The Resilient Voice Of Victoria Williams : NPR
The Resilience Of  Victoria Williams
 Victoria Williams  has one of the most distinctive voices in American rock.  She 's also one of its most unusual lyricists.
 The singer  can't remember a time when  she  didn't sing.
"I kind of unconsciously sang before I'd go to bed. I would be singing to where my brother would knock on the wall and say  'Shut up ' " Williams  tells NPR's Alex Cohen.
Eventually   she  grew a bit more conscious of  her  talent and started performing with local bands around  her  hometown of Forbing  Louisiana. But  Williams  never really thought of it as a career â until one night  when  she  played at a gig at a deer camp for a gathering of hunters.
"The band went on break and I went and I sang a song " says  Williams . "And this hunter came up and  he  says  'I'll give you a hundred dollars if you sing another song.'"
Soon after   Williams  began writing songs like "Happy Come Home " a tune inspired by one of her neighbors who lost her dog.
"It touches me because of the lyric  'Happy come home.' Maybe it's not even a dog... maybe it's just happiness " says  Williams .
From there   Williams  built a loyal following on simple songs that strike a deeper chord.
"To me  empathy is the main instrument of our very existence... The ordinary human condition in all of its comedy and tragedy â and she had all of that in a pronounced way " says pianist and composer Van Dyke Parks  who has worked with such notable artists as The Beach Boys  U2 and Skrillex and arranged  Williams ' 1987 debut album.
That album caught the attention of the famed filmmaker D. A. Pennebaker  who had already made documentaries about Bob Dylan and the epochal Monterey Pop Festival. Pennebaker shot a short film about  Williams  and her music.
"I was like on the 23rd show " says  Williams . "All of a sudden my hands were numb and I couldn't play the guitar  so I'm just standing there sitting and singing a capella. So  his  manager said  'You've got to go to the hospital and figure out what's wrong with you.'"
 Williams  was eventually diagnosed with multiple sclerosis  a degenerative disease of the central nervous system. She had to stop performing to regain her health and  before long  the singer was overwhelmed by medical bills. Luckily   Williams  had earned some fans through an appearance years before on a cable access show in New York City.
The couple wound up befriending  Williams  and when the singer fell ill. "We felt this immediate need to help her...and I think a lot of people felt that way."
Reed says it wasn't too hard to get some people to record  Williams ' songs for a benefit album Reed helped organize  Sweet Relief: A Benefit for  Victoria Williams  featured a dozen artists including Pearl Jam  Lucinda Williams  and Reed's husband.  Victoria Williams  says  she 'll never forget the first time  she  heard it.
Sweet Relief helped bring  Williams ' music to a much wider audience and raised so much money  she  wound up with a surplus.  She  used it to establish a foundation for other musicians struggling with medical costs.
The Resilient Voice Of Victoria Williams : NPR
The Resilience Of  Victoria Williams
 Victoria Williams  has one of the most distinctive voices in American rock. She 's also one of its most unusual lyricists. The singer  can't remember a time when  she  didn't sing. "I kind of unconsciously sang before I'd go to bed. I would be singing to where my brother would knock on the wall and say  'Shut up ' " Williams  tells NPR's Alex Cohen. Eventually   she  grew a bit more conscious of  her  talent and started performing with local bands around  her  hometown of Forbing  Louisiana. But  Williams  never really thought of it as a career â until one night  when  she  played at a gig at a deer camp for a gathering of hunters. "The band went on break and I went and I sang a song " says  Williams. "And this hunter came up and  he  says  'I'll give you a hundred dollars if you sing another song. '"
Soon after   Williams  began writing songs like "Happy Come Home " a tune inspired by one of her neighbors who lost her dog. "It touches me because of the lyric  'Happy come home. ' Maybe it's not even a dog... maybe it's just happiness " says  Williams. From there   Williams  built a loyal following on simple songs that strike a deeper chord. "To me  empathy is the main instrument of our very existence... The ordinary human condition in all of its comedy and tragedy â and she had all of that in a pronounced way " says pianist and composer Van Dyke Parks  who has worked with such notable artists as The Beach Boys  U2 and Skrillex and arranged  Williams ' 1987 debut album. That album caught the attention of the famed filmmaker D. A. Pennebaker  who had already made documentaries about Bob Dylan and the epochal Monterey Pop Festival. Pennebaker shot a short film about  Williams  and her music. "I was like on the 23rd show " says  Williams. "All of a sudden my hands were numb and I couldn't play the guitar  so I'm just standing there sitting and singing a capella. So  his  manager said  'You've got to go to the hospital and figure out what's wrong with you. '"
 Williams  was eventually diagnosed with multiple sclerosis  a degenerative disease of the central nervous system. She had to stop performing to regain her health and  before long  the singer was overwhelmed by medical bills. Luckily   Williams  had earned some fans through an appearance years before on a cable access show in New York City. The couple wound up befriending  Williams  and when the singer fell ill. "We felt this immediate need to help her... and I think a lot of people felt that way. "
Reed says it wasn't too hard to get some people to record  Williams ' songs for a benefit album Reed helped organize  Sweet Relief: A Benefit for  Victoria Williams  featured a dozen artists including Pearl Jam  Lucinda Williams  and Reed's husband. Victoria Williams  says  she 'll never forget the first time  she  heard it. Sweet Relief helped bring  Williams ' music to a much wider audience and raised so much money  she  wound up with a surplus. She  used it to establish a foundation for other musicians struggling with medical costs.