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Howard Andrew Williams (born December 3, 1927 in Wall Lake, Iowa), known as Andy Williams, is an American pop singer.
He first performed in a children’s choir at his local Presbyterian church. Williams and his three older brothers Bob, Dick, and Don, formed a quartet, The Williams Brothers, in the late 1930s. The brothers performed on radio in the Midwest, first at WHO in Des Moines, Iowa, and later at WLS in Chicago and WLW in Cincinnati. Williams graduated from Western Hills High School in Cincinnati. They appeared with Bing Crosby on the hit record “Swinging on a Star” (1944). This led to a nightclub act with entertainer Kay Thompson from 1947 to 1951.
Williams’s solo career began in 1952 after his brothers left the act. He recorded six sides for RCA’s label “X,” but none of them were popular hits. After landing a spot as a regular on Steve Allen’s Tonight Show in 1955, he was signed to a recording contract with Cadence Records, a small label in New York run by conductor Archie Bleyer. His third single, “Canadian Sunset” (1956) hit the Top Ten, and was soon followed his only Billboard #1 hit, “Butterfly” (a cover of a Charlie Gracie record on which Williams imitated Elvis Presley). More hits followed, including “The Hawaiian Wedding Song,” “Are You Sincere,” “The Village of St. Bernadette,” and “Lonely Street,” before Williams moved to Columbia Records in 1961, having moved from New York to Los Angeles. In terms of chart popularity, the Cadence era was Williams’s peak although songs he introduced on Columbia became much bigger standards.
He first performed in a children’s choir at his local Presbyterian church. Williams and his three older brothers Bob, Dick, and Don, formed a quartet, The Williams Brothers, in the late 1930s. The brothers performed on radio in the Midwest, first at WHO in Des Moines, Iowa, and later at WLS in Chicago and WLW in Cincinnati. Williams graduated from Western Hills High School in Cincinnati. They appeared with Bing Crosby on the hit record “Swinging on a Star” (1944). This led to a nightclub act with entertainer Kay Thompson from 1947 to 1951.
Williams’s solo career began in 1952 after his brothers left the act. He recorded six sides for RCA’s label “X,” but none of them were popular hits. After landing a spot as a regular on Steve Allen’s Tonight Show in 1955, he was signed to a recording contract with Cadence Records, a small label in New York run by conductor Archie Bleyer. His third single, “Canadian Sunset” (1956) hit the Top Ten, and was soon followed his only Billboard #1 hit, “Butterfly” (a cover of a Charlie Gracie record on which Williams imitated Elvis Presley). More hits followed, including “The Hawaiian Wedding Song,” “Are You Sincere,” “The Village of St. Bernadette,” and “Lonely Street,” before Williams moved to Columbia Records in 1961, having moved from New York to Los Angeles. In terms of chart popularity, the Cadence era was Williams’s peak although songs he introduced on Columbia became much bigger standards.
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The Very Best Of Andy Williams
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Merry Christmas
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The Andy Williams Christmas Album
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Shoutbox
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bernard_fisher wrote:
love
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n0wthenmardybum wrote:
the boys watch the girls while the girls watch the boys who watch the girls go by <3
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d_malafeeva wrote:
5318008 [2]
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crazychrisr92 wrote:
Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season & It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year <3
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Forwox wrote:
GOLD
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HumbleGold wrote:
So gangster
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vanyathebest wrote:
5318008
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violetchild wrote:
I pray and hope that Mr. Williams goes through this difficult time.
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Adamc_1990 wrote:
Get Well Andy
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Forneveria wrote:
a time for us ...
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borntogeek wrote:
celebrating Andy Williams and his perfect teeth with http://theozhiztoryblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/andy-williams-and-his-perfect-teeth.html
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FreddieQueen wrote:
Náááádhera <3
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valuethetrust wrote:
Wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!)
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Richards_Sound wrote:
love the song and now perform it myself
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clowezra wrote:
magical
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YuraChe wrote:
Born free
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Annieworld wrote:
I like his music and everything but his nonrhythmic manner of singing gets me down sometimes
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jajinkaf wrote:
I love him.
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rm508 wrote:
Thank god for the Beatles is all I can say.
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Oniren wrote:
I saw him in concert when I was young for a Christmas show. He's great this time of year.
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