*Well I guess beauty is in the eye of the Miller Beer holder.
- This basement in the heart of the city
is home to a little slice of country.
- Country is a lifestyle.
It's what you live.
It's not something that you just put on a hat and say, "Yee haw."
No, it's a lifestyle.
[country music]
* I wasn't born in the state of Georgia.
* I wasn't born in Tennessee.
- K.C. Williams was born and raised in Milwaukee,
but spent summers on his uncle's farm in Greenwood, Mississippi.
* I'm just a small city boy with a country mind.
- And my uncle, in Mississippi, he basically--
there's only two types of music you listened to in his house:
that's gospel and country.
We couldn't play no R&B. Nothing else.
* I'm running through the schoolhouse.
- He fell in love with country music.
Growing up in urban Milwaukee
that meant line dancing to the beat of his own drum.
- It just became a part of me
and with that, it came a lot of ridicule.
You know, because I got teased
in elementary, middle and high school.
And I used to always say, "One of these days,
you guys are going to be seeing me on the stage."
And that was my-- always has been my dream.
Music has been my life.
[guitar music and singing]
- K.C. began writing songs, playing concerts
and eventually moving up the country music ladder.
In an industry with few black artists,
K.C. stood out.
- In the beginning, there was a lot of obstacles but
I know who I am.
[country music]
* There it is!
I had black people telling me
I shouldn't be singing country
and I had white people telling me
I shouldn't sing country.
But I tell me, country is where--
that's where I want to be.
- His big break came during a 1998 festival
with one of country music's biggest stars.
- Tim McGraw was the headliner
and I opened up for Tim McGraw for that.
And he saw me and sent his band leader over and he says,
"Man, hey, Tim likes you.
He wants to work with you."
And so from there, his band,
we started recording together.
[guitar country music, singing]
- K.C.'s career took off.
He went on to record multiple studio albums
with McGraw's band, which led to European tours
across Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Poland.
His childhood dream had come true.
- Tim is the reason why I've been touring Europe
for the last ten, fifteen years.
Because he really, really gave me a boost.
And what does this mean?
- Kids: Silence! - Nope.
- Kids: Stop. - Stop.
- In turn, K.C.'s used his success
to give others a boost.
- Give me an example of staccato singing the ABC song.
One, two, three and..
* Kids: A, B, C, D, E, F, G.
- He stepped out of the spotlight
to become a music teacher
in the Milwaukee Public School System.
- Giving back, pretty much, is where it's at with me.
Now helping the young kids in the inner city and things.
And let them know that there are other ways and means of life.
[Kids singing]
- So I barter with the kids.
I say, "Okay, you teach me what you know
and I'll teach you what I know."
- Quarter note. Here we go.
- Kids: 1, 2, 3, 4 [clapping four times]
- K.C. has no plans to ride off into the sunset just yet.
He still writes music
and performs occasionally with his band.
- It's almost like being in the mob.
[laughter]
Once you're in, you know, it's in you.
* He wears a Cheesehead hat and his suit's now green and gold.
* Kids: Green and gold.
*Green and gold.
- But these days, his favorite gig is in the classroom.
- And I'll probably do a show or two, but my life now is
gearing more towards the kids and raising them
and making men and ladies out of our young inner city kids.
- And teaching a lesson he learned long ago.
If you'll stay positive and be true to yourself,
you don't need to walk the line.
- Be yourself.
So if you like what you're hearing,
if you like country music or whatever you like,
and it's not what the norm likes,
it's okay.
It's okay to like different things.
It's okay to be different.
Let's just be us.
Let's love us for who we are.
That's just the bottom line.
[singing country music]
How ya doing Milwaukee!