The year 1978 saw the arrival of Williams' most recognizable hit, "Armagideon Time," a burning roots jam punctuated by smooth organ riffing and subdued tenor crooning. The Clash famously recorded the song around the time of their monolithic London Calling album, and other artists would also lay down renditions of the tune over the years. Williams' Messenger Man album arrived in 1980, cementing his profile as not just a top-notch producer but also an essential performer. The '80s and 90's would see Williams touring the world, as well as working with names like Dennis Brown, Augustus Pablo, Aswad, and many other greats, all the while issuing his own singles and albums.
An album entitled Armagideon Time arrived in 1982, filling more tunes out to album length around the single of the same name. Roots Culture, a split album with Barry Brown, arrived in 1984, followed by multiple singles and then a rush of albums with Natty with a Cause in 1992, See Me in 1993, and Jah Will in 1994. In 2007 Southern jam band Gov't Mule reinterpreted Williams' song "Natty with a Cause" as "Rebel with a Cause," recording a version of the song that included samples of his voice from the original. Through the late '90s, 2000s, and on into the 2010s, Williams released multiple albums with Drum Street Records, including Thanks Devotion in 1999, DJ Real Rock in 2007, and Reggae Can't Done in 2013.
In 2014 a previously unissued collection of tracks recorded by Williams and Yabby You in the late '70s surfaced on the Shanachie label. The compilation Unification: From Channel One to King Tubby's took its place as one of the more legitimate entries among countless other reissues and repackagings of Williams' music both legal and -- in many cases -- completely unlicensed. ~ Fred Thomas, Rovi