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Biography
Jakey Lou Williams was born February 15, 1957 and raised in West Virginia, USA. His mother was Japanese, and his father was an American serving in the Navy. When the Navy relocated Jake's father, the entire family would pick up and move at a moments notice. Finally, however, the Williams family moved to San Diego, California, where they stayed for a long while. Jake began diving into the local California culture, and he took a liking to skateboarding. His mother had forced him into classical piano lessons, but soon he was interested in the guitar. His sister, who had a tremendous influence on Jake as a child, let him listen to some of her records, including Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath. These bands led to Jake's intense interest in the electric guitar and Rock and Roll music. Sadly, Jake's sister passed away in a motorcycle accident.
During high school, Jake would walk around campus with his acoustic guitar strapped to his back. He never joined a clique or group, but he had the reputation as the cool guitar dude with long hair. He formed a band called Teaser, and they played one school dance before Lee was kicked out of school for changing the grades on his report cards. Teaser continued, however, and Jake played many clubs in the San Diego area. They developed a huge following, and packed clubs and parties where they frequented. He caught the eye of guitarist and good friend Warren DeMartini, and soon DeMartini was asking Jake for lessons. He also caught the eye of Stephen Pearcy of a San Diego band called Mickey Ratt. Pearcy asked Lee to join his band as lead guitarist, and Jake accepted. They changed the band's name to Ratt, moved to L.A., and began playing clubs. Soon, their following was huge, too, and they began gigging in popular clubs like the Whiskey and the Troubadour. Jake left Ratt for greener pastures, however, and was replaced by DeMartini, on Jake's recommendation.
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