Kae Williams
1921-1987
Blues and R&B/Soul
A.k.a. Ulysses Kae Williams
Born on 04.02.1921, Philadelphia, Pennysylvania, U.S.A.
Died on 29.12.1987, Philadelphia, Pennysylvania, U.S.A.
Known as Kae Williams Snr.
Not to be confused with his son Kae Williams Jr.
Born in Phiadelphia in 1921, Kae Williams Snr was known as one of the earliest local deejays to play the blues. He, originally, moved into radio around 1945 and worked for numerous area stations, including WSSJ, WDAS, WHAT and WCAM. At the same time, he worked for the Philadelphia Tribune, from 1945 to 1948 as theatrical and night club critic. There, it was his job to review as many shows as possible, and write a theatrical column.
Jocko Henderson recalls when he (Jocko) came to Philadelphia from Baltimore, there were three black DJ's on the radio, Ramone Bruce, Randy Dixon and Kae Williams himself.
In the mid-1950's, Kae reached what would be eventually the high point of his career. He, and the group he was now managing, The Silhouettes, had a huge pop hit with 'Get a Job'. The track sold several million copies in USA and abroad and topped the pop charts. He, also, managing a group called The Sensations (2), which sold close to a million with the pop tune 'Let Me In'.
These records made everybody money but him and he felt a little bitter that he never got his due moneywise or publicity wise because Kae didn't own the publishing copyright.
At the time this type of thing happened to a lot of the black artists, promoters and producers in those early, pre-civil rights days of rock.