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.
I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She almost makes the day begin
I've grown accustomed to the tune she whistles night and noon
Her smiles, her frowns, her ups, her downs
Are second nature to me now
Like breathing out and breathing in
I was serenely independent and content before we met
Surely I could always be that way again and yet
Accustomed to her face
I'm very grateful she's a woman and so easy to forget
Rather like a habit one can always break and yet
I've grown accustomed to the trace of something in the air
Accustomed to her face
The lyrics of the song "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" by Andy Williams depict a man who has become used to the presence of a woman in his life. The singer speaks of how he has grown familiar with her face, her tune, and her personality. He admits that he was happily independent before they met and yet, he has become attached to her. The lyrics suggest that he may not desire her as much as he has just become accustomed to her being around.
He acknowledges that he is grateful for her presence but also implies that forgetting her would be easy as she is just a habit. The singer concedes that becoming accustomed to her face has given him a sense of comfort and stability. The song is a reflection on how love changes a person's perspective and how they adapt to the new sources of happiness in their life. It talks about how familiarity can breed affection, and how the smallest things can become precious when a person falls in love.
Line by Line Meaning
I've grown accustomed to her face
I have become used to seeing her face and it is now familiar to me.
She almost makes the day begin
Her presence in my life is significant and important, almost like a new day starting.
I've grown accustomed to the tune she whistles night and noon
I am used to hearing the tune she whistles at all times of the day and night.
Her smiles, her frowns, her ups, her downs
I have become accustomed to all of her moods and emotions, both positive and negative.
Are second nature to me now
Her behaviors and mannerisms have become so familiar that they come naturally to me.
Like breathing out and breathing in
It has become as natural and necessary to me as breathing in and out.
I was serenely independent and content before we met
Before I met her, I was happy and fulfilled in my independence.
Surely I could always be that way again and yet
Although I believe I could go back to being content on my own, I now have doubts.
I've grown accustomed to her looks, accustomed to her voice
I have become used to her physical appearance and the sound of her voice.
Accustomed to her face
I have accepted and become familiar with every aspect of her being, including her face.
I'm very grateful she's a woman and so easy to forget
I am thankful that she is a woman because it would be easier for me to forget her if she were not.
Rather like a habit one can always break and yet
Even though it may be as easy to break as a habit, I still have trouble letting go of what has become familiar and comfortable.
I've grown accustomed to the trace of something in the air
I have become used to sensing her presence or influence even when she is not physically present.
Accustomed to her face
Ultimately, I have become so familiar with and accepting of her face that it is a part of me now.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
bluegardenia29
I've been looking everywhere for this song by Andy Williams I still don't know what album it's on...he sings it beautifully...I've heard so many people do this..he's the best!
Ruben Aceja Uy
Andy Williams sings Prof Henry Higgins. AWESOME!!!
Cookie Spear
So glad I found this!! So handsome, so stylish and...oh yeah...that glorious voice of his!!!! ;)
eddiefanone
WOW!!!! Where does this come from??? This clip is unbelievable! Thanks for posting!!!
lunarcaninebay
The Jack Benny Program s15e02 Andy Williams' Guest
whurdsderodan
What a great voice! A gem. Thanks Andy for all your wonderful songs....
Emily
I would love for a guy to sing this to me ❤️
ben2715
@ben2715 If you search for "Andy Williams" and "Jack Benny," you will find a clip of the number in context with the first 12 minutes of the episode. After patter with Jack and the two elderly ladies, Jack announces that Andy will sing a number from his new "My Fair Lady" album. There's also another clip with the rest of the episode.
ben2715
@garysclassics Believe it or not, this was a musical spot on an October 1964 episode of "The Jack Benny Show." The directing is indeed stunning, and what a flawless, beautifully executed performance. The rest of the episode was classic Benny comedy fare (he made an unsuspecting Andy dress in a tux to perform at a grand opening -- of a meat market). But before the storyline unfolded, Jack and Andy chatted with a couple of elderly members of Jack's fan club (including the great Madge Blake).
Daniel Forte
it takes my breath away , so with my last gasp.......ALAN JAY LEARNER .