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.
Sunny
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain
Oh, the dark days are done and the bright days are here
My sunny one shines so sincere
Oh, Sunny one so true, I love you
Sunny, thank you for the sunshine bouquet
You gave to me your all and all
Now I feel ten feet tall
Oh, Sunny one so true, I love you
Sunny, thank you for the truth you've let me see
Sunny, thank you for the facts from A to Z
My life was torn like wind blown sand
Then a rock was formed when we held hands
Sunny one so true, I love you
Sunny, thank you for that smile upon your face
Sunny, thank you for that gleam that flows with grace
You're my spark of nature's fire
You're my sweet complete desire
Sunny one so true, I love you
The song "Sunny" by Andy Williams is an ode to a person who brings light into the singer's life. In the song, the singer talks about how his life used to be filled with rain and darkness, but when Sunny came into his life, she brought sunshine and eased his pain. He thanks her for the happiness she has brought into his life and the love that she has given him.
The song portrays hope and the ability to see light in the midst of darkness. It emphasizes how one person's smile and love can transform someone's life completely. The lyrics also suggest that Sunny has made the singer realize important truths about life and has given him a new perspective. The song ends with the singer proclaiming his love for Sunny and how she is his "spark of nature's fire" and his "sweet complete desire."
Line by Line Meaning
Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain
The singer's life was miserable and filled with sadness before he met Sunny
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain
Sunny's smile brought joy and happiness for the singer, which helped him forget his painful memories
Oh, the dark days are done and the bright days are here
The singer's bad times are over and he is now experiencing happy times
My sunny one shines so sincere
Sunny is genuinely a source of happiness for the singer
Oh, Sunny one so true, I love you
The singer has developed a strong love for Sunny due to her positive influence on him
Sunny, thank you for the sunshine bouquet
The singer is grateful to Sunny for bringing sunshine and joy into his life
Sunny, thank you for the love you've brought my way
The singer is thankful to Sunny for showing him love and affection, which has made him feel loved and appreciated
You gave to me your all and all
Sunny gave her all to make the singer happy and content
Now I feel ten feet tall
The singer feels confident and strong due to Sunny's love and support
Sunny one so true, I love you
The singer reiterates his love for Sunny and acknowledges her true and genuine nature
Sunny, thank you for the truth you've let me see
The singer is grateful to Sunny for showing him the truth about life and love
Sunny, thank you for the facts from A to Z
The singer is thankful to Sunny for giving him knowledge and insight about everything
My life was torn like wind blown sand
The singer's life was scattered and directionless before he met Sunny
Then a rock was formed when we held hands
Sunny gave the singer a sense of stability and purpose in life
Sunny one so true, I love you
The singer reiterates his love for Sunny and acknowledges her true and genuine nature
Sunny, thank you for that smile upon your face
The singer is thankful to Sunny for always having a cheerful smile on her face, which lifts his spirits
Sunny, thank you for that gleam that flows with grace
The singer is grateful to Sunny for her graceful personality and the positive impact she has on his life
You're my spark of nature's fire
Sunny is the source of the singer's inspiration and motivation to enjoy life
You're my sweet complete desire
Sunny is the singer's ultimate desire and he feels complete with her in his life
Sunny one so true, I love you
The singer reiterates his love for Sunny and acknowledges her true and genuine nature
Contributed by Colton I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.