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.
Sail Along Silv'ry Moon
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trail along lover's lane,
Sail along, silvery moon,
To my love again.
In the glow of your light,
Let me see her tonight,
Once again, hold her tight,
And then the whole world will seem brighter,
As we stroll hand in hand,
Two blue hearts will be lighter,
You understand,
Sail along silvery moon,
Trail along lover's lane,
Sail along, silvery moon,
To my love again.
The song "Sail Along Silv'ry Moon" by Andy Williams is a romantic ballad about a man who longs to be reunited with his love once more. The song starts off with the singer addressing the silvery moon, instructing it to trail along lover's lane, as he longs to be with his love again. The moon is often seen as a symbol of love and romance, making this a fitting imagery for the song.
The singer goes on to express his desire to see his lover once more, asking the moon to let him see her in its glow. He vows to hold her tight and take her back to lover's lane, where they can spend time together. The song then takes on a more optimistic tone, with the singer expressing the belief that the whole world will seem brighter as they stroll hand in hand, with their hearts feeling lighter. The use of the word "blue" to describe their hearts adds an element of sadness to the song, suggesting that the lovers have been apart for some time.
Overall, "Sail Along Silv'ry Moon" is a heartfelt and romantic song about love, longing, and the joy of being reunited with someone you love.
Line by Line Meaning
Sail along, silvery moon,
The singer is addressing the moon, asking it to rise higher and higher in the sky.
Trail along lover's lane,
The singer is asking the moon to shine on a particular road or path that is known to be used by couples in love.
Sail along, silvery moon,
The singer is repeating his request for the moon to keep moving through the sky.
To my love again.
The singer is asking the moon to guide him back to his beloved.
In the glow of your light,
The singer is acknowledging that the moon provides an ambient light that creates a romantic atmosphere for lovers.
Let me see her tonight,
The singer is asking the moon to shine its light on his lover, so that he can see her clearly.
Once again, hold her tight,
The singer is expressing his desire to hold his lover closely, just like he did before.
Back in lover's lane.
The singer is referencing the special place where he and his lover had previously spent time together.
And then the whole world will seem brighter,
The singer believes that being with his lover again will make everything in life seem more positive and joyful.
As we stroll hand in hand,
The singer imagines himself and his lover walking leisurely while holding hands.
Two blue hearts will be lighter,
The singer believes that when he is with his lover, both of their sad hearts will become happier.
You understand.
The singer is persuading the moon to continue shining, knowing that the moon can relate to the romantic feeling that he has for his lover.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., HARRY TOBIAS MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: HARRY TOBIAS, PERCY WENRICH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
rubens p.melo
que maravilha eu nao conhecia meus parabens...
Ginger Haydon
Love Andy....saw him in person many times at his Moon River Theater in Branson, Mo... Class Act...Thank you for posting.
Marion Coleman
I like this song. My Mother had the 78 record Sail Along Silvery Moon.
Darrell Pryor
One of the great Album sellers of all time!!!! Thanks for posting. Jan.19,2019.
Anne Lise Haukeland
Darrell Pryor nydelig
michael collins
Such a great melody... I can see that I shall have to write better lyrics.
Young hae You (유영혜)
Beautiful Song !!
esther hamblin
Lovely..singing good to hear.and to hear the mouth organ playing I so miss my dear deceased husband playing his.
Esko Mertanen
andy and this song together good my mind to hear
Eva Herzig
wonderfull performance