(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 โthe Gentle Giantโ 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 alikeโcutting across national and genre boundaries. If those personal and musical qualities stood out strongly across the 1970s, โ80s and โ90s, they are all the more distinctive in 2012, when so many country and pop records seem to work as check off lists of somebodyโs 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 heโd traded songsโโTulsa Time,โ โLay Down Sallyโ) 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 heโs done to maintain that strength over the hiatus.
โWell, there are things that I donโt do,โ Don laughs. โI donโt do a whole lot of sitting around chit-chatting, laughing, and carrying onโespecially when Iโm 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.โ
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.
โThe weird thing about that isโno; I donโt 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 youโre talking about different cultures, sometimes different languages, and the whole nine yards.โ
The hundreds of memorable songs in that repertoireโover fifty of them major hitsโwhether 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 skillsโskills well put to shared use again when Nashvilleโs finest writers submitted hundreds of songs for consideration for Donโs return to recording. They both knew what they were looking for in selections that would appear on And So It Goes:
โTheyโre very well written, theyโre interesting, and the melody and the lyric are saying the same thing,โ Don says. โEven when weโre 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 othersโ in the process. For many years, though, Garth has fussed at me about one thingโ 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 Iโve just heard than I do my own material!โ (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 smashโa development that was initially a surprise even to him.
โWhen I was just a wee lad,โ he recalls, โI 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 โin popโ 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 heartโs at, whether your head agrees with it or not!โ
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-โ67, then was signed as a songwriter by Nashvilleโs Cowboy Jack Clement in 1971โthe 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 โ Good Ole Boys Like Me,โ โTill the Rivers All Run Dry,โ โIt Must Be Love,โ โIโm Just a Country Boy,โ โAmandaโ and โI Believe in You.โ He also had a hit duet with Emmylou Harris on Townes Van Zandtโs โIf I Needed You.โ Don was the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year in 1978; his โTulsa Timeโ was the ACM Record of the Year for 1979.
In 2010, Don received country musicโs 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.
Stay Young
Don Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
you're never too old to love, never too late to try
When somebody needs you
Give em all you can give
Oh, when you're livin to love and a lovin to live
[CHORUS:]
Stay young keep your wheels in motion
Stay young with your rock n rollin
All the best things in life are free
Oh, don't ya feel like playin the fool
Just step outa line and break all the rules
Well, don't you let them tell you, Its not for you
Oh, don't go growin old, before you're due
In Don Williams's song Stay Young, he offers a profound message that living life to the fullest and loving with passion should never be limited by age or circumstances. The opening line, "Oh, don't ya lose that light in your eyes," is a plea to keep a youthful spirit and the spark of passion alive. Williams is assuring his listeners that it's never too late to find love or to try new things.
The verse, "When somebody needs you Give em all you can give," highlights the importance of giving selflessly, with an open heart. These are the things that bring meaning to our lives. The chorus, "Stay young keep your wheels in motion you've got everything that you need Stay young with your rock n rollin All the best things in life are free" encourages the listener to stay young forever โ to do what makes them happy, to keep moving forward, to never stop exploring, and to find joy in the simple things in life.
In conclusion, Don Williams's song Stay Young is an uplifting message that reminds us that age is no barrier to love, following our passions, and living life to the fullest. It's a musical reminder to keep searching for happiness, keeping a youthful spirit, breaking the rules, and embracing the best things in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, don't ya lose that light in your eyes
Keep the spark of vitality alive in your demeanor, don't let the world wear you down.
you're never too old to love, never too late to try
Age should not hinder or prevent one from experiencing love or attempting to find it.
When somebody needs you
When someone requires your assistance, attention or kindness,
Give em all you can give
Give them everything you've got, everything you're capable of providing.
Oh, when you're livin to love and a lovin to live
When you adopt a lifestyle that's centered on experiencing and actively participating in love.
[CHORUS:]
The following lines are the chorus of the song.
Stay young keep your wheels in motion
Maintain a youthful, energetic mindset, keep moving forward and pursuing your passions.
you've got everything that you need
You already possess all of the tools necessary to live a fulfilling life.
Stay young with your rock n rollin
Maintain a youthful spirit by listening to and enjoying rock and roll music.
All the best things in life are free
The most valuable and enjoyable aspects of life cannot be bought with material wealth.
Oh, don't ya feel like playin the fool
Do not be afraid to take risks or act foolishly at times in order to truly live and experience life.
Just step outa line and break all the rules
Break free from restrictive societal norms and conventions.
Well, don't you let them tell you, Its not for you
Do not allow others to dictate what is or isn't possible for you to achieve or experience.
Oh, don't go growin old, before you're due
Do not allow yourself to become jaded, cynical or tired before it is truly time for you to grow old.
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Noel Gallagher
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jrkuume2906
To the person reading this we don't know each other but i wish you the best in life๐โค
@lumaimubanga9253
Wish u all the best too. Hope to meet one year.
@stormy5110
I wish you the best life as well๐
@peterkirugu6869
I wish you the best of the best tooโค๐ฏโ๏ธ
@sv1193
Lovely song of Don..always love him..
@rickross8953
God bless you
@withunsangma8400
I guess I'm not the only one who is listening to this beautiful song in 2022โค๏ธโค๏ธ
@judyroe663
Nope and just about as often as possible since you typed that. No singer has ever brought so much joy to me as Don. The cd stays in the player
@mambweigris6279
๐๐๐๐๐๐
@niwefortunate
Me 2024๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐
But all the best things in life are free