Marlon Williams: 2016

Put together folk, punk, church choir singing, classical music, traditional Maori singing, and country music against the backdrop of the small port town of Littleton, New Zealand, and you have an idea of the childhood of singer songwriter, Marlon Williams.

It’s not often that New Zealanders pass through our Studio A doors, so it was fascinating to learn from Williams that there is a vibrant country music scene there. After he sang in a cathedral choir, picked up the guitar at age 11, and played in a high school Beatles cover band, Williams finally discovered Gram Parsons and Gene Clark. The young musician started writing country music of his own.

After a short stint studying opera, Williams took all that he learned and dove into writing and performing his country-influenced songs. He found that he preferred playing music in bars over any other kind of venue.

Garnering critical acclaim and well-deserved comparisons to a young Elvis Presley, Marlon Williams has just released his self-titled debut. On FUV Live, we hear how all of these influences come together in his powerful singing and the stories he tells in song.