Williams, Martin T.

Martin Williams (1924-1992) was born in Richmond, Virginia, and educated at the University of Virginia (B.A., 1948), the University of Pennsylvania (M.A., 1950) and Columbia University. He was a nationally known critic, specializing in jazz and American popular culture. He wrote for major jazz periodicals, especially Down Beat, co-founded The Jazz Review, and was the author of numerous books on jazz. During 1971-81, he directed the Jazz and American Culture Programs at the Smithsonian Institution, where he compiled The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz and The Smithsonian Collection of Big Band Jazz.