The band was pivotal in the development of fusion and featured various noteworthy jazz and rock musicians throughout its history, including guitarists John McLaughlin and Allan Holdsworth, keyboardists Larry Young and Alan Pasqua, and bassists Jack Bruce and Ron Carter.

The fourth and last Lifetime album for Polydor/PolyGram, 1973's The Old Bum's Rush, was recorded in Boston and features entirely new personnel consisting of female vocalist and guitarist Linda/Laura 'Tequila' Logan (Williams' love interest at the time), Webster Lewis on organ & clavinet, David Horowitz on piano, vibes, and ARP synthesizer, and Herb Bushler on bass.

Prior to recording, this lineup of the Lifetime, augmented by guitarist Bob Cacciola (or possibly Caccicola) performed material from the album on July 7, 1972, at the Newport Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, in New York.

Marking yet another stylistic departure for the Lifetime and reinvention of the band's musical identity, the record is characterized by a predominantly sprightly and upbeat songwriting approach, electronic keyboard-dominated sound, and soul-jazz female vocals.

In 1974, Williams formed a new Lifetime featuring Bum's Rush holdovers Webster Lewis on keyboards and Linda/Laura 'Tequila' Logan on vocals, along with former Cream/Lifetime bassist Jack Bruce and British guitarist Allan Holdsworth.

After recording Million Dollar Legs, guitarist Allan Holdsworth departed and was replaced first by Larry Herzberg (in the summer of 1976) and then by Marlon Graves for the subsequent tour undertaken to support the album.

This lineup recorded demos for the Columbia label but had no official releases and played a small number of live gigs performing material from Ego and the two New Lifetime albums Believe It and Million Dollar Legs.

In July 1978 Williams toured Japan with Ronnie Montrose (guitar), Brian Auger (keyboards), Mario Cipollina (bass) and special guest Billy Cobham also on drums for a series of concerts.

Later that year he released The Joy of Flying, an eclectic solo album featuring a mix of styles and collaborations with Herbie Hancock, Cecil Taylor, Tom Scott, Stanley Clarke, Michael Brecker, George Benson, and Jan Hammer.

The band's sound was a major departure from the former New Lifetime's classic fusion, with the high-energy shredding heard on Believe It and Million Dollar Legs largely abandoned in favor of a cerebral and groove-laden approach that emphasized mood and melody over technical virtuosity.

Stylistically, the recording found Williams returning to high energy keyboard-dominated instrumental fusion reminiscent of the 1975 album On the Mountain by Elvin Jones, Jan Hammer and Gene Perla.