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

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer, songwriter, and 2010 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He began his solo career in 1971, singing popular ballads and amassing 17 number- one country hits. His straightforward yet smooth bass-baritone 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''. 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 singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

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

, Ray Scott, Juice Newton, Leon Russell, Lefty Frizzell, Josh Turner,

Sonny James Jimmie Hugh Loden (May 1, 1928February 22, 2016), known professionally as Sonny James, was an American country music singer and songwriter best known for his 1957 hit, " Young Love", topping both the ''Billboard'' Hot Country and Disk Jockey s ...

, Alison Krauss, Billy Dean,

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American Country music, country singer. Beginning his career as a Negro league baseball player in the early-1950s, he later pursued a career in country music, becoming the gen ...

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (born Kenneth Donald Rogers) (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particul ...

, Lambchop, Alan Jackson, Tomeu Penya, Telly Savalas,

Waylon Jennings Waylon Arnold Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Outlaw country, outlaw movement in country music. Jennings started playing ...

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

, and

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

with Bonnie "Prince" Billy. 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) is an American trade association with the stated aim of promoting and developing country music throughout the world. Founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee, it originally consisted of 233 members and was the f ...

inducted Don Williams into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

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 Portland is a city primarily located in San Patricio County with some water bodies extending into Nueces County in the U.S. state of Texas. Its population was 20,383 as of the 2020 United States census. Current population calculated by the Ci ...

, 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 Folk-pop is a broad Music genre#Subtypes, musical fusion genre that includes contemporary folk songs with pop music, pop arrangements, and pop songs with intimate, acoustic music, acoustic-based folk music, folk arrangements. Folk-pop has been ...

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 to support his family and himself. With the Pozo-Seco Singers, Williams, alongside Susan Taylor and Lofton Cline, recorded several records for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. 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 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 boom in the UK in 1976, he had top-40 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," became a number-one hit, and was the first of a string of top-10 hits he had between 1974 and 1991. Only four of his 46 singles did not make it to the top 10 during that time. "I Believe in You", written by Roger Cook and Sam Hogin, was Williams' 11th 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, he appeared as a member of the Dixie Dancekings band in the movie '' W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings'', alongside Reynolds. Williams also appeared as himself in the Universal Pictures movie '' Smokey and the Bandit II'', 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 Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, 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'' (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 American label Sugar Hill Records. The record includes guest appearances by Alison Krauss, Keith Urban, and Vince Gill. 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 was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

, of emphysema.

Awards and nominations

Academy of Country Music Awards

, - , rowspan=2,

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, Don Williams , Top Male Vocalist of the Year , , - , " Tulsa Time" , Single Record of the Year , , - ,

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, rowspan=2, Don Williams , rowspan=2, Top Male Vocalist of the Year , , - , rowspan=4, 1981 , , - , '' I Believe in You'' , Album of the Year , , - , rowspan=2, " I Believe in You" , Single Record of the Year , , - , Song of the Year , , - , 1982 , Don Williams and

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...

, Top Vocal Duo of the Year , , - ,

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

, '' Listen to the Radio'' , Album of the Year , , - ,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, Don Williams , Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award ,

Country Music Association Awards

, - , 1976 , rowspan=3, Don Williams , rowspan=3, Male Vocalist of the Year , , - , 1977 , , - , rowspan=2,

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

, , - , ''Country Boy'' , Album of the Year , , - ,

, rowspan=2, Don Williams , rowspan=2, Male Vocalist of the Year , , - , rowspan=2,

, , - , " Good Ole Boys Like Me" , rowspan=2, Single of the Year , , - , rowspan=3, 1981 , " I Believe in You" , , - , Don Williams , Male Vocalist of the Year , , - , '' I Believe in You'' , Album of the Year , , - , 1982 , rowspan=3, Don Williams and

, rowspan=3, Vocal Duo of the Year , , - ,

, , - , 1984 ,

Discography

Albums

*1973: '' Don Williams Volume One'' *1974: '' Don Williams Volume Two'' *1974: '' Don Williams Vol. III'' *1975: '' You're My Best Friend'' *1976: ''

Harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

'' *1977: '' Visions'' *1977: '' Country Boy'' *1978: ''Expressions'' *1979: ''Portrait'' *1980: '' I Believe in You'' *1981: '' Especially for You'' *1982: '' Listen to the Radio'' *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: '' And So It Goes'' *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