Growing up in Puerto Rico, Bernabé Figueroa Williams discovered his love for baseball and music at roughly the same time, when at the age of eight he fell in love with the sounds of a flamenco guitar his merchant-marine father brought home from Spain, and also felt the same exhilaration when he first picked up a baseball bat. The young student-athlete quickly excelled in both pursuits, going on to attend the special performance arts school Escuela Libre de Musica at the age of thirteen and becoming one of the most noted young athletes on the island, both as a track and field standout posting record times in the 400meters and one of Puerto Rico’s most sought after young baseball prospects. When Williams signed a contract with the New York Yankees at age 17, he brought his love of music with him - first to Albany for his development in AA and then on to the Bronx and the most famous field in sports when called up to join the Yankees in 1991.

In his 16 year career patrolling centerfield for the New York Yankees, Bernie Williams was a four-time World Series Champion and a five-time All Star. Williams has more post-season RBI’s to his credit then any other player in Major-league history and his resume also boasts four gold-glove awards, six American League pennants, the 1996 ALCS MVP award and the 1998 American League batting title. Bernie is also among the Yankees all-time leaders in every major batting category, with his performance statistics often standing alongside such legends as Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig and DiMaggio. From the time Bernie Williams became a New York Yankee, the only other uniform to ever grace his frame has been that of his beloved island, as the star-slugger represented Puerto Rico in both editions of The World Baseball Classic.

Throughout Williams’ years with The Yankees, his passion for music never waned, and the sound of a guitar would often be heard emanating from the clubhouse or during team flights. Whether acoustic or electric, a guitar was a constant presence in the star’s locker or equipment bag, and it was no surprise in 2003 when he demonstrated how serious his musical pursuit was with the release of his first album, The Journey Within. The record featured fusions of jazz, rock and the tropical rhythms of Williams’ heritage (as well as guest appearances by fellow musicians such as Ruben Blades and Gilberto Santa Rosa) and was met with both strong critical praise and instant chart success –reaching #3 on Billboard’s “Contemporary Jazz Chart.”

Now, Bernie Williams has raised his musical game even further with the recent release of his second album Moving Forward. Featuring guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Jon Secada, Dave Koz, The Harlem Boys & Girls Alumni Choir, Famed Yankee announcer Bob Sheppard and an All-Star cast of renowned studio musicians, Moving Forward debuted as the #2 Contemporary Jazz album in the country, and has continued to hold that chart position for five straight weeks (while also ranking as Billboard’s #1 Heatseekers album here in the Mid-Atlantic region). With the release of Moving Forward, press is once again praising Williams’ music:

“Four Stars… A magnificent album.” - PEOPLE en Espanol

“Bernie is a Tremendous Musician…Even James Taylor said the album is ‘Astonishingly Good” – Mike Francesa

“the product of a musician with real chops. Williams is a committed student of his instrument [and] ups his count of chart hits.” – Billboard

“Moving Forward shows impressive musical growth... Williams' glory days as a musician appear to be just beginning.” – Philadelphia Inquirer

“Showing his evolution as a musician… ‘Moving Forward’ makes it immediately clear that [Bernie Williams’] talents are not limited to the playing field.”- Associated Press

“Bernie Williams’ sophomore album is as impressive as his stellar baseball stats… The famed player shows remarkable prowess on guitar. His record is funky, urbane, sensual and muy muy bueno”- New York Post