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.
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled
Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies
With angelic host proclaim "Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new born king"
Christ, by highest heaven adored, Christ the everlasting Lord
Veiled in flesh, the godhead see, hail the incarnate deity
Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Immanuel
Hark the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new born king"
Hail, the heaven born prince of peace, hail the son of righteousness
Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings
Mild He leaves his throne on high, born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth
Hark the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new born king"
The song "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is a traditional Christmas Carol that dates back to the 18th century, with lyrics written by Charles Wesley in 1739 and music composed by Felix Mendelssohn in 1840. The song is a vibrant and joyful proclamation of the birth of Christ and the hope that it brings to the world. It begins with the choir of angels announcing the birth of the baby Jesus, who is given the title of "King" and is greeted with glory and honor. The angels invite people of all nations to join them in celebrating the birth of Christ and to acknowledge the peace and mercy that He brings to the world. The lyrics also note the reconciling of God and sinners as a result of the birth of Christ, emphasizing the transformative power of His coming.
The second and third verses of the song turn their focus to Christ himself, acknowledging Him as "the everlasting Lord" and "the heaven born prince of peace". The lyrics describe Christ as the one who brings light and life to all who believe in Him and who was born to raise humanity up and give them a second chance. As the song concludes, the chorus invites everyone to join in the song of the angels and celebrate the birth of Christ with joy, proclaiming "Glory to the new born king".
Line by Line Meaning
Hark the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new born king"
Listen! The angels are singing praises to the Messiah who has just been born.
Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled
The birth of Jesus brings peace and forgiveness to all who believe in Him.
Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies
Let all people of the world rejoice and join with the angels in worshiping Christ.
With angelic host proclaim "Christ is born in Bethlehem"
The angels declare that Jesus, the Messiah, has been born in Bethlehem.
Christ, by highest heaven adored, Christ the everlasting Lord
Christ is worshiped by the heavenly beings and is the eternal ruler of all.
Late in time behold Him come, offspring of the favored one
After many years, we now see the promised Savior come forth as the child of Mary.
Veiled in flesh, the godhead see, hail the incarnate deity
Though He appears in human form, Jesus is still fully God and worthy of worship.
Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Immanuel
Jesus left His heavenly home to be with us and is called Immanuel, meaning "God with us."
Hail, the heaven born prince of peace, hail the son of righteousness
Jesus, who comes from heaven, is our source of peace and righteousness.
Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings
Jesus brings light and life to all who believe and offers healing through His resurrection.
Mild He leaves his throne on high, born that man no more may die
Jesus came down from His high position to be born as a human, so that people may no longer have to face eternal death.
Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth
Jesus was born to give those who believe a new life, one that lasts for eternity.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Charles Wesley, Felix Mendelssohn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind