The Country Music world mourns the loss of one of its’ most distinctive song stylists with the passing of Don Williams after a short illness. He was 78.

A native of Floydada, Texas, Williams was born May 27, 1939. He grew up in Portland, TX, graduating there in 1958. Music had always been a part of his upbringing, entering – and winning - a talent contest when he was just three years old. For his efforts, Williams received an alarm clock. He began playing guitar during his teen-age years, learning the songs that he heard on the radio during that period. He and his friends played in local bands around the area, and he wed wife Joy Bucher on April 10, 1960.

To support his family – which would grow to include two sons, Gary and Timmy – Williams worked at a number of odd jobs, including oil field work, and also as a bill collector. While living in Corpus Christi in 1964, he formed the folk-styled trio The Pozo Seco Singers with Lofton Cline and Susan Taylor. They stayed together for seven years, with their biggest hit being “Time.”

After the group disbanded in 1969, Williams soon found his way to Nashville. By 1971, he had a songwriting contract with the publishing company owned by Jack Clement. The next year would see Williams ink a recording deal with Clement’s JMI Records. He made his chart debut with “The Shelter of Your Eyes” in 1973, and was soon hitting the charts time and again with a much more laid-back sound than a lot of the music coming out of Nashville at the time. 1974 would see Williams top the charts for the first time with “I Wouldn’t Want To Live If You Didn’t Love Me.” From that point all the way through 1991, each Williams single would hit the Top-40 on the Billboard Country charts. His 1970s hits included such chart toppers as “Tulsa Time,” “She Never Knew Me,” and “It Must Be Love.” His career grew steadily through label shifts to ABC / Dot, MCA, Capitol, and finally RCA. Williams also gained a devoted following overseas in such unlikely spots as England, Ireland, and New Zealand , and even South Africa and Kenya – where he reached superstar status. He was named the Male Vocalist of the Year by the Country Music Association in 1978. Though known for being very low-key and soft spoken, Williams did make two movie appearances – 1974’s W.W. and The Dixie Dancekings, and 1980’s Smokey and the Bandit II.

The 1980s saw no slow down in Williams’ recorded output, with the singer notching his biggest hit with 1981’s “I Believe In You,” which not only topped the Country charts, but crossed over to No. 24 on the Hot 100. By this time, he had earned the nickname “The Gentle Giant” for his trademark mellow sound, and the hits continued to pile up throughout the rest of the decade - “Stay Young,” “If Hollywood Don’t Need You,” and “One Good Well” being three of his biggest of the 1980s. His final top ten came in 1991, with “Lord Have Mercy On A Country Boy,” a song that Josh Turner – a Williams fan – would record in 2006.
Though the changing of the guard at radio slowed down Williams’ chart success, he continued to perform for sold-out crowds in America and abroad, playing a final tour in 2006. However, retirement was not in the cards for the singer, who returned to the road in 2010 – the same year that he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Williams’ return to the spotlight also included a pair of albums on Sugar Hill, 2012’s And So It Goes, and 2014’s Reflections, which included contributions from Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, and Keith Urban. It was a sign of his enduring appeal that both albums hit the Top-20 on the Billboard Country Albums charts – his biggest rank there in three decades.

In 2016, Williams decided that the time was right for his final performance, calling it a career after one of the most successful careers in the history of the Country Music business. "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," the 76-year-old Williams said in a statement at the time. Last year also saw the final release of Williams’ career, a live CD and DVD recorded in Ireland. In 2017, the singer was the subject of a tribute album, Gentle Giants: The Songs of Don Williams, that included performances of his hits by artists such as Lady Antebellum and Garth Brooks.

Arrangements are pending.





source:
http://websterpr.com/news/don-williams-dead-78



cc: Mynd44
lala

So sad.

mynd44 Pls help move this to entertainment section.

I have many of his tracks on my laptop. We gonna miss you bro!!!

OMG...!!
Some broken hearts never mend,
Some memories never end,
Some tears will never dry,
My love for you will never die... RIP Gentle Giant

I grew up listening to my dad play his records and his songs stuck ever since most especially Broken Hearts and Listen to the Radio

I believe in you.... My most favorite track

Amanda light of my life...Faith should have made u a gentleman's wife....- Amanda
Lord I hope this day is good, I'm feeling empty and misunderstood...- Lord I hope this day is good.
I can still hear the soft southern winds in the life oak trees. -Good ole boys like me.
I ain't gon marry in the fall, ain't gone marry in the spring cus I'm in love with a pretty girl.. - country boy.
Some broken hearts never mend, some memories never end. Some tears will never dry. my love for you will never die. -Some broken hearts.
You're my bread, when I'm hungry..you're my shelter from troubles wind..you're my anchor in life's ocean..but most of all, you're my best friend-...
Etc...all his songs are amazing.
My mates and guys see me as ancient cus I listen to this man's song a lot. I laugh them and the kids of this century because they'll never understand the touch and feeling behind country songs.
A big loss to planet Earth.
R.I.P Don

Ehyaaaaaa










Can you see me

He was indeed a Don.. Legendary country music star. Jim Reeves made me love country music, then came Don Williams, Alan Jackson and Kenny Rogers...
Sleep on

RIP sir

Rip

MY DAD FELT SAD ABOUT THIS,SAID HIS MUSIC WAS DIVINE

rip

coffee black, cigarettes

"I Believe In Love"

I don't believe in superstars
Organic food and foreign cars
I don't believe the price of gold
The certainty of growing old
That right is right and left is wrong
That north and south can't get along
That east is east and west is west
And bein' first is always best.

But I believe in love
I believe in babies
I believe in mom and dad
And I believe in you.

Well, I dont believe that heaven waits
For only those who congregate
I'd like to think of God as love
He's down below
He's up above
He's watchin' people everywhere
He knows who does and doesn't care
And I'm an ordinary man
Sometimes I wonder who I am.

But I believe in love
I believe in music
I believe in magic
And I believe in you.

I know with all my certainty
What's goin' on with you and me
Is a good thing
It's true
I believe in you.

I dont believe virginity
Is as common as it used be
In workin' days and sleepin' nights
That black is black and white is white
That Superman and Robinhood
Are still alive in Hollywood
That gasoline's in short supply
The risin' cost of gettin' by

But I believe in love
I believe in old folks
I believe in children
I believe in you.

I believe in love
I believe in babies
I believe in mom and dad
And I believe in you.



R.I.P MR!

You'll surely be remembered for your good songs and that up there is one of my family's favourite.

Ekpekus:
He was indeed a Don.. Legendary country music star. Jim Reeves made me love country music, then came Don Williams, Alan Jackson and Kenny Rogers...
Sleep on

i grew up listening to these guys and i ve been stuck on country music. i think am the only African country music fan.
been so sad today.

we lost 2 country music stars on the same day Friday

One of the greats whose music transcends age, race and time. Rip Don. Your music lives on.

Sorry o.

A great musician we have been listen to forever.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igd-24NKrss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQDWayLiOEE

Listening to his music remind me of those days.
Those days when nigeria was better.
The military generals of senseless generation primarily destroyed nigeria.

Adieu Don Williams.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SGKCCvEeoI&t=51sf