Bert Williams was the recording industry's first important and enduring Black artist. His dry but insightful humor, coupled with a downtrodden but persevering persona, found popular success at the turn of the 20th century and continued into the Roaring Twenties. Williams was also a noteworthy songwriter who performed on stages ranging from minstrel shows and vaudeville to Broadway, and made great strides in overcoming racial barriers in American entertainment. His recorded legacy can be heard on a series of three albums from Archeophone, The Early Years 1901-1909, The Middle Years 1910-1918, and His Final Releases 1919-1922.