Mentor Williams

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Mentor Williams is an internationally known songwriter and producer.[citation needed] He recently received an award from ASCAP, honoring his 30 year commitment to the craft of songwriting. He has earned 17 writer awards. His compositions have earned dozens of Gold and Platinum awards for millions of sales by such outstanding artists as: Dobie Gray, Rod Stewart, George Jones, Michael Bolton, Alabama, the Rolling Stones, Waylon Jennings, Ringo Starr, Randy Travis and Uncle Kracker.

Williams maintained an office at Almo-Irving, in Los Angeles, as staff writer in the late '60s. He produced for A&M, MCA, RSO and CBS Records, commuting constantly between Los Angeles, Nashville, and London. He worked at The Record Plant with Paul McCartney and Kenney Jones and at APPLE STUDIOS in London with Steeler's Wheel and Gerry Rafferty. He produced Kim Carnes, John Stewart, Paul Williams and Dobie Gray, among others. Mentor was a post-production, re-mix engineer for The Muppet Movie, which won a Grammy Award and an Academy Award. He also worked on the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid soundtrack.

"Drift Away", William's most successful composition, was originally a smash hit for Dobie Gray in 1973. It resurfaced in 2004 by Uncle Kracker, who wisely emulated Mentor's original production and utilized Gray's unmistakable voice. The record held the Number 1 spot on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Charts for a record-setting 38 weeks. It remained in the Top Ten for 70 weeks.

Williams built a home overlooking Taos, New Mexico, which he shares with his long-time love, country music legend Lynn Anderson. He does numerous song- writing seminars and lectures at the college level, in an attempt to help up-and-coming writers learn the craft of putting words and music together. He finds inspiration for his music in the beauty of the New Mexico mountains, riding horses, and from his brothers, Paul Williams, Songwriter's Hall of Fame inductee, and the late John Williams, a NASA rocket scientist.