Not long after Joe Williams left the Basie Band, he called John Levy. It was in the early 1960s and his longtime friend from Chicago had made a name for himself as THE jazz manager. "Can you take this phone out of my ear?" Joe asked John. From that day forward, until the day Joe died, John was Joe's manager. Men of their word, what they had was a gentleman's agreement - a deal without a written contract, sealed only with a handshake.

It was Joe who introduced John and Devra Hall, and it was Joe who became Devra's first retainer client when she launched her own public relations company. As Joe's  longtime friend and publicist, Devra wrote the following text for Joe's funeral service program. Services were held at the First Church of Religious Science in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Wednesday, April 7, 1999.

Here's to Life... the life of a man who over his 80 years touched the hearts of millions of people around the world.

Joe Williams was born in Cordele, Georgia and raised in Chicago. From the rags of the depression era to the riches that became his through his music, the struggles and triumphs of his career are well documented in the annals of music history.

Between 1944 and 1960 Joe Williams made more than a dozen recordings, almost half of which were with Count Basie. He was Count Basie's #1 son, and their 1955 recording was largely responsible for the resurgent success of the Basie Orchestra. Joe left the band in January of 1961 and from that day to this, he added another three dozen plus recordings, two honorary doctorates degrees, several acting apearances in movies and television, and thousands of rounds of golf to his list of credits...not to mention a Grammy, a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and countless live performances around the globe.

He rode to fame on the back of the blues, but he bared his soul with soulful and romantic ballads. The real heartbreak in the 1957 release of "A Man Ain't Supposed to Cry" was not about lost love but about a world that was not yet ready to embrace a black balladeer. But nothing deterred Joe.

Joe's achievements stand far taller than his 6-foot frame, and he carried them with dignity, humility, and appreciation of the love given him by his wife, Jillean, his friends, and his fans.

Joe's talent and hard work earned him the status of "living legend." The legend continues to live on in our hearts...Every Day.