Every Sept. 11 since 2001, Roy Williams has been reminded of the way his brother, Army Maj. Dwayne Williams, died.
This year, the former Birmingham News reporter wants to remember the life of his brother and the legacy he left by organizing a free concert.
“We’re purposely calling it ‘Take the Day Back: A 9/11 Tribute to Army Major Dwayne Williams,’” said Williams, now the public relations director of the Birmingham Public Library. “After 22 years of regretting and not looking forward to the day, for the first time I am excited because we’re going to be doing a program to honor the way Dwayne lived instead of how he died.”
The event will be at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11, in the Trussville Entertainment District at 119 Beach St. in Trussville, adjacent to Ferus Artisan Ales. The concert will feature Aretha Franklin impersonator Kimberly Harmon as the opening act. The main act is Elvis Presley impersonator Rob Langford. Each singer will be backed by the award-winning Beale Street Band.
Williams recalled fielding a call from Langford, a friend who recounted having had Dwayne Williams as his military commander when Langford went into the Army. The entertainer broached the idea of doing a concert to honor his former commander and asked if doing it on Sept. 11 was OK.
‘Take The Day Back’
“I said, ‘You know what? Yes, let’s do it on September 11. Let’s take the day back,’” Roy Williams said. “We are purposely having it on September 11 so that we’ll be honoring how he lived with Elvis and Aretha impersonators instead of how he died. I’m excited about it. For the first time, I’m looking forward to it.”
For nearly 23 years, the 11th day of September took Roy Williams back to the fateful day when terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes, committed to leaving death and destruction in their wake. Those airplane hijackings resulted in the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York City, the crashing of a passenger airliner near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and damage to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, killing all 64 people on the plane and 125 people in the Pentagon, including Dwayne Williams.
Roy Williams remembers being at home and thinking a terrible accident had happened when the first plane struck a World Trade Center tower. His assessment would change minutes later.
“When the second plane hit, I knew we were under attack,” he said. “I said to myself, ‘Oh boy, Dwayne is about to have to go to war again.’”
When Williams got to work at The Birmingham News, his mother, Pearl Williams, called and told him about the Pentagon. He was sure she was mistaken.
“I told her, ‘No, you’re wrong. That was the World Trade Center towers. Don’t worry. Dwayne is fine,’” he said. “As soon as I got off the phone with my mom, I looked up and saw the images of the Pentagon on fire.
“I freaked out and tried to call Dwayne,” Roy Williams said. “No answer on his cell. No answer on his office. All day long, no answers. I didn’t find out until that evening that Dwayne was among the missing. Then, life as we know it changed.”
Roy Williams said he always idolized his brother, Dwayne, who was Roy’s best man at his wedding. After telling his big brother that he wanted to be like him, Roy recalled Dwayne telling him to believe in himself and to “Be you, little brother.”
Roy has that message tattooed on one arm. On the other arm, he has a tattoo of praying hands. “Prayer is what got me through losing Dwayne,” he said.
Langford has performed Elvis tunes across the country. Harmon has been an Aretha Franklin impersonator since 2015, performing across the Southeast; she grew up listening to Aretha as a child of the 1970s in Mississippi. Harmon is the lead vocalist of the Andrew Thielen Big Band of South Carolina, which plays across the Southeast.
Free To The Public
The concert on Sept. 11 will be free to the public because of the contributions of sponsors. Donations will be accepted, with proceeds going to help fund a bronze bust of Maj. Williams. Organizers hope the bust can be unveiled on Memorial Day 2025 in the Alabama Fallen Warrior Monument just off U.S. 11 in Trussville. Maj. Williams is among 227 killed in the War on Terror honored in the park.
Additionally, proceeds will go toward the Maj. Dwayne Williams Memorial ROTC Scholarship at Jacksonville State University, the alma mater of Dwayne’s mother, Pearl Williams, and his twin brothers Roy and Troy.
Roy Williams is organizing “Take the Day Back” with help from Langford of Elvis Rob Productions and Chad Carroll, chairman of the Trussville Veterans Committee. American Legion Post 205 is the funding partner for contributions.
“This event is about honoring our heroes and servicemembers … to remember their stories and sacrifice to this great country,” said Carroll, who has served in the Air National Guard for 15 years.
For more information, call Roy Williams at 205-572-1359 or email roywillwrite@gmail.com.
