(1) A country singer an… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two artists by this name:
(1) A country singer and songwriter from Texas.
(2) An alias of techno producer Thomas Wendel.
(1) Don Williams (Born May 27, 1939, in Floydada, Texas - Died September 8, 2017) spent much of his childhood in Corpus Christi, Texas. His father was a mechanic whose job took him to other regions, his mother played guitar and he grew up listening to country music. He and Lofton Kline formed a semi-professional folk group called the Strangers Two, and then, with the addition of Susan Taylor, they became the Pozo-Seco Singers, the phrase being a geological term to denote a dry well. Handled by Bob Dylan's manager Albert Grossman, they had major pop hits in the U.S. with "Time," "I Can Make It With You" and "Look What You've Done." Following Kline's departure, they employed several replacements, resulting in a lack of musical direction. After Williams had failed to turn the trio towards country music, they disbanded in 1971.
He then worked for his father-in-law but also wrote for Susan Taylor's solo album via Jack Clement's music publishing company. Clement asked Williams to record albums of his company's best songs, mainly with a view to attracting other performers. In 1973, Don Williams, Volume 1 was released on the fledgling JMI label and included such memorable songs as Bob McDill's apologia for growing old, "Amanda," and Williams' own "The Shelter of Your Eye." Williams' work was reissued by Dot Records, and Don Williams, Volume 2 included "Atta Way to Go" and "We Should Be Together." Williams then had a country No. 1 with Wayland Holyfield's "You're My Best Friend," which has become a standard and is the perennial sing-along anthem at his concerts. By now, the Williams' style had developed: gently paced love songs with straightforward arrangements, lyrics and sentiments. Williams was mining the same vein as Jim Reeves, but he eschewed Reeves' smartness by dressing like a ranch-hand. Besides having a huge contingent of female fans, Williams counted Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend among his admirers. Clapton recorded his country hit "Tulsa Time," written by Danny Flowers, a member of Williams' band.
Williams played a band member himself in the Burt Reynolds film W.W. & the Dixie Dance Kings and also appeared in Smokey and the Bandit 2. Williams' other successes include "Till the Rivers All Run Dry," "Some Broken Hearts Never Mend," "Lay Down Beside Me" and his only U.S. solo pop hit, "I Believe in You." Unlike most established country artists, he has not sought duet partners, although he and Emmylou Harris found success in 1981 with their version of Townes Van Zandt's "If I Needed You." Among the highlights of Williams' recording career is his interpretation of "Good Ol' Boys Like Me," McDill's homage to his southern roots. Moving to Capitol Records in the mid-'80s, Williams released such singles as "Heartbeat in the Darkness" and "Senorita," but the material was not as impressive. He took a sabbatical in 1988, but subsequent RCA Records recordings showed that nothing had changed.
In 1998, Williams released I Turn the Page on Giant Records, but the label soon closed its country music division. Following a live album in 2001, Williams retuned in 2004 with My Heart to You.
Maintaining his stress-free style, Williams continues to be a major concert attraction, especially in the U.K. and South Africa.
Williams initially started out as a songwriter for Jack Music Inc., since he lacked belief about going solo but then signed with JMI as a solo artist. His 1974 song "We Should Be Together" reached number five and he was signed on with ABC/Dot. His first single with ABC/Dot, "I Wouldn't Want to Live If You Didn't Love Me," became a number one hit, and was the first of a string of top ten hits he had between 1974 and 1991. In fact, only four of his 46 singles didn't make it to the Top Ten. Recently (as of 2012), he released the album And So It Goes.
From His Own Website.
They came to call Don Williams “the Gentle Giant” in the decades he was a dominating country hit maker because of his unique blend of commanding presence and that laid-back, easy style that has appealed to adult men and women alike—cutting across national and genre boundaries. If those personal and musical qualities stood out strongly across the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, they are all the more distinctive in 2012, when so many country and pop records seem to work as check off lists of somebody’s idea of how to be a man, or hard-sell attempts to indicate affection for a woman. Don Williams has never sounded like he felt the need to sell somebody something, or to prove anything.
On And So It Goes, available from Sugar Hill on June 19th, that winning, self-assured ease is again front and center, and the musical style that has made Don a ballad vocal model for performers ranging from Eric Clapton (with whom he’d traded songs—“Tulsa Time,” “Lay Down Sally”) to Keith Urban (who guests on this release). One listen to the characteristically right-on-target vocals on this first Don Williams recording in eight years and his admirers will be wondering what he’s done to maintain that strength over the hiatus.
“Well, there are things that I don’t do,” Don laughs. “I don’t do a whole lot of sitting around chit-chatting, laughing, and carrying on—especially when I’m on the road, where that just makes you tired, anyway. Even at home on the farm there are literally days on end that I may not say anything but for an hour or two a day.”
This man who so clearly loves the quiet home life can still fill an auditorium or stadium across the U.S., the U.K., Europe and Africa; his special role as an international ambassador for American country and pop music is ongoing and his musical appeal, he has long since been astonished to find, is about the same from the Central Time Zone to central Africa.
“The weird thing about that is—no; I don’t change my show to go play England or Nairobi. I can pretty much choose anything from my repertoire and it works wherever I am, and that still amazes me, because you’re talking about different cultures, sometimes different languages, and the whole nine yards.”
The hundreds of memorable songs in that repertoire—over fifty of them major hits—whether contemplative ballads, affecting love songs or change-up rhythm numbers, have always been a core Don Williams strength and focus. Don and long-time producer Garth Fundis, who returns in that role on this new album, each credit the other with having contributed to their own song-picking and sequencing skills—skills well put to shared use again when Nashville’s finest writers submitted hundreds of songs for consideration for Don’s return to recording. They both knew what they were looking for in selections that would appear on And So It Goes:
“They’re very well written, they’re interesting, and the melody and the lyric are saying the same thing,” Don says. “Even when we’re starting looking for the songs, just experimenting, Garth and I are just in agreement; we just want to make good music that touches our hearts and, hopefully, touches others’ in the process. For many years, though, Garth has fussed at me about one thing— that we need to be sure and do whatever song that I wrote, because I would just pass over it. I get more excited about a new song that I’ve just heard than I do my own material!” (There are, in fact, two Don Williams co-writes among the ten outstanding songs on this new release.)
Riding and crossing the line between country and pop, and all the more distinctive for doing it, Don brought a sound and sensibility to the country charts that proved a smash—a development that was initially a surprise even to him.
“When I was just a wee lad,” he recalls, “I really appreciated people like Johnny Horton, Johnny Cash and Jim Reeves; all of those guys back then meant a lot to me, but at the same time, I really loved Brook Benton, and the Platters and all of those people. But even when I was ‘in pop’ myself, with everything that I wrote, the only people who really seemed to appreciate it were country fans. That has to tell you a little bit about where your heart’s at, whether your head agrees with it or not!”
Born in Floydada, Florida in 1939 and growing up near Corpus Christi, Texas, Don was playing guitar by age twelve, taught by his mother, and performed in folk, country and rock bands as a teenager. He first gained musical attention as a member of the pop folk trio The Pozo Seco Singers, which had six pop chart hits in 1966-’67, then was signed as a songwriter by Nashville’s Cowboy Jack Clement in 1971—the sort of songwriter whose demos demanded attention. Between 1974 and 1991, Don had at least one major hit every year, including such country standards to be as “ Good Ole Boys Like Me,” “Till the Rivers All Run Dry,” “It Must Be Love,” “I’m Just a Country Boy,” “Amanda” and “I Believe in You.” He also had a hit duet with Emmylou Harris on Townes Van Zandt’s “If I Needed You.” Don was the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year in 1978; his “Tulsa Time” was the ACM Record of the Year for 1979.
In 2010, Don received country music’s highest honor, with his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Don Williams died on 8 september 2017 after a short illness. He was 78 years old.
(2) Founder and owner of Mojuba & A.R.T.less Records and one half of the Tokomak Records company. He is the creative force behind these imprints and Tokomak's main founding member. His musical influences ranges from Classic, Funk and Jazz via Drum & Bass and Trip Hop to his beloved Detroit Techno and US House, which can be still enjoyed throughout his DJ-Sets. After a few releases on the legendary Pure Plastic imprint, he delivers tracks of his own brand of funk on labels like Rewired, Styrax Leaves and 100% Pure.
Ghost Story
Don Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whenever he walks through your mind
Stirring up memories that cloud up your eyes
Where the light of our love ought to shine
I know that he hurt you, hurt you so bad
He must have been going insane
Now I've finally learned how to hold you together
He's just a ghost story so don't let him scare you
He's not really there like he seems
And tonight when I hold you I'll hold you so close
I'll love him right out of your dreams
I know that he's called you
And told you that our love can't last
But don't you believe him cause honey he's wrong
He's never been right in the past
So don't let him haunt you and tell you those lies
He just can't admit that you're free
And the next time he calls you just hand me the phone
And see if he says it to me
He's just a ghost story so don't let him scare you
He's not really there like he seems
And tonight when I hold you I'll hold you so close
I'll love him right out of your dreams
He's just a ghost story so don't let him scare you
He's not really there like he seems
And tonight when I hold you I'll hold you so close
I'll love him right out of your dreams
Don Williams’s song “Ghost Story” is a poignant ballad about a man’s love for a woman who is still haunted by her past with another man. In the first verse, the singer observes how his girlfriend still trembles every time she thinks of her ex, a memory that overshadows the love she shares with him. He empathizes with her pain, acknowledging how much the previous relationship had hurt her. However, he also recognizes that he can protect her from the ghosts of her past, holding her together whenever her ex’s name comes up.
The chorus of the song reassures the woman that her ex is just a ghost story, a memory that has no substance or reality. The singer tells her not to be scared of the ghosts or the lies her ex might tell her. Instead, he promises to love her so much that her dreams will be free of her ex. The second verse depicts the ex-boyfriend as a manipulative person who doesn’t want the woman to be happy with anyone else. The singer defies his attempts by telling the woman to hand him the phone the next time her ex calls.
Overall, the song is a comforting hymn to those who are still haunted by their past relationships. It is also a testament to the enduring and selfless love that is willing to protect its object at all costs.
Line by Line Meaning
I've seen how you tremble
The singer has observed that the person he/she loves becomes uneasy whenever she thinks of her ex-partner.
Whenever he walks through your mind
The ex-partner visits the person's thoughts which makes her stressed out and uncomfortable.
Stirring up memories that cloud up your eyes
Thinking about her past relationship causes the person to be emotionally distressed as seen in her teary eyes.
Where the light of our love ought to shine
The memories of the past overshadow the love that exists in the present, preventing the love the artist shares with the person to find any space.
I know that he hurt you, hurt you so bad
The person's ex-partner inflicted emotional pain and anguish in their previous relationship.
He must have been going insane
The ex-partner's actions were seemingly irrational and confusing, lacking any logic to explain his behaviour.
Now I've finally learned how to hold you together
The singer has now developed a better understanding of the person's distress and how to offer her support.
When somebody mentions his name
The mere mention of the ex-partner's name deeply affects the person to the point of emotional turmoil.
He's just a ghost story so don't let him scare you
The ex-partner has no real presence anymore, and hence should not be allowed to control or dictate the person's present or future actions.
He's not really there like he seems
The imaginary presence of the ex-partner should not be allowed to overshadow the love in the present life of the person.
And tonight when I hold you I'll hold you so close
The singer is committed to providing comfort and support to the person to help her cope with the thoughts of the ex-partner.
I'll love him right out of your dreams
The artist's love and care will help the person to forget her past, and move on with the present with the artist.
I know that he's called you
The ex-partner has attempted to contact and affect the person despite being long gone.
And told you that our love can't last
The ex-partner has cast doubts and uncertainty regarding the long term success of the present relationship, creating a hindrance for the person to move forward happily.
But don't you believe him cause honey he's wrong
The singer is providing assurance to the person that her present relationship will flourish and that the negativity that the ex-partner is spreading is without merit.
He's never been right in the past
The past behaviour and decision-making of the ex-partner have been highly questionable and untrustworthy, further affirming the artist's assurances to the person.
So don't let him haunt you and tell you those lies
The artist is urging the person to not let the ex-partner's lingering memories and fabrications of the truth affect her present and future life.
He just can't admit that you're free
The ex-partner is unable to accept that the person has moved on and is living a new life without him, and hence attempts to still exert control.
And the next time he calls you just hand me the phone
The singer is confident that he can provide a fitting response to the ex-partner's attempts to interrupt and disturb the person's peace of mind.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOESPH ALLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@melin520
I've seen how you tremble whenever he walks through your mind
Stirring up memories that cloud up your eyes
Where the light of our love ought to shine
I know that he hurt you, hurt you so bad
He must have been going insane
Now I've finally learned how to hold you together
When somebody mentions his name
*He's just a ghost story so don't let him scare you
He's not really there like he seems
And tonight when I hold you, I'll hold you so close
I'll love him right out of your dreams
++++++++++++++
*I know that he's called you told you that our love can't last
But don't you believe him, 'cause honey he's wrong
He's never been right in the past
So don't let him haunt you, tell you those lies
He just can't admit that you're free
And the next time he calls you just hand me the phone
And see if he says it to me
He's just a ghost story so don't let him scare you
He's not really there like he seems
And tonight when I hold you, I'll hold you so close
I'll love him right out of your dreams
He's just a ghost story so don't let him scare you
He's not really there like he seems
And tonight when I hold you, I'll hold you so close
I'll love him right out of your dreams.
@marywoodley3443
This song and Don William's voice helped me get to the other side of a very long and difficult time in my life. Forever grateful.
@chrisd0801
Hope all worked out for you Mary🙏 this song brings back so many memories.
I lost the light of my life by not listening to her past.
X respect
@anelladambrosio2513
@@chrisd0801ciao Chris!🙋😍😘💘🌅
@eugeniedushimimana7586
For me I can't easily move on😭😭. It's 9 years now but I still cry like it happened yesterday 😭. Sometimes I hate him for doing me dirty.
@maxine-charliemaxcaulfield
One of my favourite Don Williams songs!
@beiseiipautu9733
Mine too
@Shyrden1
No one sang a love song like Don Williams! ❤️
@CP-te9nb
I have been searching for this song forever!!!
My Daughter use to fall asleep to this song whenever we were driving in the car....❤️💕💕
@akancrypto6902
How many years now and I still listen and can’t get enough ❤
@glenmcgregor3366
Thank you very much Wilbur for giving this to all of us. Don sure never sang a bad one. My wife and I remember back when he started with The Pozo Seco Singers. We've been together over 53 years and have enjoyed Don all the way.