Donald Ray Williams (May 27, 1939 – September 8, 2017) was an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer, songwriter, and 2010 inductee into the

Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amass ...

. He began his solo career in 1971, singing popular ballads and amassing seventeen number one country hits. His straightforward yet smooth

bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing thr ...

voice, soft tones, and imposing build earned him the nickname "The Gentle Giant". In 1975, Williams starred in a movie with Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reed called ''

W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings ''W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings'' is a 1975 American comedy film directed by John G. Avildsen, starring Burt Reynolds, and written by Thomas Rickman. The 20th Century Fox film features the acting debut of Jerry Reed. Plot In 1957, W.W. Bright (B ...

''. Williams has had a strong influence over a variety of performers of different genres. His songs have been recorded by singers such as

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

, Ray Scott, Juice Newton, Claude Russell Bridges,

Lefty Frizzell William Orville "Lefty" Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975) was an American country music singer-songwriter and honky-tonk singer. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982. Frizzell released many songs that charted ...

, Josh Turner, Sonny James,

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer and musician. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of 8 and recording for the first time at 14. She signed with ...

, Billy Dean, Charley Pride,

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...

, Lambchop,

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for blending traditional honky-tonk and mainstream country pop sounds (for a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country"), as well as penning many o ...

Tomeu Penya Bartomeu Nicolau Morlà, known as Tomeu Penya (born 1949 in Vilafranca de Bonany,Majorca) is a Majorcan singer-songwriter whose musical work combines the Majorcan folk music, classical rock and roll and country music. In 1992, he earned the Nati ...

, Telly Savalas,

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...

, and

Tortoise Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a turtle shell, shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, ...

with

Bonnie "Prince" Billy Joseph Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded in collaboration with dozens of other musicians under variations of Palace (Palace, Palace Flophouse, Palace Br ...

. His music is also popular internationally, including in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Ukraine, India, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe. In 2010, the

Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...

inducted Don Williams into the

Early years

Williams was born, the youngest of three sons, on May 27, 1939, in Floydada, Texas, United States. His parents were Loveta Mae (née Lambert; 1914 – 2007) and James Andrew "Jim" Williams (1898 – 1982). He grew up in Portland, Texas, and graduated from Gregory-Portland High School in 1958. After Williams' parents divorced, Loveta Williams remarried, first to Chester Lang and then to Robert Bevers. On July 20, 1963, Williams' eldest brother Kenneth died from

electrocution Electrocution is death or severe injury caused by electric shock from electric current passing through the body. The word is derived from "electro" and "execution", but it is also used for accidental death. The term "electrocution" was coined ...

when he accidentally touched a live wire. He was 29 years old. Prior to forming the folk-pop group Pozo-Seco Singers, Williams served with the United States Army Security Agency for two years. After an honorable discharge, he worked various odd jobs in order to support himself and his family. It was with the group the Pozo-Seco Singers that Williams, alongside Susan Taylor and Lofton Cline, recorded several records for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. He remained with the group until 1969; it disbanded the following year.

Solo career

After the Pozo-Seco Singers disbanded, Williams briefly worked outside the music industry. Soon, however, Williams resumed his career in music. In December 1971, Williams signed on as a songwriter for Jack Clement with Jack Music Inc. In 1972, Williams inked a contract with

JMI Records JMI Records (Jack Music International) was an American record label founded in 1971 by Jack Clement, and was primarily active until 1974, when the catalog was sold to ABC-Dot Records. It was notable for having been the record label that first sign ...

as a solo country artist. His 1974 song "We Should Be Together" reached number five, and he signed with ABC/Dot Records. At the height of the

country and western A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

boom in the UK in 1976, he had top-forty pop chart hits with " You're My Best Friend" and " I Recall a Gypsy Woman". His first single with ABC/Dot, "

I Wouldn't Want to Live If You Didn't Love Me "I Wouldn't Want to Live If You Didn't Love Me" is a song written by Al Turney, and recorded by American country music artist Don Williams. It was released in June 1974 as the first single from the album '' Don Williams Vol. III''. The song was W ...

," became a number one hit, and was the first of a string of top ten hits he had between 1974 and 1991. Only four of his 46 singles did not make it to the top ten during that time. "I Believe in You", written by Roger Cook and

Sam Hogin Samuel Harper Hogin (March 6, 1950 – August 9, 2004) was a country music songwriter. Hogin was nominated for the Country Music Association's Song of the Year award in 1981 for "I Believe in You" (co-written with Roger Cook) and in 1998 f ...

, was Williams' eleventh number one on the country chart. It was his only Top 40 chart entry in the U.S., where it peaked at number 24. It was also a hit in Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Williams had some minor roles in Burt Reynolds movies. In 1975, Williams appeared as a member of the Dixie Dancekings band in the movie ''

'', alongside Reynolds. Williams also appeared as himself in the Universal Pictures movie ''

Smokey and the Bandit II ''Smokey and the Bandit II'' is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Jackie Gleason and Dom DeLuise. The film is the sequel to the 1977 film ''Smokey and the Bandit''. T ...

'', in which he also played a number of songs. Early in 2006, Williams announced his "Farewell Tour of the World" and played numerous dates both in the U.S. and abroad, wrapping the tour up with a sold-out "Final Farewell Concert" in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, at the Cannon Center for Performing Arts on November 21, 2006. In 2010, Williams came out of retirement and was once again touring. In March 2012, Williams announced the release of a new record, ''

And So It Goes "And So It Goes" is a song written by Billy Joel in 1983, though it was not released until six years later. It appeared as the tenth and final track of his 1989 studio album '' Storm Front''. The original 1983 demo was released on the 2005 box se ...

'' (UK release April 30, 2012; U.S./Worldwide release June 19, 2012), his first new record since 2004. The record was his first with the independent Americana label

Sugar Hill Records Sugar Hill Records is an American bluegrass and Americana record label. It was founded in Durham, North Carolina in 1978 by Barry Poss and David Freeman, the owner of County Records and Rebel Records. Poss acquired full control of Sugar Hil ...

. The record includes guest appearances by

, Keith Urban, and

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist b ...

. To accompany the release he embarked on a UK Tour. A much-loved country artist among British fans, he had his final UK tour in 2014. In March 2016, Williams announced he was retiring from touring and cancelled all his scheduled shows. "It's time to hang my hat up and enjoy some quiet time at home. I'm so thankful for my fans, my friends and my family for their everlasting love and support," he said in a statement.

Personal life and death

Williams married Joy Janene Bucher in April 1960. They had two children. On September 8, 2017, Williams died in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

, of

emphysema Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alve ...

Awards

Wins

Academy of Country Music Awards The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academy ...

(ACM) * 1978: ACM Single Record of the Year — "

Tulsa Time "Tulsa Time" is a song written by Danny Flowers, and recorded by American country music artist Don Williams. It was released in October 1978 as the first single from the album ''Expressions''. It was Williams' eighth number one on the country chart ...

Country Music Association Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...

(CMA) * 1978: Male Vocalist of the Year 1981 CMA Album of the Year "I Believe in You" Americana Music Honors & Awards * 2022: President's Award

Nominations

Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country music ...

(ACM) * 1976 / 1977 / 1978 / 1979 / 1980: ACM Top Male Vocalist * 1980: ACM Album of the Year — ''I Believe in You'' * 1980: ACM Single Record of the Year — " I Believe in You" * 1982: ACM Album of the Year — ''Listen to the Radio''

(CMA) * 1976 / 1977 / 1979 / 1980 / 1981: CMA Male Vocalist of the Year * 1978 CMA Album of the Year — ''Country Boy

Discography

Albums

*1973: ''

Don Williams Volume One ''Don Williams Volume One'' is the debut studio album by American country music singer Don Williams. Released in 1973 on the JMI Records label, the album reached number five on the US Country Albums Chart. It was re-issued in 1974 on the ABC DOT ...

'' *1974: ''

Don Williams Volume Two ''Don Williams Volume Two'' is the second studio album by American country music singer and songwriter Don Williams. Released in January of 1973 in country music, 1974 on the JMI Records label, the album reached number thirteen on the Billboard Co ...

'' *1974: '' Don Williams Vol. III'' *1975: '' You're My Best Friend'' *1976: ''

Harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

'' *1977: ''

Visions Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain un ...

'' *1977: ''Country Boy'' *1978: ''Expressions'' *1979: ''Portrait'' *1980: '' I Believe in You'' *1981: ''

Especially for You "Especially for You" is a song performed by Australian recording artists Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan from Donovan's debut album, ''Ten Good Reasons'' (1989). The song was released as his album's second single on 28 November 1988 and was wri ...

'' *1982: ''

Listen to the Radio "Listen to the Radio" is a song written by Fred Knipe, and recorded by American country music artist Don Williams. It was released in April 1982 as the first single and title track from his album '' Listen to the Radio''. The song reached number ...

'' *1983: ''Yellow Moon'' *1984: '' Cafe Carolina'' *1986: ''New Moves'' *1987: ''Traces'' *1987: ''One Good Well'' *1990: ''True Love'' *1992: ''Currents'' *1995: ''Borrowed Tales'' *1996: ''Flatlands'' *1998: ''I Turn the Page'' *2004: ''My Heart to You'' *2012: ''

'' *2014: ''Reflections''

Songs written

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Don 1939 births 2017 deaths People from Floydada, Texas People from Portland, Texas American male singer-songwriters Country musicians from Texas Country musicians from Alabama Singer-songwriters from Texas MCA Records artists American country singer-songwriters United States Army soldiers MNRK Music Group artists Columbia Records artists Dot Records artists ABC Records artists Capitol Records artists RCA Records Nashville artists Vanguard Records artists Sugar Hill Records artists Giant Records (Warner) artists Grand Ole Opry members Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Members of the Country Music Association American country guitarists American acoustic guitarists Guitarists from Texas Deaths from emphysema American male guitarists Singer-songwriters from Alabama