  
"When I was in the process of recording my 2nd CD, I decided to compose a ballad with
a 'message'. I was in the studio recording the rythmn tracks of "This World of Ours" with the
musicians when I asked the drummer Duncan Moore, if he had known anyone
that could sing the lyrics to this particular song. He immediately said with great
exuberance, "I know a cat that is awesome and perfect for the song, his name is,
Warren Wiebe". I said call him up and see if he'll do it. I made the call to Warren
and he said that he would arrange his schedule to make the 'date'. Now, in the studio, the
day of the recording with Warren, the engineer prefaced his remarks about Warren with,
"Be ready for this guy, he's a little strange, he talks funny, but his voice is
incredible and he will 'blow you away'". Well, here I was in the studio waiting
anxiously for this meeting. I decided to walk outside of the studio to catch a breath of
air when I looked down the street, when there I saw Warren. A giant of a man approached me
and said in a little kids voice (almost like a cartoon), Hi! I'm Warren. We went inside
the studio and I proceeded to show Warren the lyrics. He asked me if I would sing it so
that he could get a 'feel' for the song. I did the best I could and he took notes on the
lyric sheet as I sung the song. He stated to me that he had a 'feel' for it and we should
try a 'take'. After he got settled into his headset, the engineer played back the track so
Warren could try his first take. What came out of this guys mouth was absolutely
beautiful. He made it through the entire song with just one 'glitch'. I wanted to keep the
first half of the song because Warren had sung it flawlessly. He wanted to try another
take. He said that he could do it better. I said that, that was impossible! How does one
improve upon perfection? Anyway, we did another take and again, my jaws dropped in
amazement. How could such an angelic voice come from such a person as this. I was stunned
by this guys voice! When he spoke, he sounded cartoonish. It was like a Gomer Pyle type of
character. Anyway, the woman that is on the song singing the duet part with Warren, Cecily
Johnson, told me that he could impersonate other singers, especially, Stevie
Wonder. So, I asked Warren to sing part of the 'bridge' like Stevie. When we got
to the bridge part, Warren 'whipped' out his Stevie impersonation and again, blew me away!
We got through the song and I said to the engineer, "THAT IS A TAKE." Warren
still wanted to try it again, determined to make it better. I said no! It was perfect! We
finished the song and Warren listened to the playback and said that it sounded like a
Disney song. His only critical remark about the song was that he wished that it had 'real
strings' behind it. I agreed wholeheartedly but alas, it wasn't in the budget. I paid
Warren and said my goodbyes. That was the first and last time that I met this 'gentle'
man. I'm so glad that I was able to have him record a song of mine that will remain a
favorite for years to come." Pepper Williams
About
Pepper Williams...
Pepper Williams was born in ‘Motown City’, Detroit Michigan. He moved to the San
Fransico Bay area where he began his musical odyssey playing saxophone and piano at the
late age of seventeen. He started exploring jazz after he acquired his first sax during
this time. He eventually went to Cal State University Hayward where he would receive his
Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in musical composition. Pepper has recorded two
contemporary jazz CD’s. Over the many years of experience, he has also collaborated
with renowned artists as Stevie Wonder, America, Benny Golson, Lenny Pickett, Tower of
Power, Ronnie Laws, Ray Obiedo, Rodney Franklin, Fattburger,William Kennedy, Gerald
Albright, Freddy “Ready” Washington, Benjamin Franklin Wright, Jr. and many
more. Pepper is currently working on his 3rd CD, entitled “Wonderful Tonight”,
that will offer more exciting sax work along with seven new compositions. |
