To friends and neighbors, Woody Williams of Charlotte, North Carolina is simply Woody Williams, a retired graphic artist and amateur musician who plays in local clubs and bars.
But online, the 72-year-old has an entirely different persona. There, he’s known as Funky Geezer, and he’s got more than 3 million followers on TikTok alone!
Woody has been playing music for over 50 years. He’s written more than 700 songs and has performed both in bands and as a solo act. He loves all genres of music, but he favors the blues, folk, funk, and rock. He plays the guitar, keyboards, and he sings. He’s a talented guy, but he didn’t have a single online fan until the COVID-19 pandemic.
In December 2020, Woody was staying in his home to avoid catching the virus, just like everybody else. He found himself with way more free time than usual, and since he couldn’t go perform in a club or jam with any bands, he decided to check out what all the fuss was about online. He downloaded TikTok and uploaded a short video of himself using his walker to do a little dance.
In the video, Woody starts off slowly and really plays up the “geezer” part of his name, but seconds later he starts to really boogy. The likes and comments started pouring in, and before he knew it his video had been viewed millions of times! “He don’t need the walker the walker needs him,” one person commented.
Encouraged, Woody leaned in to his Funky Geezer persona, uploading more skits and music videos to his channel. “I posted it and it went through the roof, and I said, ‘wow, what is next,’”he recalled. He enjoyed connecting with people again, and always loves putting on a show to make others smile.
Funky Geezer has now gone viral more than once, and he’s got a large following across all of his social channels. He’s even getting requests to bring his surprisingly spry dance moves to foreign lands, although he’s not sure he’ll be traveling much beyond his usual circles.
“I got Kazakhstan wanting me to do shows and Canada and England and Micronesia,”he said. “I don’t even know where Micronesia is.â€
Woody says he doesn’t run his “Funky Geezer Show” for fame or fortune; he simply wants to put a smile on someone’s face! “My motto is to inspire until you expire,” he said, adding, “I am just encouraging the newbies to come up, grab their guitar, and get involved, express yourself.”
He sure makes it look easy, doesn’t he? Share this story to tell your friends about this very hip Funky Geezer!
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