Joy Williams (singer)
Joy Elizabeth Williams (born November 14, 1982)[1] is an American singer-songwriter. The winner of four Grammy Awards, Williams has released five solo albums and four EPs since her self-titled debut in 2001. She was half of The Civil Wars duo from 2009 until 2014.
For other people named Joy Williams, see Joy Williams (disambiguation).
Joy Williams
Singer, songwriter
2000–present
2
Vocals, piano, concertina
Early life[edit]
Williams was born in West Branch, Michigan, but raised in a Christian home in Mount Hermon in Santa Cruz County, California, where her parents worked in ministry.[2] She attended Valley Christian High School in San Jose and graduated as the class valedictorian in 2001.[3]
In addition to singing in church, Williams began writing faith-based pop songs while living in Santa Cruz. At 17, she was signed by Reunion Records, a subsidiary of Sony/BMG based in Brentwood, Tennessee.[4]
Williams cites Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Massive Attack, and Portishead as being her influences.[5]
Personal life[edit]
On June 12, 2004, Williams married Nate Yetton. Williams and Yetton have a son born June 30, 2012; and a daughter born August 6, 2018.[25][26] In an interview with Pop Matters, Williams stated that she and her husband had "decided to part ways" in early 2019.[27] Williams married Ted Woods in October 2022.[28]
