The Golden Voice: Andy Williams 1927 – 2012

[Warph]

In Memoriam: Andy Williams

     

Can you imagine Williams without "Moon River" as a signature tune? It nearly worked out that way. Yes, he says, he initially passed on recording the Henry Mancini-Johnny Mercer melody.

"I bumped into Mancini and Mercer," Williams recalls, "and they said, 'We just did a song with Audrey Hepburn for Breakfast at Tiffany's. It's the greatest song we've ever written.' I took it back to New York, but the head of the company I was recording for said, 'I don't think it's a hit.' So we never did it.

"I've missed other songs too. But in this case, this one sort of picked me. I got a call from the Academy Award people, who wanted me to sing 'Moon River' at the Academy Awards ceremony. I was now with a different label, so we put it in an album and had it in stores the day after I did it at the Academy Awards, and it was a huge, huge hit."

So Williams changed the theme song of his television variety show from "The Hawaiian Wedding Song" to "Moon River," and, he says, "I've sung it every day since then." He even named his theater in Branson, Mo., The Moon River Theatre.

[Fire Elk]

I played a round of golf with Andy Williams in the early 80's. I worked for a local venue where he was singing and my brother was working at the hotel where he was staying. Andy was going to play golf in a tournament hosted by a friend of his after his concert. Some how he was charmed by my brother and we ended up playing in a practice round with him. A very special memory, since his music was played in my house. One of the few idols I have met that did not disappoint.

[Diane Amberg]

Now that is super fun.