Department of Family Services – Older Adults

CONTACT INFORMATION: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
703-324-7948 TTY 711
12011 Government Center Parkway, Suite 708
Fairfax, VA 22035
Trina Mayhan-Webb
Director

Charles Williams: Show Stopper!

Article by Mary Jane Dye, Editor, Golden Gazette, Department of Family Services

(Posted 2022 January)

Golden Gazette newsletter banner graphic


Charles Williams, 85, is a showstopper. His amazing operatic singing voice is rich, warm, and filled with energy—just like him! His dynamic talent and charisma have taken him to the stages of the Spoleto Festival in Italy, the Paris Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera for the 50th anniversary performance of Porgy and Bess—his most favorite performance.

According to Charles, his humble beginnings are rooted in rural Haynesville, Louisiana. “As a little boy, I sang while standing on a wooden Coca-Cola box,” he reminisces. “It was at my Uncle Green Hatter’s café.” He sang the old Bing Crosby song, “Pennies from Heaven.

Charles Williams singing   Charles Williams dancing

When Charles was just seven, his parents amicably separated. He and his mother left Haynesville on a Greyhound bus for a better life in Detroit, Michigan. “She wanted more opportunities for us,” he says. And, most importantly, “my younger sister was already living there with relatives.” Eventually the family—including his grandparents—settled in Dayton, Ohio. After high school, he lived with godparents in Cleveland where he attended the Cleveland School of Music Settlement.

The city of Cleveland is where he landed the role of Og the leprechaun in Finian’s Rainbow. “It was at the Karamu House in 1958,” says Charles. The Karamu House was a theater for an interracial group of performers. According to Charles, he was the first African American to play Og at the theater. “I still have the review,” he says proudly.

Charles credits his mom and grandmother for encouraging his musical talents in singing and piano and says that without their faith in him he is unsure where he’d be. “I call them my queens,” says Charles, misty-eyed. From elementary school through high school, he sang in his school and church choirs.

After leaving Cleveland, he attended Los Angeles City College earning his associate’s degree in music and theater arts.

Charles Williams acting  Charles Williams and Wynton Marsalis

“My father was living in Los Angeles, and it seemed like a good idea.” He soon met Ruth Baja, a fellow student. She was born in the Philippines, a diplomat’s daughter, and had traveled all over the world. “As soon as I set eyes on her, I knew she was the one for me.” They courted throughout college.

Always following his dreams, Charles took his senior year off to perform in the musical Carnival Island at Ebony Showcase Theater. Of course, it wasn’t long until he was drafted into the U.S. Army, reported for basic training, and assigned to Germany.

During the Berlin Crisis of the early 60s his assignment was in Augsburg. “I was happy to serve my country,” he says matter-of-factly. He knew that not even an ocean would separate him from his true love Ruth. Happily, he relays, “I proposed to Ruth in a letter soon after I arrived in Augsburg.” She said yes, and they were married on Sept. 24, 1961.

A year and a half later after Charles was discharged, they decided to stay in Germany. Ruth had an important job at the U.S. Press Center, and Charles received a full scholarship to study voice and opera at the Berlin University of the Arts. This also allowed Ruth to continue writing her memoir of experiences while living in Germany. “It was a dream come true,” he says, “for both of us.”

As it turned out, they spent the next two decades calling Berlin their home. Charles made a name for himself and was a regular on West and East German television. He appeared in the film Cabaret and traveled throughout Europe acting and singing in theaters and opera houses in Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, and Italy.

Charles Williams and three actorsWhile in Europe, the couple made many friends. Charles says that being an “exotic” couple and family, people were drawn to them. “I still have great friends in Berlin and elsewhere that would hop on a plane to the U.S. if they knew or thought I needed them,” he proclaims. “They will be my friends for the rest of my life.”

Charles and Ruth moved back to the States in 1982 with their two children. The kids attended school in Fairfax County, Charles accepted a job at the Levine School of Music in Washington, D.C. as its director of vocal studies, and in 1986 Ruth became a U.S. citizen. “We had a lot going on,” he exclaims.

Charles also experienced a reawakening with his musical roots—spirituals, gospel, folk, and treasures from the American Songbook—a loosely defined canon of American jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes. He says that his musical repertoire wouldn’t be complete without gospel music. He admits that he even considered the clergy while in high school. “In the end, I decided to do the preaching with my singing voice.”

Charles’ voice lends itself to reciting famous speeches and other great works. He is passionate when he performs Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” and King’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech, “I Still Believe.”  He feels it’s always an honor to use his voice to replicate the wise words of Black civil rights leaders.

Charles Williams and wife RuthRuth and Charles were married for sixty years when, sadly, Ruth passed away last April. Charles disclosed that Ruth had Parkinson’s disease, and he lovingly served as her caregiver for several years. In addition, he used several caregiving services provided by the county. He took off almost two years from work to give Ruth his full attention. “It was an honor to take care of Ruth. She was my soulmate.” Many cherished memories comfort him.

One of his favorites is of a New Year’s Eve years ago. He and Ruth had returned from living and working in Europe. He and Tom Teasley, a world-renowned percussionist, performed Spoken Word and Song at Old Town Alexandria’s First Night. “It was very exciting, performing for wayfaring fellow Americans on such a special evening,” he says. Later, he and Ruth gathered with close friends to celebrate the New Year. “I will never forget it. Ruth and I were so happy to begin a new year in America.” Charles relays that Ruth always chuckled at his New Year’s resolution because it was the same every year. “I always resolve to get more exercise, and...sometimes I do.” 

Although Charles is semi-retired, he still teaches a bit at Levine School of Music. He continues to sing and teach at home where he concentrates on the “mature” voice. “A well-trained voice can make a healthy sound in one’s 70s and 80s,” he explains. Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald are his “top drawer” performers. “I hope that I sound as good at 95 as Tony Bennett,” he says.

As he sang to me with a mask on at this interview, there is no doubt in my mind that Charles will be better than Tony Bennet.


This article is part of the Golden Gazette monthly newsletter which covers a variety of topics and community news concerning older adults and caregivers in Fairfax County. Are you new to the Golden Gazette? Don’t miss out on future newsletters! Subscribe to get the electronic or free printed version mailed to you. Have a suggestion for a topic? Share it in an email or call 703-324-GOLD (4653).


Back to top

Fairfax Virtual Assistant