Donald Ray Williams was an American country music singer, songwriter, and 2010 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
16 Facts About Don Williams
2.
Don Williams began his solo career in 1971, singing popular ballads and amassing seventeen number one country hits.
3.
Don Williams has had a strong influence over a variety of performers of different genres.
4.
Don Williams's songs have been recorded by singers such as Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton, Juice Newton, Claude Russell Bridges, Lefty Frizzell, Josh Turner, Sonny James, Alison Krauss, Billy Dean, Charley Pride, Kenny Rogers, Lambchop, Alan Jackson, Tomeu Penya, Telly Savalas, Waylon Jennings, Pete Townshend, and Tortoise with Bonnie "Prince" Billy.
5.
Don Williams's music is popular internationally, including in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Ukraine, India, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
6.
Don Williams was born, the youngest of three sons, on May 27,1939, in Floydada, Texas, United States.
7.
Don Williams's parents were Loveta Mae and James Andrew "Jim" Williams.
8.
Don Williams grew up in Portland, Texas, and graduated from Gregory-Portland High School in 1958.
9.
Don Williams remained with the group until 1969; it disbanded the following year.
10.
In December 1971, Don Williams signed on as a songwriter for Jack Clement with Jack Music Inc In 1972, Don Williams inked a contract with JMI Records as a solo country artist.
11.
Don Williams appeared as himself in the Universal Pictures movie Smokey and the Bandit II, in which he played a number of songs.
12.
Early in 2006, Don Williams announced his "Farewell Tour of the World" and played numerous dates both in the US and abroad, wrapping the tour up with a sold-out "Final Farewell Concert" in Memphis, Tennessee, at the Cannon Center for Performing Arts on November 21,2006.
13.
In 2010, Don Williams came out of retirement and was touring.
14.
In March 2012, Don Williams announced the release of a new record, And So It Goes, his first new record since 2004.
15.
In March 2016, Don Williams announced he was retiring from touring and cancelled all his scheduled shows.
16.
On September 8,2017, Don Williams died in Mobile, Alabama, of emphysema.