Franklin “Frank” Delano Williams, a gospel music vocalist, musician, recording artist and record company executive, was born to Leon “Pop” and Amanda Williams on June 27, 1947, in Smithville, Mississippi. He began his quartet singing career as a preteen, joining the Southern Gospel Singers and becoming one of the earliest members of the Williams Brothers, the family quartet Pop organized in 1960. By 1964, Frank had exited the Williams Brothers to join his brother, Huey Paul Williams, in the Jackson Southernaires. Founded in the 1940s in Jackson, Mississippi, the Jackson Southernaires started out as a local group. Anchored by the combined talents of Frank and Huey and vocalist Willie Banks, the quartet scored a record deal in 1963 with Song Bird, a subsidiary of Peacock Records. Between 1963 and 1974, the group waxed several hits for Song Bird, though none were bigger than 1968’s mournfu…
