J. Mayo Williams, who was nicknamed “Ink” due to his dark skin, had two often simultaneous careers. He is best remembered today as a pioneering African-American record producer and talent scout who worked for the Paramount and Decca labels, but he was also one of the few black professional football players who was active during the earliest years of the National Football League.
Very little has been written about Williams through the years, making Clifford Murphy’s biography particularly valuable. The producer was interviewed five times in the 1970s by others and his first-person memories add to this book’s value, but the biography is particularly successful due to Murphy’s comprehensive decades-long research and his very readable text. Rather than separate Williams’ music and sports lives, he combines them in a chronological fashion, showing how they overlapped and how Williams’ personality, intelligence, and methods helped him excel in both areas.
J. Mayo Williams accomplished a great deal despite the odds being very much against him during his prime years. He attended both black and white colleges, was an Army officer during World War I, became a star in track and field, and played both offense (as an end) and defense during the first few years of the National Football League before a “gentlemen’s agreement” resulted in professional football barring Africa
