manitou, Colorado, employed by Mrs. H. R. Moffet of Monmouth, who operated the summer resort. A May 1911 Monmouth paper noted that Mayo spoke at the high school's recent state track meet victory celebration. In 1912, Mayo took first place in the 50-yard dash and second in the 100-yard dash at the state track meet held in Champaign, bringing his career total to 23 medals.
There are no records indicating that Mayo attended Monmouth High School in what should have been his senior year in 1912, or graduated from there in 1913. A June 1913 Monmouth newspaper reported that Mayo had been living in Chicago for several months, and had stopped in Monmouth to visit friends before returning to the Sunnyside Inn in Manitou, Colorado; it further stated he was expected to return to Monmouth in the fall to return to school. In June of 1917, Mayo's draft card was received in Monmouth, listing his residence as Providence, RI. The papers made note that he had been assigned number 13, and was all but assured to be drafted. Mayo had entered Ivy-league Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island in 1916 through a sports scholarship, and played on their football team in the 1916, 1917, 1919, and 1920 seasons - having enlisted during February 1918 as a Private in the US Army during World War I. The February 1919 Monmouth papers announced that "Lieut." Mayo Williams had been discharged at Camp Hancock (Augusta, Georgia), and was to visit Monmouth for a few days before departing for Washington. While at Brown, he was a New England champion in the 40-yard dash, and was named to the New York Times All-American third football team in 1920. Mayo was a charter member of the Alpha Gamma chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He graduated Brown in 1921 with a degree in philosophy.
Later in 1921, Mayo played 1 game for the Canton, Ohio "Bulldogs", and 5 games for the Hammond, Indiana "Pros" in the American Professional Football Association. That organization, founded in 1920, became the National Football League in 1922, with Mayo continuing to play for the Hammond "Pros" through the 1926 season, as well as 1 game for the Dayton "Triangles" and several games for the Cleveland "Bulldogs". Mayo was one of only three black players on the NFL roster during it's first year of operation.
When not playing professional football, Mayo worked in the music industry. Mayo moved to Chicago, possibly to be near his older brother Luther Morris, who in turn had taken a position as a dining car waiter for a Chicago railroad about 1918. He was joined there by his mother Millie, and brother Maurice Sam, who worked as a porter for the Pullman company. In 1924, Mayo began producing and marketing "race" records in conjunction with Paramount Records. Two of his more popular "discoveries" were singer "Ma Rainey" and "Papa Charlie Jackson". He also recorded "Blind Lemon Jefferson".
In 1927, Mayo started The Chicago Record Company, marketing jazz, blues and gospel records under the "Black Patti" label. One such release was The Down Home Boys' "Original Stack O' Lee Blues", said to be the first recorded version of the song later known as "Stagger Lee". After the failure of the Black Patti label, Mayo moved on to Brunswick Records and it's subsidiary label Vocalion.
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 caused record sales to plummet. As a result, Mayo took a football coaching position with Morehouse University in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1931 to 1933 seasons. In 1934, Mayo was hired as head of the "race records" department of Decca, where he recorded musicians such as Alberta Hunter, Blind Boy Fuller, and Mahalia Jackson, and groups such as The Harlem Hamfats. It should be noted that Mayo's Social Security card was issued from New York, showing that he resided there for a time (Social Security cards were issued beginning in November 1936). Mayo acted as manager for many of the artists he was involved with, and assumed part ownership of many of their songs, including "Corrina Corrina", "Mop Mop" (with Louis Jordan), "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" (with Stick McGhee), and "Fine Brown Frame" (with Nellie Lutcher). Mayo's wife's name, Aleta, also appears in the credits for some songs, although her involvement is not clear.
After his time with Decca, Mayo worked independently and ran several labels. He formed Ebony Records in Chicago during 1946, and recorded a young Muddy Waters. He continued to operate Ebony Records until the early 1970's. Mayo was preceded in death by his wife, Aleta Stokes Williams in March of 1968. The couple had no children.
The graves of Mayo and his wife were reported as undisturbed by the Cook County sheriff's office during the Burr Oak cemetery scandal investigation.
[Note - Corrections or additions to the above are welcome. Most of the information above was gleaned from various Internet and newspaper stories.]∼Age: 85
Mayo's father was shot and killed by another black man, Fred Hillard, in Clio, Arkansas on 16 November 1901. Newspaper reports stated Dan Williams boarded an evening train at Pine Bluff, with the intent of finding and killing Hillard on sight, blaming him for some unstated domestic trouble. Hillard, recently married, was a lumber yard employee in Pine Bluff, and possibly Dan's co-worker. The report stated Hillard and his wife pleaded with Williams to leave them alone, until Hillard shot him 3 times in self defense. Following the death of her husband, Millie returned to Monmouth with her three sons, to be near other family there. It was in Monmouth that Mayo attended public schools, and proved himself to be an athlete. In 1910, Mayo was a half-back for the Monmouth High School "Maroons" football team when they played Rockford for the state championship; they lost in Rockford, 38 - 5. He spent that summer at the Sunnyside Inn in Manitou, Colorado, employed by Mrs. H. R. Moffet of Monmouth, who operated the summer resort. A May 1911 Monmouth paper noted that Mayo spoke at the high school's recent state track meet victory celebration. In 1912, Mayo took first place in the 50-yard dash and second in the 100-yard dash at the state track meet held in Champaign, bringing his career total to 23 medals.
There are no records indicating that Mayo attended Monmouth High School in what should have been his senior year in 1912, or graduated from there in 1913. A June 1913 Monmouth newspaper reported that Mayo had been living in Chicago for several months, and had stopped in Monmouth to visit friends before returning to the Sunnyside Inn in Manitou, Colorado; it further stated he was expected to return to Monmouth in the fall to return to school. In June of 1917, Mayo's draft card was received in Monmouth, listing his residence as Providence, RI. The papers made note that he had been assigned number 13, and was all but assured to be drafted. Mayo had entered Ivy-league Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island in 1916 through a sports scholarship, and played on their football team in the 1916, 1917, 1919, and 1920 seasons - having enlisted during February 1918 as a Private in the US Army during World War I. The February 1919 Monmouth papers announced that "Lieut." Mayo Williams had been discharged at Camp Hancock (Augusta, Georgia), and was to visit Monmouth for a few days before departing for Washington. While at Brown, he was a New England champion in the 40-yard dash, and was named to the New York Times All-American third football team in 1920. Mayo was a charter member of the Alpha Gamma chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He graduated Brown in 1921 with a degree in philosophy.
Later in 1921, Mayo played 1 game for the Canton, Ohio "Bulldogs", and 5 games for the Hammond, Indiana "Pros" in the American Professional Football Association. That organization, founded in 1920, became the National Football League in 1922, with Mayo continuing to play for the Hammond "Pros" through the 1926 season, as well as 1 game for the Dayton "Triangles" and several games for the Cleveland "Bulldogs". Mayo was one of only three black players on the NFL roster during it's first year of operation.
When not playing professional football, Mayo worked in the music industry. Mayo moved to Chicago, possibly to be near his older brother Luther Morris, who in turn had taken a position as a dining car waiter for a Chicago railroad about 1918. He was joined there by his mother Millie, and brother Maurice Sam, who worked as a porter for the Pullman company. In 1924, Mayo began producing and marketing "race" records in conjunction with Paramount Records. Two of his more popular "discoveries" were singer "Ma Rainey" and "Papa Charlie Jackson". He also recorded "Blind Lemon Jefferson".
In 1927, Mayo started The Chicago Record Company, marketing jazz, blues and gospel records under the "Black Patti" label. One such release was The Down Home Boys' "Original Stack O' Lee Blues", said to be the first recorded version of the song later known as "Stagger Lee". After the failure of the Black Patti label, Mayo moved on to Brunswick Records and it's subsidiary label Vocalion.
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 caused record sales to plummet. As a result, Mayo took a football coaching position with Morehouse University in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1931 to 1933 seasons. In 1934, Mayo was hired as head of the "race records" department of Decca, where he recorded musicians such as Alberta Hunter, Blind Boy Fuller, and Mahalia Jackson, and groups such as The Harlem Hamfats. It should be noted that Mayo's Social Security card was issued from New York, showing that he resided there for a time (Social Security cards were issued beginning in November 1936). Mayo acted as manager for many of the artists he was involved with, and assumed part ownership of many of their songs, including "Corrina Corrina", "Mop Mop" (with Louis Jordan), "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" (with Stick McGhee), and "Fine Brown Frame" (with Nellie Lutcher). Mayo's wife's name, Aleta, also appears in the credits for some songs, although her involvement is not clear.
After his time with Decca, Mayo worked independently and ran several labels. He formed Ebony Records in Chicago during 1946, and recorded a young Muddy Waters. He continued to operate Ebony Records until the early 1970's. Mayo was preceded in death by his wife, Aleta Stokes Williams in March of 1968. The couple had no children.
The graves of Mayo and his wife were reported as undisturbed by the Cook County sheriff's office during the Burr Oak cemetery scandal investigation.
[Note - Corrections or additions to the above are welcome. Most of the information above was gleaned from various Internet and newspaper stories.]∼Age: 85
J. Mayo Williams - member of the National Football Hall of Fame Association, and posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2004 - was the son of Daniel Williams and his wife, Millie McFall. Mayo's parents were born in Stewart county, Tennessee during the Civil War, and married 25 January 1887 in Covington, Tipton county, Tennessee. Son Luther Morris Williams was born to the couple on 2 November 1887 in Monmouth. By 1894, the family was listed as residing in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas city directory. Mayo was born there on 25 July 1894, and his brother Maurice Sam Williams was born there on 22 November 1897. The 1900 US Census of Pine Bluff shows that the couple had two other children who apparently died young, and remain unknown. That was confirmed by the 1910 census, in which his mother again stated she was the mother of 5 children, 3 living.
Mayo's father was shot and killed by another black man, Fred Hillard, in Clio, Arkansas on 16 November 1901. Newspaper reports stated Dan Williams boarded an evening train at Pine Bluff, with the intent of finding and killing Hillard on sight, blaming him for some unstated domestic trouble. Hillard, recently married, was a lumber yard employee in Pine Bluff, and possibly Dan's co-worker. The report stated Hillard and his wife pleaded with Williams to leave them alone, until Hillard shot him 3 times in self defense. Following the death of her husband, Millie returned to Monmouth with her three sons, to be near other family there. It was in Monmouth that Mayo attended public schools, and proved himself to be an athlete. In 1910, Mayo was a half-back for the Monmouth High School "Maroons" football team when they played Rockford for the state championship; they lost in Rockford, 38 - 5. He spent that summer at the Sunnyside Inn in Manitou, Colorado, employed by Mrs. H. R. Moffet of Monmouth, who operated the summer resort. A May 1911 Monmouth paper noted that Mayo spoke at the high school's recent state track meet victory celebration. In 1912, Mayo took first place in the 50-yard dash and second in the 100-yard dash at the state track meet held in Champaign, bringing his career total to 23 medals.
There are no records indicating that Mayo attended Monmouth High School in what should have been his senior year in 1912, or graduated from there in 1913. A June 1913 Monmouth newspaper reported that Mayo had been living in Chicago for several months, and had stopped in Monmouth to visit friends before returning to the Sunnyside Inn in Manitou, Colorado; it further stated he was expected to return to Monmouth in the fall to return to school. In June of 1917, Mayo's draft card was received in Monmouth, listing his residence as Providence, RI. The papers made note that he had been assigned number 13, and was all but assured to be drafted. Mayo had entered Ivy-league Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island in 1916 through a sports scholarship, and played on their football team in the 1916, 1917, 1919, and 1920 seasons - having enlisted during February 1918 as a Private in the US Army during World War I. The February 1919 Monmouth papers announced that "Lieut." Mayo Williams had been discharged at Camp Hancock (Augusta, Georgia), and was to visit Monmouth for a few days before departing for Washington. While at Brown, he was a New England champion in the 40-yard dash, and was named to the New York Times All-American third football team in 1920. Mayo was a charter member of the Alpha Gamma chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He graduated Brown in 1921 with a degree in philosophy.
Later in 1921, Mayo played 1 game for the Canton, Ohio "Bulldogs", and 5 games for the Hammond, Indiana "Pros" in the American Professional Football Association. That organization, founded in 1920, became the National Football League in 1922, with Mayo continuing to play for the Hammond "Pros" through the 1926 season, as well as 1 game for the Dayton "Triangles" and several games for the Cleveland "Bulldogs". Mayo was one of only three black players on the NFL roster during it's first year of operation.
When not playing professional football, Mayo worked in the music industry. Mayo moved to Chicago, possibly to be near his older brother Luther Morris, who in turn had taken a position as a dining car waiter for a Chicago railroad about 1918. He was joined there by his mother Millie, and brother Maurice Sam, who worked as a porter for the Pullman company. In 1924, Mayo began producing and marketing "race" records in conjunction with Paramount Records. Two of his more popular "discoveries" were singer "Ma Rainey" and "Papa Charlie Jackson". He also recorded "Blind Lemon Jefferson".
In 1927, Mayo started The Chicago Record Company, marketing jazz, blues and gospel records under the "Black Patti" label. One such release was The Down Home Boys' "Original Stack O' Lee Blues", said to be the first recorded version of the song later known as "Stagger Lee". After the failure of the Black Patti label, Mayo moved on to Brunswick Records and it's subsidiary label Vocalion.
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 caused record sales to plummet. As a result, Mayo took a football coaching position with Morehouse University in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1931 to 1933 seasons. In 1934, Mayo was hired as head of the "race records" department of Decca, where he recorded musicians such as Alberta Hunter, Blind Boy Fuller, and Mahalia Jackson, and groups such as The Harlem Hamfats. It should be noted that Mayo's Social Security card was issued from New York, showing that he resided there for a time (Social Security cards were issued beginning in November 1936). Mayo acted as manager for many of the artists he was involved with, and assumed part ownership of many of their songs, including "Corrina Corrina", "Mop Mop" (with Louis Jordan), "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" (with Stick McGhee), and "Fine Brown Frame" (with Nellie Lutcher). Mayo's wife's name, Aleta, also appears in the credits for some songs, although her involvement is not clear.
After his time with Decca, Mayo worked independently and ran several labels. He formed Ebony Records in Chicago during 1946, and recorded a young Muddy Waters. He continued to operate Ebony Records until the early 1970's. Mayo was preceded in death by his wife, Aleta Stokes Williams in March of 1968. The couple had no children.
The graves of Mayo and his wife were reported as undisturbed by the Cook County sheriff's office during the Burr Oak cemetery scandal investigation.
[Note - Corrections or additions to the above are welcome. Most of the information above was gleaned from various Internet and newspaper stories.]∼Age: 85
Mayo's father was shot and killed by another black man, Fred Hillard, in Clio, Arkansas on 16 November 1901. Newspaper reports stated Dan Williams boarded an evening train at Pine Bluff, with the intent of finding and killing Hillard on sight, blaming him for some unstated domestic trouble. Hillard, recently married, was a lumber yard employee in Pine Bluff, and possibly Dan's co-worker. The report stated Hillard and his wife pleaded with Williams to leave them alone, until Hillard shot him 3 times in self defense. Following the death of her husband, Millie returned to Monmouth with her three sons, to be near other family there. It was in Monmouth that Mayo attended public schools, and proved himself to be an athlete. In 1910, Mayo was a half-back for the Monmouth High School "Maroons" football team when they played Rockford for the state championship; they lost in Rockford, 38 - 5. He spent that summer at the Sunnyside Inn in Manitou, Colorado, employed by Mrs. H. R. Moffet of Monmouth, who operated the summer resort. A May 1911 Monmouth paper noted that Mayo spoke at the high school's recent state track meet victory celebration. In 1912, Mayo took first place in the 50-yard dash and second in the 100-yard dash at the state track meet held in Champaign, bringing his career total to 23 medals.
There are no records indicating that Mayo attended Monmouth High School in what should have been his senior year in 1912, or graduated from there in 1913. A June 1913 Monmouth newspaper reported that Mayo had been living in Chicago for several months, and had stopped in Monmouth to visit friends before returning to the Sunnyside Inn in Manitou, Colorado; it further stated he was expected to return to Monmouth in the fall to return to school. In June of 1917, Mayo's draft card was received in Monmouth, listing his residence as Providence, RI. The papers made note that he had been assigned number 13, and was all but assured to be drafted. Mayo had entered Ivy-league Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island in 1916 through a sports scholarship, and played on their football team in the 1916, 1917, 1919, and 1920 seasons - having enlisted during February 1918 as a Private in the US Army during World War I. The February 1919 Monmouth papers announced that "Lieut." Mayo Williams had been discharged at Camp Hancock (Augusta, Georgia), and was to visit Monmouth for a few days before departing for Washington. While at Brown, he was a New England champion in the 40-yard dash, and was named to the New York Times All-American third football team in 1920. Mayo was a charter member of the Alpha Gamma chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He graduated Brown in 1921 with a degree in philosophy.
Later in 1921, Mayo played 1 game for the Canton, Ohio "Bulldogs", and 5 games for the Hammond, Indiana "Pros" in the American Professional Football Association. That organization, founded in 1920, became the National Football League in 1922, with Mayo continuing to play for the Hammond "Pros" through the 1926 season, as well as 1 game for the Dayton "Triangles" and several games for the Cleveland "Bulldogs". Mayo was one of only three black players on the NFL roster during it's first year of operation.
When not playing professional football, Mayo worked in the music industry. Mayo moved to Chicago, possibly to be near his older brother Luther Morris, who in turn had taken a position as a dining car waiter for a Chicago railroad about 1918. He was joined there by his mother Millie, and brother Maurice Sam, who worked as a porter for the Pullman company. In 1924, Mayo began producing and marketing "race" records in conjunction with Paramount Records. Two of his more popular "discoveries" were singer "Ma Rainey" and "Papa Charlie Jackson". He also recorded "Blind Lemon Jefferson".
In 1927, Mayo started The Chicago Record Company, marketing jazz, blues and gospel records under the "Black Patti" label. One such release was The Down Home Boys' "Original Stack O' Lee Blues", said to be the first recorded version of the song later known as "Stagger Lee". After the failure of the Black Patti label, Mayo moved on to Brunswick Records and it's subsidiary label Vocalion.
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 caused record sales to plummet. As a result, Mayo took a football coaching position with Morehouse University in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1931 to 1933 seasons. In 1934, Mayo was hired as head of the "race records" department of Decca, where he recorded musicians such as Alberta Hunter, Blind Boy Fuller, and Mahalia Jackson, and groups such as The Harlem Hamfats. It should be noted that Mayo's Social Security card was issued from New York, showing that he resided there for a time (Social Security cards were issued beginning in November 1936). Mayo acted as manager for many of the artists he was involved with, and assumed part ownership of many of their songs, including "Corrina Corrina", "Mop Mop" (with Louis Jordan), "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" (with Stick McGhee), and "Fine Brown Frame" (with Nellie Lutcher). Mayo's wife's name, Aleta, also appears in the credits for some songs, although her involvement is not clear.
After his time with Decca, Mayo worked independently and ran several labels. He formed Ebony Records in Chicago during 1946, and recorded a young Muddy Waters. He continued to operate Ebony Records until the early 1970's. Mayo was preceded in death by his wife, Aleta Stokes Williams in March of 1968. The couple had no children.
The graves of Mayo and his wife were reported as undisturbed by the Cook County sheriff's office during the Burr Oak cemetery scandal investigation.
[Note - Corrections or additions to the above are welcome. Most of the information above was gleaned from various Internet and newspaper stories.]∼Age: 85
Inscription
J Mayo Williams
PVT US ARMY
WORLD WAR I
1894 1980
Gravesite Details
For whatever reason, Find A Grave has rejected the request to rate Mayo as "Famous".
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