January 26, 1953

Lucinda Williams, one of America’s most critically acclaimed songwriters and recording artists, as well as daughter of poet Miller Williams, was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana. With her professor father moving from job to job, Williams grew up in a number of Southern towns before moving to Fayetteville (Washington County) in 1971 when her father accepted a position at the University of Arkansas (UA). As a child, she met many of her father’s writer friends, including Eudora Welty and Flannery O’Connor, who famously allowed the five-year-old girl to chase her peacocks. Williams has won considerable success as a composer, recording artist, and performer in various contemporary media.