SSG Eric Williams was born in Edenton, North Carolina and moved to the Outer Banks of North Carolina at 11 years old. Growing up in the Outer Banks, he fostered a love of jazz and began playing the trumpet in middle school. While in high school he collaborated with Eastern Carolina University professor Gabriel DiMartino to start his own jazz band, The Eastern NC Jazz Orchestra, with whom he performed at jazz festivals and universities across North Carolina and performed with international trumpet soloist Rex Richardson. After graduating from Manteo High School in 2018, SSG Williams studied in the Miles Davis Jazz Program at UNC Greensboro for one year. He has studied under Thomas Heflin, Gabriel DiMartino, Ashlin Parker, and Sean Jones. In his free time, SSG Williams enjoys fishing, driving, and photography.