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WILLIAMS |
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 It was packed Monday, August, 5, 2002, at the MALIBU INN, and it took some patience to get through the thick crowd of friends, family and local musicians there to celebrate the life of one of Rock n' Rolls greatest unknown legends, Chris Williams. Sam Khoury (general manager of the Malibu Inn), Greg Soloman (Backbone69 manager), and Alex Orbison (Backbone69 drummer) decided to do the Monday night tribute on the exact one-year anniversary of the death of Backbone69's founding member -- and to cap the night with the long-awaited return of Backbone69. It was a gathering of family, friends and musicians from all over the country, playing and talking about a man whose impact they will never forget. The evening started off with an acoustic set from friends and family such as John LaLaine and Brittney O'Neal (Backbone69 backup vocalist), and proceeded to a jam featuring seemingly every local musician, where everyone was lucky enough to see that magic once again.Jose Hernandez (Backbone69 promoter) describes it as, "Felt like he was there last night, not as good, but the vibe was definitely there. The women went crazy like Chris would want it. He wouldn't have expected less."  Blake Mills explains that, "It takes someone like Chris Williams to bring all these people together."Backbone69 revisted consisted of all original members Alex Orbison (drums), Berry Oakley and Damon Webb (bassists), and Duane Betts (Guitar, Vocals) and friends Blake Mills, Kevin Soloman, and Marc Ford. Sam Khoury: "Every path Chris crossed became a part of his heart and soul. Every path that Chris paved, he paved with a tremendous amount of intense passion and integrity. Chris 'Wheels' Williams inspires a living, loving legend in every one of us. 'Wheels' will always turn from the snowcapped mountains to the evergreens. All season long not only in the autumn breeze and so much closer than a distant dream. There is a piece of Chris Williams between every seam." Damon Webb: “Williams taught me to be strong, how to play, and was there in spirit. It was great Mayhem and I will never forget him."  Alex Orbison (Backbone69 drummer): “An unorthodox memorial assured everyone was going to have a great time with no drama so the sadness wouldn't be mixed up with other people's personal problems. Starting off with an acoustic set.... it moved onto a large gathering with a short speech by yours truly and a 21 cork salute in which we cracked 3 cases of champagne and popped the bottles and passed them around carrying and sharing in the finest of rock n' roll fashion. Then went on to have a moment of loudness in which the large crowd screamed their lungs out for 5 minutes straight such as Williams would've wanted it, and then quoted the world famous Chris Williams' staple of life ‘Wherever we go trouble seems to follow.’ The music was fine, the people were rockin', the atmosphere was great, and in the midst of the sadness I think overall we had a great time.”Dean Deleo (Stone Temple Pilots): "Chris's soul and spirit are immense. He merely outlived his body." |
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© 2003 Fans and Artists
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