Moon River singer Andy Williams dies

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Moon River singer Andy Williams dies

Postby radiofan » Wed Sep 26, 2012 8:22 am

Moon River singer Andy Williams dies
Founder of Moon River Theatre had been seeking treatment for bladder cancer
CBC News Posted: Sep 26, 2012 9:52 AM ET Last Updated: Sep 26, 2012 10:52 AM ET



American crooner and former TV host Andy Williams, known for classics like Moon River and The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, has died at his home in Branson, Mo.

Williams, once dubbed "a national treasure" by former U.S. president Ronald Reagan, died Tuesday following a yearlong battle with bladder cancer, a publicist revealed Wednesday morning. He was 84.

The singer and former host of a popular variety show had revealed to fans last November that he had been diagnosed with bladder cancer, but vowed to continue performing at the Moon River Theatre he built in Branson in the 1990s.

He had been seeking cancer treatment at different facilities in the U.S.

With his smooth tenor voice and easy demeanour, Williams outlasted fellow swing-era singers such as Frank Sinatra and Perry Como. He was still performing prior to his death.

Performed with older brothers

He was also a popular host of The Andy Willams Show, which ran from 1959 to 1971 and gave spots to singers such as the Osmonds, singers Bobby Darin and Ray Stevens, and comedian Jonathan Winters.

Born Howard Andrew Williams in Wall Lake, Iowa, on Dec. 3, 1927, Williams began performing with his older brothers Dick, Bob and Don in the local Presbyterian church choir. Their father, a postal worker and insurance salesman, was the choirmaster and fostered their singing career.

Williams’s father got the boys an audition on Des Moines radio station WHO's Iowa Barn Dance, and after several performances, they gained attention from entertainment interests in Chicago, Cincinnati and Hollywood, which is where they met Reagan, then a young sportscaster at WHO.

The Williams Brothers appeared with Bing Crosby on the hit record Swinging on a Star and Janie (1944), Kansas City Kitty (1944), Something in the Wind (1947) and Ladies' Man (1947).

The brothers worked with MGM vocal coach Kay Thompson and were groomed to become a nightclub act, beginning at the El Rancho Room in Las Vegas, and performing in New York, Los Angeles and across the nation. They earned rave reviews and stayed together for the next five years.

Williams goes solo

Williams went solo in 1953, when his brothers left the act for other opportunities. He struggled to get recognition and his first recordings sold poorly. He said in his autobiography that at one point, he was so broke he ate dog food.

"I had no money for food, so I ate it," he recalled in 2001, "and it actually was damned good."

In 1954, he landed a spot on the Tonight Show with Steve Allen, one of the era’s popular TV variety shows. He had his first hit in 1956 with Canadian Sunset, which rose to No. 7 on the charts.

Other hits followed, including Butterfly, The Hawaiian Wedding Song, The Village of St. Bernadette and I Like Your Kind of Love.

Behind the scenes, Williams had bought his record label Cadence Records and was helping launch the careers of other artists, among them Stevens, the Everly Brothers and Jimmy Buffett.

Williams is survived by his current wife, Debbie, and three children from his marriage to first wife Claudine Longet.

With files from The Associated Press

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/ ... river.html
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Re: Moon River singer Andy Williams dies

Postby crs » Wed Sep 26, 2012 9:01 am

While Moon River was his signature hit, this was my personal fav. Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnt5oboAP98
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