Michael Williams’ ears are a magnet for music notes. On Tuesday, in his small office six floors above a Denver strip mall, Williams noted the hum of the building’s HVAC system buzzed at B-flat.
“Michael’s value is that he is kind of a prodigy child,” said Deborah Walker, host of KUVO Jazz’s radio show “The Gospel Train.” “He is so gifted and has an extraordinary ear. He’s able to play any type of music. He accompanies all types of individuals from classical to pop to gospel even though his mainstay is the gospel industry.”
Williams, 52, started as a musical child prodigy singing at Denver’s King Baptist Church with his siblings from the time he was a toddler.
“My dad treated us like we were the Jackson 5,” Williams said. “I remember being as young as 2, and we had to rehearse six weeks straight for an Easter program.”
By 9, Williams taught himself to play the piano by ear after his mother gave him his first lesson. Williams’ late father played the accordion and was an understudy for the Temptations, he said.
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