Andy Williams - Songs

ABOUT

Andy Williams (December 3, 1927 - September 25, 2012) was a highly acclaimed and veteran traditional pop singer with smooth crooner vocals and an affable, wholesome TV personality who became famous beginning in the mid 1950s. As the longtime host of his own hugely popular, Emmy-winning TV variety show (1962-1971), he launched the careers of such then-new acts as The Osmonds and created a holiday tradition with his annual Christmas specials. Best known for his velvety rendition of "Moon River," the main theme from the 1961 movie, "Breakfast At Tiffany's," Williams' many other signature songs include the dreamy "Canadian Sunset" (1956), the Elvis Presley-styled "Butterfly" (1957), the haunting "Can't Get Used To Losing You" (1963), and the yearning "(Where Do I Begin) Love Story" (1971), the title theme from the 1970 movie co-starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal.

Born Howard Andrew Williams in Wall Lake, Iowa, he sang in his church's choir as a child before turning professional at age 8 as the youngest member of The Williams Brothers, a sibling vocal group that also consisted of older brothers Bob (January 1, 1918 - September 23, 2003), Don (b. October 9, 1922), and Dick (June 7, 1926 - May 5, 2018). They became a popular attraction on radio in Des Moines and later Chicago and Cincinnati before the Williams family relocated to Los Angeles in 1943 where the four brothers signed with MGM. They can he heard backing Bing Crosby on his 1944 smash hit, "Swinging On A Star," and they also appeared in several movies throughout the 1940s. After World War II ended, The Williams Brothers toured with singer Kay Thompson from 1947-1951 and became one of the world's top nightclub acts. Brother Andy then moved to New York and began his solo career as a regular on "Tonight Starring Steve Allen," soon after signing with Cadence Records.

Williams debuted on the Pop/Rock charts in 1956 with his cover of the Johnny Cowell-penned "Walk Hand In Hand," which was a Top 10 hit that same year for Tony Martin. His fame took off in late 1956 with "Canadian Sunset," which was followed by "Baby Doll" (1956) and "Butterfly" (1957), the latter of which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Williams topped the Adult Contemporary chart with "Can't Get Used To Losing You" (1963), "In The Arms Of Love" (1966), "Happy Heart" (1969), and "(Where Do I Begin) Love Story" (1971). His many other top hits on both charts included "I Like Your Kind Of Love" (1957), "Are You Sincere" (1958), "The Hawaiian Wedding Song (Ke Kali Nei Au)" (1958), "Lonely Street" (1959), "The Village Of St. Bernadette" (1959), "Days Of Wine And Roses" (1963), "Hopeless" (1963), "Music To Watch Girls By" (1967), "More And More" (1967), and "Love Theme From 'The Godfather' (Speak Softly Love)" (1972). In addition to mostly traditional pop and movie themes, Williams' long string of hits also included easy listening interpretations of such songs as the Carpenters' "Solitaire" (1973) and Tammy Wynette's "Another Lonely Song" (1974). Williams' final charting song came in early 1976 with his cover of Aaron Neville's "Tell It Like It Is." Years later, "Music To Watch Girls By" resurfaced on the U.K. charts and became a Top 10 hit in 1999 after being featured in a TV commercial. He had a final U.K. chart entry in 2003 with his Top 40 duet rendition of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (with Denise Van Outen).

Throughout his over-seven-decade career, Andy Williams continued to record and tour actively, amassing a huge and devoted following worldwide, especially in the U.K. In the early 1990s, he moved in Branson, Missouri and opened the Moon River Theatre where he performed through 2011. A top selling artist with 15 gold- and 3 platinum-certified albums, Williams' numerous honors and accolades included a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Society of Singers (2008).

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MERCHANDISE

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SONGS

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Andy Williams

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