His voice was exceptionally smooth when he sat on a stool and sang a song.
There was no gyrating commotion behind him. Just a man singing his song. His tenor voice recorded 43 albums of which 15 turned gold. He sold more than 100 Million records worldwide. His voice was butter. His positive personality and pleasant humor endeared him to fans for seven generations.
Listen to his rendition of Born Free or Moon River or Silent Night and his smooth tenor voice is quite pleasing to hear. Easy listening. By 1973 he had earned 17 gold-album awards. His television Christmas shows were wonderfully nostalgic of the season and included family, and eventually, the Osmond Brothers.
He was Andy Williams who was born Howard Andrew Williams December 3, 1927 in Wall Lake, Iowa to Jay and Florence Williams. He finished high school at University High School after the family moved to California.
He and his three older brothers, Bob, Don, and Dick, formed a quartet in late 1938 and performed on radio in the Midwest. The brothers sang with Bing Crosby on his 1944 hit record “Swinging on a Star.”
At that time, radio star Kay Thompson was head of the vocal department at MGM and hired them to sing in her large choir on many soundtracks for MGM films. They formed a nightclub act and made their debut in Las Vegas in 1947. They were, within the year, the highest paid nightclub act in the world.
In his memoir, Moon River and Me, he revealed that he and Thompson became romantically involved, in spite of the age difference. He was 19 and she was 38. She mentored him, coached him, wrote his arrangements, and composed many songs he recorded. She used her contacts in the business to land his first recording contract with Cadence Records.
Their personal and professional relationship lasted until 1961 when Williams met and married Claudine Longet. Thompson moved to Rome. The marriage to Claudine Longet produced three children and ended in divorce in 1975, although they remained friends. In 1991, he wed Debbie Meyer whom he had met through a mutual friend.
He was a noted collector of modern art and his homes in Missouri and California were featured in Architectural Digest. His Moon River Theater in Branson was filled with his collection of paintings and sculptures and a Navajo rug collection. On display inside the auditorium are 19 Japanese kimonos. Some artists included in his collection are Pollock, Klee, and Oldenburg.
The theater won the 1992 Conservation Award from the state of Missouri. The adjacent Moon River Grill was decorated with photos from the Andy Williams Television Show. Art is center stage again with works by Andy Warhol and Robert Indiana.
Williams had a full, rich, and varied life. He had partial ownership of the Phoenix Suns, a National Basketball Association team. He was known as the “honorary mayor” in La Quinta Calif.. He completed a sold-out tour of the UK and Asia in 2007 at which he performed at major concert halls, including the Royal Albert Hall in London.
He sang at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2008. He formed Barnaby Records and showcased new talent such as Jimmy Buffett and Ray Stevens. He performed during the half-time show of Super Bowl VII in 1973 held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. He was nominated for six Grammy Awards and won three Emmy awards
Andy Williams was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2011 and passed this life September 25, 2012 at age 84 in Branson, Mo.. His voice remains for future generations who will understand what singing a beautiful lyric can mean.