The year was 1955. Maurice Williams was a student at Barr Street High in the small town of Lancaster, South Carolina, playing piano and trombone and singing in the glee club. Along with four other young men, Maurice formed a band called THE ROYAL CHARMS. Soon, the CHARMS were winning local talent shows and playing high school proms.
In 1957, the group changed their name to THE GLADIOLAS, and Maurice composed a song titled "Little Darlin". A nationally famous recording act named THE DIAMONDS did a cover version and sent the song to the top of the charts.
In 1960, after changing the group's name once again to THE ZODIACS, Maurice recorded "Stay". It was the number one song that entire summer
and firmly established MAURICE WILLIAMS AND THE ZODIACS as one of the top performing groups in the country. Other successful tunes followed: "I Remember" in 1961
and in 1964, the classic "May I". Maurice's songs have been recorded by numerous top names in the industry, from Jackson Browne to the Four Seasons to Elvis. In 1988,
Maurice was presented with a Multi Platinum Award for sales of more than 8,000,000 copies of RCA RECORDS' "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack.
Today, MAURICE WILLIAMS AND THE ZODIACS are in constant demand at country clubs, supper clubs, conventions, and private parties.
