Lamar Williams

[4] Initially he was assigned to a Special Services band,[4] which performed for Army basic training recruits, for non-commissioned officers' clubs, and for local townspeople.

"[5] According to author Scott Freeman, who wrote a history of the Allman Brothers Band, Williams related that he went AWOL as soon as he arrived at an airbase in South Vietnam, running between two barracks and into the jungle.

[4] Williams' story continued that he was arrested at one point but got free, and then after that, several black members of the Military Police let him know whenever the MPs were getting close to finding him again.

[6] He went through a period of formal "processing out" of the Army and then adjusted to civilian life, including letting his hair grow longer.

By then The Allman Brothers Band had achieved significant success with Jaimoe as one of their drummers, but had just suffered the death of original bassist Berry Oakley.

[3] During Williams' audition, the band's other drummer, Butch Trucks, suddenly declared after three songs, "Enough of this tryout shit, let's rehearse."

During this period, Leavell, Williams, and Jaimoe felt a tight bond with each other, while Trucks, Gregg Allman, and Dickey Betts went their own ways.

From 2015 to 2017, he also performed with several Allman Brothers alumni, including Johanson, Trucks, percussionist Marc Quiñones and bassist Oteil Burbridge, as a vocalist in Les Brers.

[6] The non-profit Lamar Williams Foundation For Agent Orange Research was established after his death, with monies from some benefit concerts in 1985 and 1986 going to it and other Vietnam War related organizations.

[21][22] The foundation was subsequently merged into the larger Welcome Home, Inc. organization, which was concerned with a variety of challenges facing Vietnam veterans.

In 2015, the Mississippi Blues Trail placed a historical marker titled "Gulfport Boogie" to honor Jaimoe, Williams, and others from the immediate area who had left their mark on the American musical landscape.