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. Two top ten hits from the Cadence era, "Butterfly" and "I Like Your Kind of Love" were apparently believed to not suit Williams's later style; they were not included on a Columbia reissue of his Cadence greatest hits in the 1960s.
During the 1960s, Williams became one of the most popular vocalists in the country and signed what was to that time the biggest recording contract in history. He was primarily an album artist, and at one time he had earned more gold albums than any solo performer except Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. By 1973 he had earned as many as 17 gold album awards. Among his hit albums from this period were Moon River, Days of Wine and Roses (number one for 16 weeks in mid-1963), The Andy Williams Christmas Album, Dear Heart, The Shadow of Your Smile, Love, Andy, Get Together with Andy Williams, and Love Story. In these recordings Williams displays an incredible vocal technique along with an uncanny ability to make each song his very own, often rivaling or surpassing the version by the original artist. These attributes, along with his natural affinity for the music of the 1960s and early 1970s, combined to make him one of the premier easy listening singers of that era.
Williams forged an indirect collaborative relationship with Henry Mancini, although they never recorded together. Williams was asked to sing Mancini and Johnny Mercer's song "Moon River" at the 1962 Oscar Awards (where it won), and it quickly became Williams's theme song. This was repeated the next year with the pair's "Days of Wine and Roses" (which also won), Mancini's "Dear Heart" at the 1965 awards and "The Sweetheart Tree" (also written with Mercer) at the 1966 awards.
Williams also competed in the teenage-oriented singles market as well and had several charting hits including "Can't Get Used to Losing You," "Happy Heart," and "Where Do I Begin", the theme song from the 1970 blockbuster film, Love Story. Building on his experience with Allen and some short-term variety shows in the 1950s, he became the star of his own weekly television variety show in 1962. This series, The Andy Williams Show, won three Emmy Awards for outstanding variety program. Among his series regulars were the Osmond Brothers. He gave up the variety show in 1971 while it was still popular and retrenched to three specials per year. His Christmas specials, which appeared regularly until 1974 and intermittently from 1982 into the 1990s, were among the most popular of the genre. Williams has recorded eight Christmas albums over the years. He hosted the Grammy Awards for three consecutive years in the 1970s. He returned to television to do a syndicated half-hour series in 1976-77.
In the early 1990s, Williams gave up most of his touring schedule in order to open his own theatre in Branson, Missouri, the Andy Williams Moon River Theater. He continues to do 8 to 12 shows a week from September to December and occasionally makes tours of Europe earlier in the year.
His 1967 recording of "Music to Watch Girls By" was a surprise UK hit in 1999, when it reached number 9 after featuring in an advert (beating the original peak of number 33 in 1967). In 2002 he took part in a new duet of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" with British actress and singer Denise van Outen. Nearly everything Williams ever recorded has now been made available on CD through a series of compilations from 1997 to 2004.
Williams met Claudine Longet when he pulled over to aid her on a Las Vegas road. She was a dancer at the time at the Folies Bergere. They married on Christmas Day, 1961, and had three children, Noelle, Christian, and Robert. They separated in 1969 and finally divorced 6 years later. In 1976 Longet was charged with fatally shooting her boyfriend, skier Vladimir "Spider" Sabich and Williams supported her. He married a second time in May 1991 to the former Debbie Haas. They make their homes at Branson, Missouri and La Quinta, California. Williams' homes have been featured in Architectural Digest, and he is a noted collector of modern art. Williams is an avid golfer. He hosted a major golf tournament in San Diego for many years, which was known as the Andy Williams San Diego Open during that time.
Williams' birthplace is a tourist attraction open most of the year.
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Andy Williams Lyrics
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Quiet chords from my guitar
Floating on the silence that surrounds us
Quiet nights and dreams
Quiet walks by quiet streams
And a window looking on the
Mountains and the sea, how lovely
This is where I want to be
Here with you so close to me
Till the final flicker of life's ember
I, who was lost and lonely
Believing life was only a bitter, tragic joke
Have found with you
The meaning of existence, oh, my love
This is where I want to be
Here with you so close to me
Till the final flicker of life's ember
I, who was lost and lonely
Believing life was only a tragic joke
Have found with you
The meaning of existence, oh, my love
The lyrics of "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars" by Andy Williams are a romantic ode to the peaceful moments that two lovers share together. The first verse describes the serene setting of their time together, as they sit in silence, listening to the faint melodies of the guitar.
The second verse elaborates on the idyllic scene, mentioning the quiet dreams and walks that the couple enjoys together, likely in the peaceful countryside mentioned in the third line. The final lines of the verse portray the stunning natural beauty around them, with the mountains and the sea visible through a window.
The chorus expresses the singer's desire to remain in this moment with their lover until the end of their life. The singer acknowledges that they had been lost and lonely before meeting their partner, and that previously they believed that life was only a tragic joke. But now, with their lover by their side, they have found the true meaning of existence.
Overall, the song captures the intimate, peaceful moments shared between two people in love, and the power of that love to bring meaning and fulfillment to one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Quiet nights of quiet stars
The peaceful and tranquil nights with a sky full of stars
Quiet chords from my guitar
The soothing and soft music that comes out of my guitar
Floating on the silence that surrounds us
Being absorbed in the silence and calmness of the moment
Quiet nights and dreams
The calm and relaxed nights along with peaceful dreams
Quiet walks by quiet streams
The peaceful and serene walks by the side of quiet streams
And a window looking on the Mountains and the sea, how lovely
The beautiful view through the window of mountains and sea
This is where I want to be
Being right here, in this peaceful and serene moment is all I want
Here with you so close to me
Being close to you, my love, makes this moment even more special
Till the final flicker of life's ember
Being together till the last moments of our lives
I, who was lost and lonely
I, who was once lost and alone in this world
Believing life was only a bitter, tragic joke
Thinking that life had no meaning and purpose
Have found with you The meaning of existence, oh, my love
Found the true meaning of life and existence with you, my love
This is where I want to be
Being right here, in this peaceful and serene moment is all I want
Here with you so close to me
Being close to you, my love, makes this moment even more special
Till the final flicker of life's ember
Being together till the last moments of our lives
I, who was lost and lonely
I, who was once lost and alone in this world
Believing life was only a tragic joke
Thinking that life had no meaning and purpose
Have found with you The meaning of existence, oh, my love
Found the true meaning of life and existence with you, my love
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Antonio Carlos Jobim, Gene Lees
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind