[2] In 1952, he was drafted into the United States Marine Corps and moved to San Diego, California for basic training.
According to DJ Tom Diamant, "Anybody who plays bluegrass in the Bay area and sings the tenor part has been influenced by Vern Williams.
He was one of the greatest tenor singers in history"[3] Vern and Ray recorded one studio album, Sounds From the Ozarks, on the Old Homestead label; which is now considered a collector's item.
Over the years, Williams worked with many younger musicians, both in Vern and Ray, and within the Vern Williams Band, who went on to successful careers of their own including Jerry Garcia, Herb Pedersen, Laurie Lewis, Peter Wernick, Sandy Rothman, and Rick Shubb.
Lewis said of her time with the Vern Williams Band, "I was in heaven, with the best seat in the house for that scraped-clean, unvarnished sound" and "Playing with them ... has always been among the highlights of my musical career.