Andy Williams

Background

Howard Andrew Williams, or Andy Williams, was an American singer whose musical talents earned him reverence within and outside Hollywood. He was born on December 3, 1927, in Wall Lake, Iowa, U.S., to Florence and Jay Emerson Williams. He attended Western Hills High School in Ohio. After his family relocated to California, he completed high school at University High School, West Los Angeles. He joined the U.S. Merchant Marine when he was 17 and served until the end of the Second World War.

Williams and his three older brothers, Bob, Don, and Dick, formed a quartet in 1938 and performed on the radio. In 1944, the Williams Brothers sang with Bing Crosby on his hit single, ‘Swinging on a Star.’ The group featured in musical movies such as “Janie” and “Kansas City Kitty” in the same year. In 1947, Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers made their Las Vegas debut, and within a year, became the highest-paid nightclub act worldwide. In 1953, the quartet disbanded, and Williams started working toward his solo career in music. In 1958, he released the top 20 hit single, ‘Promise Me, Love.’ In 1961, he signed up with Columbia Records and released his eighth album, “Danny Boy and Other Songs I Love to Sing,” which was a smash hit. In 1962, he hosted a weekly T.V. variety show, “The Andy Williams Show,” which earned three Emmy Awards.

Williams had an enviable career that spanned seven decades. He released 43 albums, the last one being, “I Don’t Remember Ever Growing Up,” which was released in 2007. Williams married Claudine Longet in December 1961, and they had three children together. However, the couple divorced in 1975. He then married Debbie Haas in 1991. Williams was highly respected in Hollywood. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2011, and died at his home in Missouri, U.S, on September 25, 2012.