The singer known for his wholesome, middle-America appeal was the Antithesis of the counterculture.
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Moon River' crooner Andy Williams dies at age 84
"The old cliche that says, if you can remember the 1960s, you were not there," Williams Recalled before. "Well, I was there all right, but my memory of them is blurred - not by any drugs I took but by the relentless pace of the schedule I set myself."
The 84-year-old entertainer, who died Tuesday night at his home in Branson following, a yearlong battle with bladder cancer, outlasted many of the decade's rock stars such as Frank Sinatra and Perry Como and fellow Crooners. He remained on the charts into the 1970s and Continued to perform into his 80s.
Williams became a major star in 1956, the same year as Elvis Presley, with the Sinatra-like swing number "Canadian Sunset." For a time, he was pushed into Presley imitations such as "Lips of Wine" and the no. 1 smash "Butterfly."
But mostly he stuck to what he called his "natural style" and kept it up throughout his career. In 1970, when Sinatra had even temporarily retired, Williams was in the top 10 with the theme from "Love Story," the Oscar-winning tearjerker. He had 18 gold records, three platinum and five Grammy award nominations.
Williams was also the first host of the live Grammy Awards telecast and hosted the show for seven consecutive years, beginning in 1971.
Movie songs became a specialty, Including his signature "Moon River." The longing Henry Mancini-Johnny Mercer ballad was his most famous song, even though he's never released as a single, because it feared his record company lines such as "my huckleberry friend" were too confusing and old-fashioned for teens.
The song was first Performed by Audrey Hepburn in the cherished 1961 film "Breakfast at Tiffany's," but Mancini thought "Moon River" ideal for Williams, who recorded it in "pretty much one take" and also sang it at the 1962 Academy Awards. Although "Moon River" was covered by Countless artists and became a hit single for Jerry Butler, Williams made the song his personal brand. In fact, he INSISTED on it.
"When I hear anybody else sing it, it's all I can to do stop myself from shouting at the television screen, 'No! That's my song!'" Williams wrote in his 2009 memoir titled, fittingly, "Moon River and Me."
At a Wednesday matinee at Williams' Moon River Theatre in Branson, a performer told the crowd that Williams would have wanted the show to go on, and it did. The first show after his death included a moving video of him performing "Can not Take My Eyes Off of You."
"It was very emotional, very sad," said Barbara Cox of Atlanta, who came to Branson on vacation. "We've lost a great man."
Carol and Ruth Harding, who Traveled sisters from suburban Denver to attend a second show, Wednesday evening, Williams said, they've been fans since they were teenagers. The women, both in their early 70s and married to brothers, said they'd seen him perform numerous times, Including 10 trips to his Christmas show.
"It's not going to be the same without him," Ruth Harding said. "It's like losing a family member. He's been part of our family."
Because of illness, Williams Performed in several months had not
He had been a constant presence on television with "The Andy Williams Show," which lasted through the 1960s and into 1971 in various formats. It won three Emmys and featured Williams alternately performing his stable of hits and bantering with guest stars.
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