Virginia Louise “Midge” Williams was an African-American swing and jazz vocalist during the 1930s and 1940s. She began her early performing career with her siblings in a family act known as The Williams Quartette, later renamed The Williams Four, performing in churches, theaters, and on the West Coast circuit around the San Francisco–Oakland area. In 1933, the group toured internationally under manager Roger Segure, performing in Shanghai, and in 1934 Williams made her first recordings in Japan for Columbia Records’ Japanese division, recording songs such as "Dinah, Lazy Bones," and "St. Louis Blues." In 1937, she recorded with her group Midge Williams and Her Jazz Jesters, featuring musicians such as Raymond Scott, Frankie Newton, Buster Bailey, and Charlie Shavers, and also performed alongside leading jazz figures including Fats Waller, Glenn Miller, and Teddy Wilson. In 1938 she joined the Louis Armstrong orchestra and toured nationally, later continuing club performances through the 1940s. Williams died on January 9, 1952, at the age of 36.
