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 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 17 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 three ...

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

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as ''Gunsmoke'' (1962–1965), '' Hawk'' (1966) and '' Dan Augus ...

and

Jerry Reed Jerry Reed Hubbard (March 20, 1937 – September 1, 2008), known professionally as Jerry Reed, was an American country singer, guitarist, composer, songwriter and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. His signature songs included " Gui ...

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 Juice Newton (born Judith Kay Newton; February 18, 1952) is an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician. Newton has received five Grammy Award nominations in the Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist categorieswinning once in 198 ...

Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock a ...

Lefty Frizzell William Orville "Lefty" Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975) was an American country and honky-tonk singer-songwriter. Frizell is known as one of the most influential country music vocal stylists of all time. He has been cited as in ...

Josh Turner Joshua Otis Turner (born November 20, 1977) is an American Country music, country singer and songwriter. In 2003, he signed to Universal Music Group Nashville, MCA Nashville Records. That same year, his Long Black Train, debut album's title t ...

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

Billy Dean William Harold Dean Jr. (born April 2, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He first gained national attention after appearing on the television talent competition '' Star Search''. Active as a recording artist since 1990, ...

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 Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He is known for performing a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country", as well as writing many of his own songs. Jackson has recorded 21 studi ...

Tomeu Penya Bartomeu Nicolau Morlà, known as Tomeu Penya (; born 1949 in Vilafranca de Bonany, Majorca) is a Mallorcan singer-songwriter whose musical work combines Mallorcan folk music, classical rock and roll and country music Country (also called c ...

Telly Savalas Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (; January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was a Greek-American actor. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on the crime drama series '' Kojak'' (1973� ...

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 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 Brothers, Palace Son ...

. 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

Early years

Williams was born the youngest of three sons, on May 27, 1939, in

Floydada, Texas Floydada ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Texas, Floyd County, Texas, United States. This rural community lies on the high plains of the Llano Estacado in West Texas and is sometimes referred to as the Pumpkin Capital of 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 The Pozo-Seco Singers was an American folk music group which had success during the 1960s. They recorded the hit "Time" and launched the music career of Don Williams. History Formation In the early 1960s, Don Williams and Lofton Kline performed ...

, 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 Jack Henderson Clement (April 5, 1931 – August 8, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, record producer, film producer and music executive. He was producer and engineer for Sam Phillips at Sun Records in its early days, discovering ...

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 signe ...

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. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, or d ...

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 Samuel Harper Hogin (March 6, 1950 – August 9, 2004) was an American 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) a ...

, 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 ''Smokey and the Bandit II'' is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Dom DeLuise, Sally Field, Mike Henry (football), Mike Henry, Paul Williams (songwriter), Paul Wi ...

'', 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 "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 American label Sugar Hill Records. The record includes guest appearances by

Keith Urban Keith Lionel Urban ( né Urbahn; 26 October 1967) is an Australian and American country singer, songwriter and guitarist. Recognised with four Grammy Awards, he has also received 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, including the Jim Reeves Int ...

, and

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He played in a number of local bluegrass music, bluegrass bands in the 1970s, and from 1978 to 1982, he achieved his first mainstream attention after ta ...

. 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 Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema. Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...

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 "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 char ...

" , 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 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

, , - , '' I Believe in You'' , Album of the Year , , - , rowspan=2, " I Believe in You" , Single Record of the Year , , - , Song of the Year , , - ,

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

, 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

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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,

, " I Believe in You" , , - , Don Williams , Male Vocalist of the Year , , - , '' I Believe in You'' , Album of the Year , , - ,

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, , - ,

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

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 reissued in 1974 on the ABC DOT ...

'' *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 "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 w ...

'' *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: ''

'' *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