“Steve Williams’ love for jazz might have been baked in at birth.
Reflecting on his life and his decision to retire after 31 years of hosting a nightly jazz program on KUER-FM, Williams looks back on his parents’ musical experiences as a formative influence on his life. He even has an album of big-band jazz recorded at the concert where his parents met.
“My dad was a professional saxophonist; she was a tap dancer,” Williams said. “At 12 years old, 13, she was a professional tap dancer.”
On a fateful night at the Hollywood Palladium in 1945, Murray Williams was playing lead alto sax for the Gene Krupa Orchestra. His future wife — visiting from Utah — came to hear the band play. There must have been magic in the air as well as music; they met that night and got married not long after.“
