YOU wouldn’t expect to find a music star who has written hits for the likes of Michael Jackson and Dusty Springfield hunkering down at Buninyong.
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But English-born soul and RnB artist Geoffrey Williams wouldn’t have it any other way.
Williams wrote the song Whatever Happens on Jackson’s final studio album Invincible, which the megastar recorded alongside guitar legend Carlos Santana.
“That was pretty handy, it was a very big thing in my life. I spent most of my teens and 20s dancing to his music, so to write one of his songs, it’s still jaw-dropping to me. It’s slightly dreamlike,” he said.
He also wrote Born This Way for Dusty Springfield. If that wasn’t enough, he’s also collaborated with Color Me Badd and played alongside Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Bootsy Collins.
Moving to Australia with love of his life, pianist Georgina Williams, he says the isolation from the RnB world has actually helped his art.
“Genres are tricky because they sometimes have quite strong parameters, and if you’re not doing this, you’re not that. I’ve trained my voice within those parameters, but really I like a lot of different types of music,” he said.
“Being here is great because I get to do the things that I really want to do and I’m not shackled by how people know me. I can be experimental and creative and a bit more loose.”
And experimental it is – Williams uses a loop machine to create a full-bodied musical experience, improvising throughout. He said he couldn’t pinpoint how long it took him to get to a level where he could improvise with ease.
“How long does it take to be proficient? I don’t think I am yet. The things I’m chasing, I haven’t got there yet,” he said.
All those songs I’ve listened to, those records, all those bits and pieces I’ve heard – they’re in there.
- Soul and R&B loop artist Geoffrey Williams
“All those songs I’ve listened to, those records, all those bits and pieces I’ve heard – they’re in there. I’ve got a bit of an audiographic memory - I remember things. If I’ve heard something once or twice – I’ve got to like it otherwise I won’t pay attention – I’ll remember it.”
Williams also teaches contemporary voice at Ballarat Grammar and Clarendon College and pop song writing at the VCA, and runs choirs in Ballarat and Daylesford. He will perform at the Grande Hotel in Hepburn Springs on July 15. For details, visit thegrandehotel.com.au
