Claude Young and Derek Plaslaiko will play a memorial party for Williams this Saturday.
LaVell Williams, a longtime fixture of Detroit's dance music scene, died at age 51 last Saturday.
Williams, a resident of Roseville, Michigan, worked at the Roseville Record Time shop—a local chain that also employed Mike Huckaby, Magda and Dan Bell—for 13 years starting in 1997.
"There he became a hub of Detroit's music community, especially the area's dance music artists and fans, who trusted him with recommendations, feedback and advice," notes the Detroit Sound Conservancy (DSC), a nonprofit that Williams helped found.
LaVell was also a songwriter and vocalist, appearing on tracks like Seth Troxler & Patrick Russell's "Last Date." Beyond his work with DSC, who we recently profiled on an episode of The Hour podcast, Williams volunteered at the Michigan Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, AIDS Walk Detroit and Pride.
Detroit venue The Works will host a memorial celebration in Williams' honor on Saturday, including sets from Claude Young, Derek Plaslaiko and Jeff Risk.