Andre Williams' Rise and Fall Recounted in Documentary

Posted on Jan 5th 2010 10:00AM by Scott Tomford
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There are two types of legendary musicians: the ones that stay in the spotlight as ambassadors of the past, and those that slowly fade into obscurity, leaving us to wonder what happened to them. In the case of Andre Williams, we don't have to wonder any longer. While the name might not ring a bell right away, his work certainly will: first rising to prominence with solo hits like 'Jail Bait' and 'Bacon Fat,' Williams went on to write some of the most well-known songs by artists like Stevie Wonder and Ike Turner, including 'Shake a Tail Feather.'

Like many artists of his time, though, Williams fell into a dependency on drugs and alcohol and the downward spiral eventually led to both a slide to anonymity and homelessness. Williams' unfortunate reality gets chronicled in the documentary 'Agile Mobile Hostile,' which follows the singer for a year as he bounces from bed to bed and show to show while recounting his glory days. Despite his hard times, Williams still considers himself a "blessed man," and his endless hope, optimism and love for making music shows you that while he might be down, no one can ever say Williams is truly out. Catch his brutally honest portrait in 'Agile Mobile Hostile after the jump, courtesy of our friends at SnagFilms.