John’s father, Johnny Williams, was a jazz percussionist with the Raymond Scott Quintet, and later worked for Twentieth Century Fox. John’s brothers Donald and Jerry are also percussionists, while John’s son Joseph is the lead vocalist for rock band Toto, best known for their 1982 hit ‘Africa’.¹⁾

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, who also trained Henry Mancini, mentored Williams.²⁾

Williams went on to serve as a studio musician for Mancini.³⁾