John Francis Williams (né Nagle; November 15, 1905 – October 19, 1985) was an American percussionist from the early 1930s to the late 1950s.

His father was a drummer who owned a music store, and also organized an orchestra in Bath, Maine.

[1][2] He took the surname of his stepfather, Henry Williams, a political consultant who worked on Republican Party campaigns and served on the Bangor city council.

Williams, explaining Scott's (commercially successful) penchant for recording rehearsals and using the reference discs to develop and finalize his compositions, said, "He didn't write anything, but he edited everything.

[8] Scott and his band returned to New York in 1938, allegedly due to the leader's disgust at Hollywood culture ("They think everything is 'wonderful'," he told an interviewer).

)[9] Throughout his association with Scott, Williams continued as an in-demand drummer for the CBS radio network.

His assignments included playing for bands led by Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Vincent Lopez, Leo Reisman, Jacques Renard, and Alfonso D'Artega.