Andy Williams

Intro

• An American singer who recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold-certified and three 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 won three Emmy awards. The Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri is named after the song for which he is best known—Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini's "Moon River".
• He sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including more than 10 million certified units in the United States

Early Life

• Born December 3, 1927 in Wall Lake, Iowa
• 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 Midwes
• Moving to Los Angeles in 1943, the Williams Brothers sang with Bing 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) 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, 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.
• High Noon Theme Song***

Solo Career

Solo

Career

• Williams' solo career began in 1953.
• He recorded six sides for RCA Victor's label "X", but none of them were popular hits
• Williams's third single, "Canadian Sunset", reached No. 7 in the Top Ten in August 1956; it was followed in February 1957 by his only Billboard No. 1 hit, "Butterfly" (58:25)**
• More hit records followed, including "The Hawaiian Wedding Song"**, "Are You Sincere?", "The Village of St. Bernadette", "Lonely Street", and "I Like Your Kind of Love" with Peggy Powers.
• In 1961, Williams married Claudine Longet, moved to Los Angeles, California, and signed with Columbia Records.
• His first album with Columbia, Danny Boy and Other Songs I Love to Sing, was a chart success, peaking 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.**
• Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes then sold across the country, garnering critical acclaim and propelling Williams into stardom.
• 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.
• He was primarily an album artist, and at one time he had recorded 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.

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. (1:25) ***
• 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 performed during the halftime show of Super Bowl VII in January 1973, held at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The Andy Williams Show

Moon River Theater

• In June 1991, Williams' brother Don invited him to the small Ozarks town of Branson, Missouri.
• Don Williams at the time was the manager for entertainer Ray Stevens, who had just opened a theatre in Branson.
• While attending Stevens' show, Williams was encouraged by numerous Branson guests to open a venue in the town.
• This led Williams to build his own theatre in Branson in time for the 1992 season, eventually opening on May 1, 1992 as the Moon River Theatre. The name came from his signature song
• When it first opened, it was unique because his was the first non-country act to open in the then-mostly-country music town. ***(0:30)

Moon River Theater

Legacy