It seems that everyone knows the story of one homeless man in Ohio. Ted Williams is now known as the homeless man with the golden voice. The first YouTube star of 2011, Williams is a homeless man with an amazing voice.
His discovery may make his homelessness a thing of the past as he’s now getting job offers from places like the NFL and the Cleveland Cavaliers eager to capitalize on his newly minted Internet celebrity status.
If you haven’t seen the video, watch it here for yourself.
I wonder how many thousands of people passed Ted Williams not knowing or caring about him? How many people will care now that he’s “the homeless man with the golden voice?”
Shot on a “slow news Monday” by Doral Chenoweth a local newspaper web producer. He never thought it would go viral on the Web–or change Ted Williams’ life forever. Why would anyone care about a guy with a golden voice for radio who ruined his life with drugs and alcohol and now entertains drivers with radio announcements?
He’s got something we want–a feel good story, a rags-to-riches tale, an instantly brand-able and bank-able story with talent to match. Everyone is scrambling to get a piece of Ted Williams today–agents, networks (CNN, NBC), morning shows, late shows, family members. 6 million YouTube views makes you somebody in the U.S.
We’re fascinated by Ted Williams–”the homeless man with the golden voice.”
But most days, we just drive on by the Ted Williams in our town. We do not even make eye contact, let alone offer a kind word, a dollar bill, or a smile.
What does that say about us?
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posted January 6, 2011 at 11:10 am
We’re inspired by Ted’s story and hope he joins us on the Quicken Loans and Cavs teams!!!! Looking forward to working with him – he has a great attitude and an amazing talent! We even made a website to help try to persuade him: http://www.WeWantTedWilliams.com
posted January 6, 2011 at 11:12 am
We’re inspired by Ted’s story and hope he joins us on the Quicken Loans and Cavs teams!!!! Looking forward to working with him – he has a great attitude and an amazing talent! We even made a website to help try to persuade him: http://www.WeWantTedWilliams.com
posted January 6, 2011 at 11:31 am
Ted’s faith in God keep him going. He was believing God for a second chance so that his mother will be happy. Wishing him well.Check this TV interview. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NND5revP2_c&feature=related
posted January 6, 2011 at 11:43 am
I am totally inspired by this man and his plight. I wish him nothing but blessings and pray for his continued recovery efforts.
God Bless you Ted and thank God for all those that are willing to help. It kinda restores the faith in us all
posted January 6, 2011 at 12:20 pm
Spending time with the homeless is a scary rich experience. Especially if it’s done outside of the major holidays when they are not bombarded. There are many Ted Williams out in the world. Jesus knew this. He challenges us to walk amidst them. Sure some will make you nervous, maybe even frighten you a bit and yes one needs to be cautious. But you will also find yourself in a conversation with an articulate, impressive homeless person wondering how in the world is this person homeless? Perhaps one of your readers will take a risk and see what it’s like to spend some time with an effective local ministry to the homeless. Perhaps God will link them to someone and they will have the opportunity to encourage, support and love a man or woman out of homelessness thanks to this post. That would be fantastic. This post encourages me to pull back from some of the busyness and get back out there. Thanks Tom.
posted January 6, 2011 at 9:57 pm
Glad you enjoyed this everyone. I’m in Haiti right now typing this spending time with many kids who are now orphaned because of the earthquake. I wish I could bring you here with me! Dave, great suggestion. I took my kids to serve the homeless over the holidays and it was an incredible experience.
posted January 7, 2011 at 8:39 am
So nice to read a story of a second chance for this guy!
posted January 7, 2011 at 4:20 pm
This is the first feel good story of our second Great Depression! It’s reminiscent of ‘Brewster’s Million’s’ and as heart-warming as ‘Pretty Woman,’ sans the prostitution! Of the, quite literally, ten’s of million’s of soul-rending, tragic stories spread throughout our nation to the point of numbing the average citizen to individual horror stories, this is a shinning light! Truly worth reporting.
Though this man had exploited this talent decades in the past his story is still touching the spirit in a way only your father could. Reading this has brought upon me memories of those rare hug’s your father would honor you with when you had achieved something in his honor!
Hopefully he can adjust quickly to his new posh lifestyle, perhaps reconnecting with his estranged family, if that’s possible, and shine into his twilight. He’s caught his star and we hope he won’t burn for it! Be a proud man, humble though you are! Kiss your children who, from appearance, you have long been in self-exile from! Enjoy yourself, building a stable life to breathe from!
Do not fall prey to the ever present attraction of delusion through narcotic’s and alcohol! Let your rediscovery of ‘life’ intoxicate you! You don’t need to drown yourself in chemical apathy any longer! No more do you have to beg at a corner, sleeping in fear or stupor under the overpass! No longer do you have to subject yourself to hypothermia or heat exhaustion, the panges of hunger or the loneliness of poverty!
And it must be said, though it hurt’s, do not spare a moment upon your former brethren endangering yourself in your reformed life! There will be many former ‘friend’s’ who will attempt to take advantage of you. I, myself, am homeless and your story gives me hope as, I’m sure, is does many of us who still connect through the internet (thank god for libraries)! Some win, some lose, but there are those of us who support our brethren who achieve exodus from poverty legitimately! Your story gives us more than any rare meal, rare lodging, or rare kind word could ever: Hope! It is the blanket of warmth we take to cover ourselves at night to keep us going. Just goes to show that just because you’re homeless in poverty does not mean you’re a criminal or horrible person. Not all of us are lost to drug addiction or alcoholism, we just lost that which we had either through out-sourcing, irrelevancy (think how ‘Medical Assistant’s are wiping out our Registered Nursing position’s through lower wage structure mitigating much of the same duties, leaving the ‘important’ procedure’s to be provided by the rare R.N. now in a supervisory capacity), government burdening to the point of higher cost of operation destroying job’s, loss of manufacturing to the point that we have less than 9% of our population are in manufacturing position’s, and illegal immigration. It’s hard to stomach, but in a country wherein one has achieved at least a B.S. or B.A. it’s a shame to see criminal immigrant’s living in homes provided by our treasonous government while we who follow the law are living on the mean street’s of this country falling prey to a murderous law enforcement community, by design.
Live long and prosper, friend! You are our one in a million! Live for us who will die trapped in this existence! Love for us! Hopefully your family will forgive your addictive past and re-welcome you back into their heart’s! Don’t blame them for their shallowness or uncaring attitudes toward’s despair, they can’t help it. Our society equates mental illness and drug addiction with criminality. Though it hurt’s it’s also the way it is. Dismiss it. Give to charity organization’s, the best and most honest are those local organization’s; small and transparent. So many are duped to giving to charity org’s that supposedly support foreign children, but much of the dollar is eaten up with cost leaving only cents to actually be used for poverty relief. And, yes, here I am being selfish. Give to American’s before you give to another country as they don’t support our impoverished, but expect us to save them all the while they accuse us of evil and depravity.
You, of course, won’t read this statement, but here’s to hoping that someone, somewhere, has related this in some form to you. Congratulation’s!
posted January 9, 2011 at 12:32 pm
There is something golden hidden under the rabble/destruction of all like Ted. The gifts God has given may not make them all famous, but each has special deposits to give to the world. When we look at such, do we regard them according to the world, or according to what their lives would look like when full of Christ?
posted January 10, 2011 at 7:54 am
Most people are glad for Mr. Williams. Some people who are haters and
full of jealousy, are not.
However, there are more for him than against him.
What happened to Mr. Williams is of GOD.
The Bible says if GOD be for you, He’s more than the whole world
against you.
Bravo Mr. Williams!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Live! Enjoy! Let us hear that beautiful voice all over the world!
Keep GOD first and be happy!!!!!!
posted January 12, 2011 at 5:37 am
Don’t get me wrong I love the fact that Ted Williams is using his Gift. I think the better story is that we all have Gifts from God and when we utilize them they will make room for us just like the Guy with the Golden Voice.
Learn Your Gift Today:
http://www.MilestoneMotivation.com/gifts
posted January 12, 2011 at 5:40 am
Don’t get me wrong I love the fact that Ted Williams is using his Gift. I think the better story is that we all have Gifts from God and when we utilize them they will make room for us just like the Guy with the Golden Voice.
Learn Your Gift Today:
http://www.MilestoneMotivation.com/gifts