Andy Williams | |
|---|---|
 Williams in 1966 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Howard Andrew Williams (1927-12-03)December 3, 1927 Wall Lake, Iowa, US |
| Died | September 25, 2012(2012-09-25) (aged 84) |
| Genres | Traditional pop,easy listening |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1938–2012 |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | The Williams Brothers |
Spouses | |
| Website | andywilliams |
| Children | 3 |
Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified[1] and three platinum certified.[2] He was also nominated for sixGrammy Awards. He hostedthe Andy Williams Show, a television variety show, from 1962 to 1971, along with numerous TV specials.The Andy Williams Show won threeEmmy Awards. He sold more than 45 million records worldwide, including more than 10 million certified units in the United States.[3][4]
Williams was active in the music industry for over 70 years until his death in September 2012 frombladder cancer, at the age of 84.
Williams was born inWall Lake, Iowa, on December 3, 1927,[5] to Florence (née Finley) and Jay Emerson Williams, who worked in insurance and the post office.[6] While living inCheviot, Ohio, Williams attendedWestern Hills High School inCincinnati, Ohio. He finished high school atUniversity High School, inWest Los Angeles, because of his family's move toCalifornia. At age 17, Williams joined theUnited States Merchant Marine and served until the end ofWorld War II.[7][8][9]
Williams had three older brothers—Bob, Don, andDick Williams. His first performance was in a children's choir at the localPresbyterian church.[5] His brothers and he formedthe Williams Brothers quartet[5] in late 1938, and they performed on radio in theMidwest, first atWHO inDes Moines, Iowa, and later atWLS inChicago, andWLW in Cincinnati.
Moving to Los Angeles in 1943, the Williams Brothers sang withBing Crosby on his 1944 hit record "Swinging on a Star". They appeared in four musical films:Janie (1944),Kansas City Kitty (1944),Something in the Wind (1947), andLadies' Man (1947).
A persistent myth alleges that as a teenager, the future singing star dubbed the singing forLauren Bacall's character in the 1944 feature filmTo Have and Have Not. According to authoritative sources, includingHoward Hawks and Bacall herself, this was not true. Williams and some female singers were tested to dub for Bacall because of fears that she lacked the necessary vocal skills, but those fears were overshadowed by the desire to have Bacall do her own singing despite her imperfect vocal talent.[10]
The Williams Brothers were signed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) to appear inAnchors Aweigh andZiegfeld Follies (1945), but before they went before the cameras, the oldest brother, Bob, was drafted into military service and the group's contract was cancelled.Kay Thompson, a former radio star who was now head of the vocal department at MGM, had a nose for talent and hired the remaining three Williams brothers to sing in her large choir on many soundtracks for MGM films, includingThe Harvey Girls (1946). When Bob completed his military service, Kay hired all four brothers to sing on the soundtrack toGood News (1947).
By then, Thompson was tired of working behind the scenes at MGM, so with the four Williams boys as her backup singers and dancers, she formed a nightclub act, Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers. They made their debut in Las Vegas in 1947 and became an overnight sensation. Within a year, they were the highest-paid nightclub act in the world, breaking records wherever they appeared.
Williams revealed in his memoirMoon River and Me that Thompson and he became romantically involved while on tour despite the age difference (he was 19 and she was 38). The act broke up in 1949, but reunited for another hugely successful tour from the fall of 1951 through the summer of 1953. After that, the four brothers went their separate ways. A complete itinerary of both tours is listed on the Kay Thompson biography website.[11]
Williams and Thompson, however, remained very close, both personally and professionally. She mentored his emergence as a solo singing star. She coached him, wrote his arrangements, and composed many songs that he recorded, including his 1958 top-20 hit "Promise Me, Love", and later, "Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells" on his 1964 number-oneThe Andy Williams Christmas Album. Using her contacts in the business, Thompson helped Williams land his breakthrough television gig as a featured singer for two and a half years onTonight Starring Steve Allen; it helped that the producer of the series, Bill Harbach, was Kay's formeraide-de-camp. Thompson also got Williams his breakthrough recording contract withCadence Records, whose owner,Archie Bleyer, had gotten early career breaks because of Kay and owed her a favor. Meanwhile, Williams sang backup on many of Thompson's recordings through the 1950s, including her top-40 hit "Eloise", based onher bestselling books about the mischievous little girl who lives at the Plaza Hotel in New York.
Thompson also served as a creative consultant and vocal arranger on Williams's three summer-replacement network television series in 1957, 1958, and 1959. In the summer of 1961, Thompson traveled with Williams and coached him throughout his starring role in a summer-stock tour of the musicalPal Joey. Their personal and professional relationship finally ended in 1962, after Williams met and marriedClaudine Longet, and Thompson moved to Rome.
Williams's solo career began in 1953.[5] He recorded six sides forRCA Victor's label "X", but none was a popular hit.[12]
After landing a spot as a regular on theTonight Starring Steve Allen in 1954,[2] Williams was signed to a recording contract withCadence Records, a small label in New York, run by conductorArchie Bleyer. Williams's third single, "Canadian Sunset", reached number seven in the top 10 in August 1956; it was followed in February 1957 by his onlyBillboard number-one hit,"Butterfly", acover of aCharlie Gracie record. "Butterfly" was also number one for two weeks on theUK Singles Chart in May 1957. More hit records followed, including "Hawaiian Wedding Song" (US number 11), "Are You Sincere?" (US number three in February 1958), "The Village of St. Bernadette" (US number seven in December 1959), "Lonely Street" (US number five in September 1959), and "I Like Your Kind of Love" withPeggy Powers (US number eight in May 1957).
On December 15, 1961, Williams married Claudine Longet and signed withColumbia Records. His first album with Columbia,Danny Boy and Other Songs I Love to Sing, was a chart success, peaking at number 19. He was then asked to sing "Moon River", the theme fromBreakfast at Tiffany's, at the1962 Academy Awards, where it won Best Original Song.[13] Archie Bleyer at Cadence had previously told Williams that "Moon River" would not be a hit,[14] but the Columbia producers encouraged Williams to record the song along with 11 other movie themes for an album. After Williams performed the song at the awards show, it became a hit.Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes then sold across the country, garnering critical acclaim and propelling Williams into stardom. The album remained on the charts for the next three years and peaked at number three. In 1963, Williams's producer,Robert Mersey, encouraged him to record "Can't Get Used to Losing You" as the B-side to "Days of Wine and Roses". Williams initially did not like the pop song, preferring the Mancini tune, but "Can't Get Used to Losing You" reached number two in the US and UK.[15] The album containing both songs,Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests, topped the album charts at number one for 16 weeks.
From 1962 to 1972, Williams was one of the most popular vocalists in the country and was signed to what was at that time the biggest recording contract in history.[16] He was primarily an album artist, and at one time, he had recorded more gold albums than any solo performer exceptFrank Sinatra,Johnny Mathis, andElvis Presley. By 1973, he had earned as many as 17 gold-album awards. Among his hit albums from this period wereThe Andy Williams Christmas Album,Dear Heart,The Shadow of Your Smile,Love, Andy,Happy Heart,Get Together with Andy Williams,Love Story, andLove Theme from the Godfather. These recordings, along with his natural affinity for the music of the 1960s and early 1970s, combined to make him one of the premier easy-listening singers of that era.
In the UK, Williams continued to reach high chart status until 1978. The albumsDear Heart (1965),Love Andy (1967),Can't Help Falling in Love (1970),Andy Williams Show (1970),Home Lovin' Man (number one, 1971),Solitaire (1973),The Way We Were (1974), andReflections (1978) all reached the top 10.
Williams forged an indirect collaborative relationship withHenry Mancini, although they never recorded together. Both "Moon River" and "Days of Wine and Roses" were written by Mancini, with lyrics byJohnny Mercer. Williams sang Mancini's "Dear Heart" at the 1965 Academy Awards and "The Sweetheart Tree" (also written with Mercer) at the 1966 Awards.
On August 5, 1966, the 14-story, 700-roomCaesars Palace casino and nightclub opened inLas Vegas, Nevada, with the stage production of "Rome Swings", in which Williams starred. He performed to a sold-out crowd in the Circus Maximus showroom. He headlined for Caesars for the next 20 years.
On September 17, 1968, Columbia released a single of two songs Williams sang at the funeral of his close friendRobert F. Kennedy: "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" andFranz Schubert's "Ave Maria". These were never released on along-playing record, but have appeared in several compilations of Williams's output.
Williams also competed in the teen-oriented singles market and had several charting hits, including "Can't Get Used to Losing You", "Happy Heart", and"Where Do I Begin", the theme song from the 1970 blockbuster filmLove Story. In addition, Williams hit the top 10 of theUK Singles Chart with "Almost There" (1964), "Can't Help Falling in Love" (1970), "Home Lovin' Man" (1970), and "Solitaire" (1973).
Williams andPetula Clark recorded "Happy Heart" around the same time, just before his guest appearance on her second NBC-TV special. Unaware that she was releasing the song as a single, he asked to perform it on the show. The exposure ultimately led to his having the bigger hit with the song. The song "Happy Heart" was used for the final scene and end credits ofDanny Boyle's award-winningdirectorial debut filmShallow Grave (1994).
Building on his experience with Allen and some short-term variety shows in the 1950s, he became the star of his own weekly television variety show in the fall of 1962. Though cancelled after 1963 owing to low ratings, the show was then sponsored to make 12 weekly specials in the 1963–64 season. This series,The Andy Williams Show, won threeEmmy Awards for outstanding variety program. Among his series regulars were theOsmond Brothers. He gave up the variety show in 1971 while it was still popular, continuing with three specials per year. His Christmas specials, which appeared regularly until 1974 and intermittently from 1982 into the 1990s, were among the most popular of the genre.[17] Williams recorded eight Christmas albums over the years, and was known as "Mr. Christmas",[17] due to his perennial Christmas specials and the success of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year".
Williams hosted the mostGrammy telecasts—seven consecutive shows—from the13th Annual Grammy Awards in 1971 through to the19th Awards in 1977. He returned to television with a syndicated half-hour series in 1976–77.
In the early 1970s, when theNixon administration attempted to deportJohn Lennon, Williams was an outspoken defender of the formerBeatle's right to stay in the United States.[18] Williams is included in the montage of caricatures on the cover ofRingo Starr's 1973 album,Ringo.
Williams performed during thehalftime show ofSuper Bowl VII in January 1973, held atLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum.[19][20]
In June 1991, Williams' brother Don invited him to the smallOzarks town ofBranson, Missouri. Don Williams at the time was the manager for entertainerRay Stevens, who had just opened a theater in Branson. While attending Stevens' show, Williams was encouraged by numerous Branson guests to open a venue in the town.[21] This led Williams to build his own theater in Branson in time for the 1992 season,[22] eventually opening on May 1, 1992, as the Moon River Theatre.[23] The name came from his signature song. It went on to become the first theater ever to be featured inArchitectural Digest, and also won the 1992 Conservation Award from the State ofMissouri.[23]
The theater was designed to blend with the rough terrain of theOzark Mountains.[24] He had originally planned a marble-style theater reminiscent of theDorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, but soon had a change of mind. The Larson Company of Tucson, Arizona, fabricated a section of rock on Missouri's Highway 76 and the theater was soon engulfed with waterfalls,koi-filled ponds, ferns, and trees native to the Ozarks. The inside of the theater incorporates the outside. Trees and plants are seen throughout the theater's three lobbies. Oak floors are accompanied by African ribbon-striped mahogany walls that are filled with pictures of theAndy Williams Show. Williams' passion for art can be seen throughout, as well. From the start of his career, Williams had accumulated several paintings and sculptures and decided to fill his theater with his collection.Frankenthaler,Diebenkorn,Oldenburg,Pollock,Klee, andMoore are on a small list of artists whose work is on display at the Moon River Theatre.[23]
The theater's auditorium can accommodate 2,054 people. The seats and carpets match Williams'Navajo rug collection and are forest green, magenta, gold, and blue. On display inside the auditorium are 19 Japanesekimonos. The stage has accommodated numerous shows and guest celebrities. On stage, Williams was joined byGlen Campbell,Ann-Margret, Petula Clark, andCharo.
When it first opened, it was unique because his was the first noncountry act to open in the then mostly country-music town. Other noncountry entertainers, such asBobby Vinton,Tony Orlando,Wayne Newton, and the Osmond Brothers soon followed.[25]
Williams and his theater were featured on three episodes of the soap operaAs the World Turns in July 2007, when several characters went to Branson for a concert of "Gwen Munson" held in the Moon River Theatre.The Simpsons featured Williams at his Moon River Theatre in an episode titled "Bart on the Road".Nelson Muntz is an Andy Williams fan, and in the episode, he forces the gang to make a detour to Branson so he could see his idol. He is reduced to tears as Williams performs "Moon River" during the second encore.[citation needed]
In 2007, Williams opened the Moon River Grill adjacent to his theater in Branson. The restaurant is decorated in photos from theAndy Williams Show with stars includingDiana Ross,Elton John, andSammy Davis Jr. Art is center stage in the restaurant, with works by several artists includingAndy Warhol andRobert Indiana.[26]
In 1995,We Need a Little Christmas became Williams's 18th gold album.
His 1967 recording of "Music to Watch Girls By" became a UK hit to a new young television audience in 1999, when it reached number 9 after being featured in new television advertisements for theFiat Punto—and later forDiet Pepsi—beating the original peak of number 33 in 1967. A new generation was reminded of Williams' recordings and a sell-out UK tour followed the success of the single, prompting a British revival for Williams. In 2002, he re-recorded "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" as a duet with British actress and singerDenise van Outen; it reached number 23 in the UK singles charts. He completed a sold-out tour of the United Kingdom and Asia in the winter and summer of 2007, in which he performed at several major concert halls including theRoyal Albert Hall.
Williams returned to the UK singles charts with his 1963 recording of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" in December 2007, due to an advertisement forMarks & Spencer, reaching number 21 in its first appearance in the British charts. In 2008, he lip-synched the 45-year-old recording to welcome Santa at the end of theMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.[citation needed]
On October 3, 2009, Williams appeared live on the BBC'sStrictly Come Dancing[27] in London, singing "Moon River" to promote the UK edition ofThe Very Best of Andy Williams LP, which peaked at number 10 in the main pop chart.
In 1964, Williams ultimately became the owner of the Cadence master tapes, which he occasionally licensed to Columbia, including not only his own recordings, but also those of his fellow Cadence-era labelmates:the Everly Brothers,Lenny Welch,the Chordettes,Link Wray, andJohnny Tillotson. In 1968, although he was still under contract with Columbia for his own recordings, Williams formed a separate company calledBarnaby Records to handle reissuing of the Cadence materials, especially those of the Everly Brothers (one of the first Barnaby LPs was a double LP set of the Brothers' long out-of-print Cadence hits) and new artists. Barnaby also had several top-40 hits in the 1970s with novelty artist Ray Stevens (who had done a summer replacement show for Williams in 1970), including number-one hits such as "Everything Is Beautiful" in 1970 and "The Streak" in 1974. Also in 1970, Barnaby signed and released the first album by an unknown singer-songwriter namedJimmy Buffett (Down to Earth) produced by Travis Turk.
Columbia was initially the distributor for Barnaby, but later distribution was handled first byMGM Records and thenGeneral Recorded Tape. Once Barnaby ceased operating as a working record company at the end of the 1970s, Williams licensed the old Cadence material to various other labels (such asVarèse Sarabande andRhino in the US) after 1980.
Williams was close friends with Robert F. Kennedy and his wife,Ethel Kennedy, and campaigned for Kennedy in the1968 Democratic presidential primary races. Williams was among the celebrities who were in Kennedy's entourage in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles when Kennedy was shot and mortally wounded bySirhan Sirhan in June 1968.[28] Williams sang "Battle Hymn of the Republic" at RFK's funeral, at Ethel's request. In August 1969, Williams and Claudine Longet named their newborn son Bobby, after Kennedy. The Williams' friendship with Ethel Kennedy endured, with Williams serving as escort to Ethel at events in the 1970s. He also raised funds forGeorge McGovern's1972 presidential campaign, performing atbenefit concerts.[29]
Williams later said that despite his friendship with the Democratic Kennedys, he was a lifelongRepublican.[30] In 2009, he was quoted byThe Daily Telegraph as accusingPresidentBarack Obama of "following Marxist theory" and "wanting the country to fail".[31][32] Williams gaveRush Limbaugh permission to use his recording of the song "Born Free" as the theme to the "Animal Rights Update" onLimbaugh's radio show—in which a portion of the song was then followed by gunfire—saying "Hey, it's fine with me. I love what you're doing with it." The record company later blocked Limbaugh's use of the recording.[33] Williams was a guest on theGlenn Beck Radio Program in December 2009, introduced by his own 1960s recording of "Little Altar Boy".
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Williams met French-bornClaudine Longet in Las Vegas when her car broke down and he offered help. She was a dancer at the time at theFolies Bergère. They married on December 15, 1961, and over the next eight years, they had three children—Noelle, Christian (died 2019),[34] and Robert.[35]After separating in 1970,[36] Williams and Longet divorced in 1975, but they remained friends.[37]In March 1976, Longet was charged with fatally shooting her boyfriend,alpine ski racerSpider Sabich, inAspen. Williams played a public role in the subsequent events, escorting her to and from the courtroom, testifying to her character at the trial, and providing legal assistance.[38] Longet claimed the shooting was accidental and eventually served 30 days in jail.
Williams also had partial ownership of thePhoenix SunsNBA team from the team's inception in 1968 until 1987.[citation needed]
On May 3, 1991, Williams married Debbie Haas,née Meyer, whom he met through a mutual friend. They made their homes at Branson, Missouri, andLa Quinta, California, where he was known as the "honorary mayor".[17] Williams was a noted collector of modern art and his homes have been featured inArchitectural Digest.[39]
Williams' birthplace in Iowa is a tourist attraction and is open most of the year.[40][41]
Williams was an avid golfer and hosted aPGA Tour golf tournament inSan Diego from 1968 to 1988 atTorrey Pines. Then known as the "Andy Williams San Diego Open", the tournament continues as theFarmers Insurance Open, usually played in February. He was also a competentice skater and occasionally skated as part of his television Christmas shows.[42]
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Williams was a noted art collector whose collection had hung in his homes, his offices, and in the Moon River Theatre, and was exhibited at theSaint Louis Art Museum in 1997 and 1998.[43] After his death, his collection was split among several auction houses. His paintings went toChristie's New York, where they fetched over $50 million.[44] His folk art collection was sold atSkinner for $2,471,725.[45] His collection ofNavajo blankets was sold bySotheby's on May 21, 2013, yielding $978,506 (£642,064).[46][43]
In a surprise appearance at his theater in November 2011, Williams announced that he had been diagnosed withbladder cancer.[47] Afterchemotherapy treatment inHouston, he and his wife moved to a rented home inMalibu, California, to be closer to cancer specialists in theLos Angeles area.[35][48]
On September 25, 2012, Williams died of bladder cancer at the age of 84 at his home in Branson, Missouri.[49][50][51][52] Williams' body was cremated, and his ashes were sprinkled into the artificial waterway named Moon River at his theater in Branson.[2] The memorial service for Williams was held a month later.[53][54][55]
The Andy Williams Show won threeEmmy Awards in 1963, 1966, and 1967 for Outstanding Variety Series.[56][57]
Andy Williams also earned six Grammy nominations:[58][59]
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | "Hawaiian Wedding Song" | Vocal Performance, Male | Nominated |
| 1962 | "Danny Boy" | Nominated | |
| 1964 | Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| "Days of Wine and Roses" | Vocal Performance, Male | Nominated | |
| 1965 | The Academy Award-Winning "Call Me Irresponsible" and Other Hit Songs from the Movies | Nominated | |
| 1967 | The Shadow of Your Smile | Nominated |
Other honors include:
Andy Williams' extensive discography began with the release of the 1948 single "Jubilee" as a member of the Williams Brothers alongside Kay Thompson. He recorded his first solo album,Andy Williams Sings Steve Allen, eight years later, and remained active in the music industry for the next 56 years, completing 43 studio albums, alongside compilation albums and more.
Notes
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