Howard Andrew Andy Williams was an American singer.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,073 |
Howard Andrew Andy Williams was an American singer.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,073 |
Andy Williams recorded 43 albums in his career, of which fifteen have been gold certified and three platinum certified.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,074 |
Andy Williams hosted The Andy Williams Show, a television variety show, from 1962 to 1971, along with numerous TV specials.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,075 |
Andy Williams sold more than 45 million records worldwide, including more than 10 million certified units in the United States.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,076 |
Andy Williams was active in the music industry for over 70 years until his death from bladder cancer in 2012, at the age of 84.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,077 |
Andy Williams finished high school at University High School, in West Los Angeles, because of his family's move to California.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,079 |
At 17, Andy Williams joined the United States Merchant Marine and served until the end of World War II.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,080 |
Andy Williams revealed in his memoir Moon River and Me that Thompson and he became romantically involved while on tour despite the age difference .
FactSnippet No. 1,281,081 |
Andy Williams's 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-one The Andy Williams Christmas Album.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,082 |
Meanwhile, Andy 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.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,083 |
Andy Williams recorded six sides for RCA Victor's label "X", but none was a popular hit.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,084 |
Andy Williams's first album with Columbia, Danny Boy and Other Songs I Love to Sing, was a chart success, peaking at number 19.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,085 |
Andy Williams 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.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,086 |
Andy 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.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,087 |
From 1962 to 1972, Andy 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.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,088 |
Andy Williams 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.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,089 |
The albums Dear Heart, Love Andy, Can't Help Falling in Love, Andy Williams Show, Home Lovin' Man, Solitaire, The Way We Were, and Reflections all reached the top 10.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,090 |
Andy Williams forged an indirect collaborative relationship with Henry Mancini, although they never recorded together.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,091 |
Andy Williams sang Mancini's "Dear Heart" at the 1965 Academy Awards and "The Sweetheart Tree" at the 1966 Awards.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,092 |
Andy Williams performed to a sold-out crowd in the Circus Maximus showroom.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,093 |
Andy Williams gave up the variety show in 1971 while it was still popular, continuing with three specials per year.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,094 |
Andy Williams hosted the most Grammy telecasts—seven consecutive shows—from the 13th Annual Grammy Awards in 1971 through to the 19th Awards in 1977.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,096 |
Andy Williams is included in the montage of caricatures on the cover of Ringo Starr's 1973 album, Ringo.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,097 |
Andy Williams performed during the halftime show of Super Bowl VII in January 1973, held at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,098 |
Andy Williams had originally planned a marble style theater reminiscent of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, but soon had a change of mind.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,099 |
On stage, Andy Williams was joined by Glen Campbell, Ann-Margret, Petula Clark, and Charo.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,100 |
Andy Williams is reduced to tears as Williams performs "Moon River" during the second encore.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,101 |
In 2007, Andy Williams opened the Moon River Grill adjacent to his theater in Branson.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,102 |
The restaurant is decorated in photos from the Andy Williams Show with stars including Diana Ross, Elton John, and Sammy Davis Jr.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,103 |
Andy Williams's 1967 recording of "Music to Watch Girls By" became a big UK hit to a new young television audience in 1999, when it reached number 9 after being featured in new television advertisements for the Fiat Punto—and later for Diet Pepsi—beating the original peak of number 33 in 1967.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,104 |
Andy Williams 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 Royal Albert Hall, singing, among other classics, Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately".
FactSnippet No. 1,281,105 |
In 1964, Andy Williams ultimately became the owner of the Cadence master tapes, which he occasionally licensed to Columbia, including not only his own recordings but those of his fellow Cadence-era labelmates: the Everly Brothers, Lenny Welch, the Chordettes, and Johnny Tillotson.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,106 |
In 1968, although he was still under contract with Columbia for his own recordings, Andy Williams formed a separate company called Barnaby Records to handle reissuing of the Cadence material, especially that of the Everly Brothers and new artists.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,107 |
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 after 1980.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,108 |
Andy 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 by Sirhan Sirhan in June 1968.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,109 |
Andy Williams sang "Battle Hymn of the Republic" at RFK's funeral, at Ethel's request.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,110 |
Andy Williams raised funds for George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign, performing at benefit concerts.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,111 |
Andy Williams later said that despite his friendship with the Democratic Kennedys, he was a lifelong Republican.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,112 |
Andy Williams was a guest on the Glenn Beck Radio Program in December 2009, introduced by his own 1960s recording of "Little Altar Boy".
FactSnippet No. 1,281,113 |
Andy Williams met French-born Claudine Longet in Las Vegas when her car broke down and he offered help.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,114 |
Andy Williams's was a dancer at the time at the Folies Bergere.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,115 |
Andy 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.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,116 |
Andy Williams was a noted collector of modern art and his homes have been featured in Architectural Digest.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,117 |
Andy Williams' birthplace in Iowa is a tourist attraction and is open most of the year.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,118 |
Andy Williams was a competent ice skater, and occasionally skated as part of his television Christmas shows.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,120 |
Andy Williams's paintings went to Christie's New York, where they fetched over $50 million.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,122 |
Andy Williams was cremated and his ashes were sprinkled into the artificial waterway named Moon River at his theater in Branson.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,123 |
Andy Williams 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.
FactSnippet No. 1,281,124 |