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Andy Williams

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AboutHoward Andrew "Andy" Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American popular music singer. He recorded 44 albums in his career, 15 of which have been gold-certified and three of which have been platinum-certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a television variety show, from 1962 to 1971, and numerous TV specials. The Andy Williams Show garnered three Emmy awards. The Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri, is named after the song he is most known for singing—Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini's "Moon River". He sold over 100 million records worldwide including 10.5 million certified units in the United States.

Williams was born in Wall Lake, Iowa, the son of Jay Emerson and Florence (née Finley) Williams. While living in Cheviot, Ohio, Williams attended Western Hills High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He finished high school at University High School, in West Los Angeles, because of his family's move to California.

Williams had three older brothers—Bob, Don, and Dick Williams. His first performance was in a children's choir at the local Presbyterian church. He and his brothers formed the Williams Brothers quartet in late 1938, and they performed on radio in the Midwest, first at WHO, in Des Moines, Iowa, and later at WLS, in Chicago, and WLW, in Cincinnati.

Moving to Los Angeles in 1943, the Williams Brothers sang with Bing Crosby on the hit record "Swinging on a Star" (1944). They appeared in four musical films: Janie (1944), Kansas City Kitty (1944), Something in the Wind (1947) and Ladies' Man (1947).

The Williams Brothers were signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to appear in Anchors Aweigh and Ziegfeld Follies (1945) but, before they went before the cameras, the oldest brother, Bob, was drafted into military service and the group's contract was canceled. 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, including The Harvey Girls (1946). When Bob completed his military service, Kay hired all four brothers to sing on the soundtrack to Good 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 called 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 memoir Moon River and Me that he and Thompson 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.

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 No. 1 The 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 on The Tonight Show starring Steve Allen (it helped that the producer of the series, Bill Harbach, was Kay's former aide de camp). Thompson also got Williams his breakthrough recording contract with Cadence Records (the label's owner Archie Bleyer had gotten early career breaks because of Kay and he owed her a favour). Meanwhile, Williams sang backup on many of Thompson's recordings through the 1950s, including her Top 40 hit Eloise based on her 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' 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 musical Pal Joey. Their personal and professional relationship finally ended in 1962 when Williams met and married Claudine Longet, and Thompson moved to Rome.

Williams' solo career began in 1953. He recorded six songs for RCA Victor's label "X", but none of them were popular hits.

After finally landing a spot as a regular on Tonight Starring Steve Allen in 1954, Williams was signed to a recording contract with Cadence Records, a small label in New York run by conductor Archie Bleyer. His third single, "Canadian Sunset" reached No. 7 in the Top Ten in August 1956, and was soon followed by his only Billboard No. 1 hit—in February 1957—"Butterfly"—a cover of a Charlie Gracie record. "Butterfly" also reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in May 1957, where it spent two weeks. More hits followed, including "The Hawaiian Wedding Song" (US #11), "Are You Sincere?" (US #3 in February 1958), "The Village of St. Bernadette" (US #7 in December 1959), "Lonely Street" (US #5 in September 1959), and "I Like Your Kind of Love" with Peggy Powers (US #8 in May 1957).

Andy Williams recorded 43 studio albums, 17 of which (along with the 1970 compilation Andy Williams' Greatest Hits) received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for selling 500,000 units. Three of those recipients went on to reach one million in sales, for which they were awarded Platinum certification. Between studio, Christmas, and compilation albums he had 35 entries on the pop albums chart in Billboard magazine with 12 of those making the top 10. One of those 12, his 1963 album Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests, spent 16 weeks at number one and comes in at number five on the list of the top albums released in the 1960s in terms of Billboard chart performance. During the 1960s and early 1970s two of his Platinum LPs, The Andy Williams Christmas Album and Merry Christmas, made annual appearances on the magazine's Christmas Albums chart, where they each reached the number one position in multiple holiday seasons. In a ranking of the top album artists of the 1960s in terms of Billboard chart performance, he comes in at number eight.

Williams also recorded 45 songs that reached Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart in the United States and another eight that "bubbled under" the Hot 100. Eight of these 53 recordings made the top 10 (including 1957's "Butterfly", which spent three weeks at number one), and 32 of them are also on the list of 44 entries that Williams had on the magazine's Easy Listening chart, which was started in 1961. 19 of those 44 songs made the top 10 on that list, and four of them ("Can't Get Used to Losing You", "In the Arms of Love", "Happy Heart", and "(Where Do I Begin) Love Story") went on to number one. In a ranking of Billboard's top Adult Contemporary chart performers from 1961 to 1969, he comes in at number five.

In 1963 the Williams recording of "White Christmas" was released to promote The Andy Williams Christmas Album and spent the last five weeks of the year at number one on Billboard's Christmas Singles chart. The album also included "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year", which was written for The Andy Williams Show and became a staple of his annual Christmas specials. Although covers of the song he originated by artists such as Garth Brooks and Harry Connick, Jr. had single chart runs in Billboard upon initial release, the recording by Williams enjoyed widespread popularity several decades after it debuted. The list of the "Top 10 Holiday Songs (Since 2001)" that was published by Billboard in 2009 ranked the Williams recording at number five, and on the 2010 countdown of holiday songs receiving the most radio airplay as determined by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (also known as ASCAP) the Williams classic came in at number four.

Since the British Phonographic Industry began its awards in 1973 Williams had 12 albums receive Silver certification for selling 60,000 units in the UK, and Six of those albums eventually sold the 100,000 units necessary for receiving Gold certification. On the UK album chart he had 30 entries with 11 of those making the top 10. He also had 23 recordings that reached the UK singles chart with nine of those reaching the top 10, including "Butterfly", which spent two weeks at number one.

In 1961, Williams married Claudine Longet, moved to Los Angeles, California, and signed with Columbia Records. Williams first album with Columbia, Danny Boy and Other Songs I Love to Sing was a minor chart success and peaked at No. 19. He was then asked to sing "Moon River", the theme from Breakfast at Tiffany's, at the 1962 Academy Awards where it won Best Original Song. Archie Bleyer at Cadence had previously told Williams that "Moon River" would not be a hit but the Columbia producers encouraged Andy to record the song along with eleven 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, peaking at No. 3. 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 No. 2 in the US and in the UK. The album containing both songs, Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests topped the album charts at No. 1 for 16 weeks.

From 1962 to 1972, Williams became one of the most popular vocalists in the country and was signed to what was at that time the biggest recording contract in history. He was primarily an album artist, and at one time he had earned more gold albums than any solo performer except Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis and Elvis Presley. By 1973 he had earned as many as 17 gold album awards. Among his hit albums from this period were The Andy Williams Christmas Album, Dear Heart, The Shadow of Your Smile, Love, Andy, Happy Heart, Get Together with Andy Williams, Love Story, and Love 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 albums Dear Heart (1965), Love Andy (1967), Can't Help Falling In Love (1970), Andy Williams Show (1970), Home Lovin Man (No. 1, 1971), Solitaire (1973), The Way We Were (1974) and Reflections (1978) all reached the Top 10.

Williams forged an indirect collaborative relationship with Henry Mancini, although they never recorded together. Both "Moon River" and "Days of Wine and Roses" were written by Mancini, with lyrics by Johnny 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-room Caesars Palace casino and nightclub opened in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the stage production of "Rome Swings", in which Williams starred. He performed live to a sold-out crowd in the Circus Maximus showroom. He headlined for Caesars for the next twenty years.

On September 17, 1968, Columbia released a 45-rpm record of two songs Williams sang at the funeral of Robert F. Kennedy, his close friend: "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and Franz Schubert's Ave Maria." These were never released on a long-playing record. However, Williams sang a different rendition of the first song that appears in the Columbia Masterworks album Robert Francis Kennedy: A Memorial.

Williams also competed in the teenage-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 film, Love Story. In addition, Williams hit the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart with "Almost There" (1964), "Can't Help Falling In Love" (1970), "Home Lovin' Man" (1970) and "Solitaire" (1973).

Both Williams and Petula Clark recorded "Happy Heart" around the same time, just prior to 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 of Danny Boyle's award-winning directorial debut film Shallow Grave (1994).

1962–71: The Andy Williams Show

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 canceled after 1963 due to low ratings, the show was then sponsored to make 12 weekly specials in the 1963-1964 season. This series, The Andy Williams Show, won three Emmy Awards for outstanding variety program. Among his series regulars were the Osmond 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. Williams recorded eight Christmas albums over the years and was known as "Mr. Christmas", due to his perennial Christmas specials and the success of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year".

Williams hosted the most Grammy telecasts—seven consecutive shows—from the 13th Annual Grammy Awards in 1971 through to the 19th Awards in 1977. He returned to television with a syndicated half-hour series in 1976–77.

Personal Life

Williams met French-born Claudine Longet when he came to her aid on a Las Vegas road. She was a dancer at the time at the Folies Bergère. They married on December 15, 1961. Over the next eight years they had three children – Noelle, Christian, and Robert.

After a lengthy separation, Williams and Longet divorced in 1975. In March 1976, Longet was charged with fatally shooting her boyfriend, alpine ski racer Spider Sabich, in Aspen. 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. Longet claimed the shooting was accidental, and eventually received 30 days in jail.

On May 3, 1991, Williams married Debbie Meyer, whom he met through a mutual friend. They made their homes at Branson, Missouri and La Quinta, California, where he was known as the "honourary mayor". Williams was a noted collector of modern art and his homes have been featured in Architectural Digest.

Williams was an avid golfer and hosted the PGA Tour golf tournament in San Diego from 1968–88 at Torrey Pines. Then known as the "Andy Williams San Diego Open", the tournament continues as the Farmers Insurance Open, usually played in February. He was also a competent ice skater, and occasionally skated as part of his television Christmas shows.

Williams was a noted collector of Navajo blankets. His collection had hung in his home, his offices, and the Moon River Theater, and was exhibited at the Saint Louis Art Museum in 1997–1998. Williams collection was valued at over $1 million by Sotheby's, who were due to sell the collection in May 2013. The sale on May 21, 2013 yielded $978,506 (£642,064). Exch Rate: 0.66.

The Andy Williams Show won three Emmy Awards in 1963, 1966, and 1967 for Outstanding Variety Series.

Andy Williams also earned six Grammy nominations:

In a surprise appearance at his theater in November 2011, Williams announced that he had been diagnosed with bladder cancer. After chemotherapy treatment in Houston, Texas, he and his wife moved to a rented home in Malibu, California in order to be closer to cancer specialists in the Los Angeles area.

On September 25, 2012, Williams died of bladder cancer at the age of 84 at his home in Branson, Missouri. Williams was cremated. His ashes were sprinkled into the artificial waterway at his theater in Branson. The memorial service for Williams was held a month later.

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