BUFFALO, N.Y. — Eric Williams, known in the music world as "E Will," is a musician and musical producer who has graced the stage with Fantasia, Bell Biv DeVoe, H.E.R., TLC, SWV, Xscape, Jodeci, K-Ci.
Williams was born and raised in Buffalo. He attended Kensington and Bennett high schools.
He will tell you about his upbringing in the church at Open Door #1 on Broadway in Buffalo and living in the McCarley Gardens near the Fruit Belt.
He credits several musicians for helping him in the beginning, including his father Eric Williams, Rodney Appleby, and others. When discussing Appleby, Williams said "he's a great bass player. When I was at Kensington High School he would sit me down and say we have to go over music notes."
Williams played and got his start with Teddy Riley from the group Guy.
Williams now resides in Charlotte, N.C, but his ties to Buffalo remain strong.
He says faith, talent and hard work keeps him grounded and in touch with people and music.
When asked to describe working with some big acts, he calls Fantasia "anointed and gifted, she's just a straight up powerhouse like Fantasia, she gets the business. She's a one of the entertainers I work with, that actually knows what she wants."
Working with New Edition he said is like a dream.
"You got to realize these guys in the 80s, as I was coming up, they actually they were the sound. So you hear all those those records, and knowing those records, working with them was like, 'Wow.' I'm pinching myself like, 'Am I really here?' You know, because those guys, they meant so much to me and not only me, but my mother, my father, so to work with them is incredible."
When it comes to the sound of Buffalo, Williams started moving his shoulders and swaying back and forth.
"It's a dirty, grungy, funky sound. Understand, the musicians of Buffalo, we can play pretty much any kind of music," he said.
E Will has quite the story to tell and he's all about helping and uplifting others.
"I believe it's not how you start, but it's how you turn out. Many of us come from a rocky foundation. When I say 'rocky foundation,' I mean there was nothing set up for us to really become, we had to figure it out. Some of us, we didn't grow from the dirt. We grew from concrete," he said.
"Being in Buffalo, I learned the hustle. I had a hustle. Go get it mentality. I didn't have a laissez-faire mentality, so I believe my story connects with the dreamer that understands dreaming is the first part of becoming."
Still Rockin' is E Will and he's on a chart topping single. His collaboration with K-Ci & Coko on "Crazy For Your Love."