THE MAD LADS

The Mad Lads were one of only a few successful vocal groups to record at Stax.

They were formed at Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis. The original members were John Gary Williams, Julius E. Green, William Brown, and Robert Phillips. They called themselves the Emeralds, but changed it when Estelle Axton, co-owner of Stax, learned there was already a group with that name. Deanie Parker, a Stax employee, suggested “The Mad Lads” due both to the guys’ impish behavior and as a tip o’ the hat to a local disc jockey, Reuben “Mad Lad” Washington.

Their first release on Stax, 1964’s “The Sidewalk Surf,” was co-written by Isaac Hayes under the pseudonym Ed Lee. The single did nothing, mainly because it stank. Their next release, however, was a different story. A doo-wop-flavored ballad with Williams’ innocent-sounding tenor lead, “Don’t Have to Shop Around” peaked at #11 on the Billboard Rhythm & Blues chart in 1965. It was the first of three consecutive top twenty R&B hits for the group.

In late 1966, John Gary Williams and William Brown were drafted. Their replacements were Sam Nelson and Quincy Billups, Jr. His Vietnam experience caused Williams psychological problems that would plague him for much of his life. He also became involved in the Civil Rights Movement and joined a youth organizational group called the Invaders during the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike.

When they returned to civilian life, both Williams and Brown were told by the rest of the Mad Lads that they were not welcome back in the group. However, they were forced to take Williams back at the insistence of Stax president Jim Stewart. The group continued, without great chart success, until 1972. A year later, John Gary Williams recorded a self-titled solo album for Stax. It produced a single, “The Whole Damn World is Going Crazy,” which became a favorite on the UK’s Northern Soul scene.

In 2015, a group of 150 Northern Soul fans from England made a pilgrimage to Memphis, in large part to meet their idol, John Gary Williams. When they did meet him at a surprise luncheon, he agreed to form a new Mad Lads group to perform at their main event at the Stax Museum.

In his later years, Williams became the equivalent of a minister, often staying up all night to counsel gang members against resorting to violence and helping them turn their lives around. He died at home on May 28, 2019, at age 73.

Charted singles:

“Don’t Have to Shop Around” (1965) R&B #11, Pop #93
“I Want Someone” (1966) R&B #10, Pop #74
“I Want a Girl” (1966) R&B #16
“Patch My Heart” (1966-67) R&B #41
“Whatever Hurts You” (1968) R&B #31
“So Nice” (1968) R&B #35
“By the Time I Get to Phoenix” (1969) R&B #28, Pop #84