Victoria Williams to Perform at Ramapo in Celebration of Disabilities Awareness Month
(Mahwah) – In celebration of Disability Awareness Month, country/folk-singer Victoria Williams will perform along with Mark Olson and the Creekdippers, Friday, September 27 in the Sharp Theater at Ramapo College of New Jersey. The concert is sponsored by the Office of Specialized Services and the Office of Student Development at Ramapo.
Singer-songwriter Victoria Williams was born in Louisiana in 1959. As a teenager, she taught herself the guitar and joined her first band while in college. In 1992, while touring with Neil Young, Williams noticed a growing numbness in her hands, which was soon diagnosed as multiple sclerosis. Without health insurance and facing expensive treatments for her disorder, Williams’s musician friends recorded a benefit album to pay for her expenses. The 1993 compilation, Sweet Relief, outsold Williams’ own records and brought renewed attention to her work. Excess proceeds from the Sweet Relief album were used by Williams to establish the Sweet Relief Fund, a project to aid other musicians with health problems. “I feel so blessed. And I want them to find inspiration,” said Williams. It’s so fantastic to play music, and I always hope it’s good for people.”
In 1994 Williams released an album of duets with Soul Asylum’s Dave Pirner and the Jayhawks’ Mark Olson. Entitled Loose, the album spawned the Loose Band, who backed up Williams on her next tour; the tour culminated in the recording of a retrospective live album, This Moment in Toronto.
In the summer of 1997, Williams toured with the Lilith Fair. And in 1998, her long-awaited album, Musings of a Creekdipper, was released on Atlantic. The album features contributions by husband and former Jayhawks member, Mark Olson. Williams’ latest album, Water to Drink, was released in the summer of 2000.
The Sharp Theater is located in the Berrie Center at Ramapo College. Admission is free. For additional information, call (201) 684-7844.
