Roger Williams (October 1, 1924 – October 8, 2011), born Louis Jacob Weertz… Read Full Bio ↴Roger Williams (October 1, 1924 – October 8, 2011), born Louis Jacob Weertz, was an American popular music pianist. As of 2004, he had released 116 albums.

He was born to a Lutheran minister, the Rev. Frederick J. Weertz (1891–1980) and a music teacher, Dorothea Bang Weertz (1895–1985), in Omaha, Nebraska. The family moved to Des Moines, Iowa, before his first birthday. He first played the piano at age three. In high school he became interested in boxing, mainly at his father's insistence, and only returned to music after breaking his nose several times and sustaining several other injuries.

He majored in piano at Drake University in Des Moines, but claimed he was expelled for playing "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" in the practice room. Weertz entered the United States Navy and served in World War II. While still in the Navy, he earned a bachelor's degree from Idaho State College (now Idaho State University) in 1950. Afterwards, Weertz re-enrolled at Drake, where he earned his master's degree. He then moved to New York City to attend Juilliard, where he studied jazz piano under Lennie Tristano and Teddy Wilson.

Williams won a talent contest on Dennis James' television program, Chance of a Lifetime. He was heard by David Kapp, founder of Kapp Records. Kapp was so impressed that he signed the pianist, changing his name to "Roger Williams" after the founder of Rhode Island.

In 1955 Williams recorded "Autumn Leaves", the only piano instrumental to reach #1 on Billboard's popular music chart. It sold over two million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. It was the fourth #1 song of the "rock era," which unofficially began with the ascension of "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets into the top spot. In 1966 he had another Top Ten hit with the song "Born Free" from the motion picture soundtrack. His other hits include "Near You", "Till", "The Impossible Dream", "Yellow Bird", "Maria", and "The Theme from Somewhere in Time". Billboard magazine ranks him as the top selling piano recording artist in history with 18 gold and platinum albums to his credit. Williams was known as the "Pianist to the Presidents" having played for nine administrations beginning with Harry S. Truman. His last White House performance was in November 2008 for a luncheon hosted by First Lady Laura Bush.

His interest in the public stems from a boyhood experience in Des Moines, Iowa. After a piano concert by the Polish genius Ignacy Jan Paderewski, young Roger waited for 45 minutes outside in the freezing cold to meet his idol. When the pianist finally appeared it was to rush to a waiting automobile. "I didn't even get near enough to touch him or get an autograph," says Williams. "It was then and there I resolved that if ever I became famous I would never disappoint anyone who wanted to talk to me."

On his 75th birthday, Williams performed his first 12-hour piano marathon. He performed the marathon at Steinway Hall in New York City and the Nixon, Carter and Reagan Presidential Libraries. His Steinway & Sons "Gold Steinway" grand piano was on tour for public display and entertainment during 2007–2008.
In 2010 Roger Williams was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. At that time, "Autumn Leaves" was the best-selling piano solo record of all time and the only one ever to top the Billboard charts.

In March 2011 Williams posted on his website that he had pancreatic cancer and that his doctors had told him they could not remove the tumor until chemotherapy shrunk it to an operable size. Williams said that he did not plan on canceling any upcoming concerts. He wrote: "What does it all mean? It means I'm in just one more fight — the fight for my life.. And this much I know, this old Navy boxing champion is going for broke. Just watch me!"

Williams died on October 8, 2011, one week after his 87th birthday.

St. Louis Blues
Roger Williams Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I hate to see that evening sun go down
I hate to see that evening sun go down
Cause my baby, he's gone left this town

Feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
If I'm feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
I'll pack my truck and make my give-a-way

St. Louis woman with her diamond ring
Pulls that man around by her, if it wasn't for her and her
That man I love would have gone nowhere, nowhere

I got the St. Louis blues, blues as I can be
That man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me

I love my baby like a school boy loves his pie

Like a Kentucky colonel loves his mint 'n rye
I love my man till the day I die

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Roger Williams's song, St. Louis Blues, are a mournful lamentation of a lost love. The opening lines express the singer’s reluctance to accept the passing of time, which symbolizes the loss of his beloved. He hates the way things are changing and the sun setting every day because it signifies the absence of his partner in his life. The singer’s despondency is evident as he contemplates his future, stating that he is afraid he will feel as hopeless tomorrow as he does today. In the third stanza, the singer addresses the woman responsible for his spurned love. He knows that she is the reason his man left him, and he blames her for his misery.

The final stanza of the song tells us of the singer's affection for his man. He loves him like a schoolboy loves his pie, a Kentucky colonel loves his mint 'n rye, and he will continue to love him until the day he dies. However, it is clear in the preceding stanzas that his love is unrequited. The fervent passion he possesses for his man is not accounted for in return, as his beloved is now somewhere far away from him.

Line by Line Meaning

I hate to see that evening sun go down
I am saddened when the sun sets in the evening.

Cause my baby, he's gone left this town
My lover has left this town, causing me pain.

Feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
I anticipate feeling the same way tomorrow as I do today.

I'll pack my truck and make my give-a-way
I will leave town and start afresh elsewhere.

St. Louis woman with her diamond ring
A woman from St. Louis, adorned with a diamond ring.

Pulls that man around by her, if it wasn't for her and her
This woman manipulates her man to stay with her, and without her, he would have no direction in life.

That man I love would have gone nowhere, nowhere
My beloved would be lost without her guidance.

I got the St. Louis blues, blues as I can be
I am suffering from a type of blues music, unique to St. Louis, and it is causing me extreme sadness.

That man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea
My lover has a hardened heart, unbreakable and cold like a rock in the ocean.

Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me
His heart must be hard, or he wouldn't have left me and traveled so far away.

I love my baby like a school boy loves his pie
I adore my lover deeply, with a passion comparable to a young boy's love for a pie.

Like a Kentucky colonel loves his mint 'n rye
My love for him is akin to a Kentucky colonel's love for his mint-flavored whiskey.

I love my man till the day I die
I will love my partner until my dying day.

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: William Christopher Handy

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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