Andy Williams: A life in music

Andy Williams has been crooning his way through the classics for more than 50 years. With a new compilation, The Very Best Of Andy Williams, and an autobiography, Andy explains his lasting appeal and tells a few tales about his Rat Pack friends Frank and Deano.

By Andy Welch

There must come a time in the life of every successful artist when they realise they've made it.

For some, the penny might drop the first time one of their songs tops the chart. Back in the day, the epiphany might have happened with the first Top Of The Pops appearance, while others might notice their ascent to stardom when they board the plane for their first tour of America.

If all the years singing in Vegas and hosting his own hugely popular TV show hadn't confirmed his status for him already, the day Andy Williams built his own theatre should surely have hammered the point home.

"Not a lot of people have their own theatre," he says, sitting in the dressing room of his Moon River Theatre, sounding thoroughly contented.

"And you want to know the best thing about having your own theatre? When you build it, the dressing room is the way you want it. I've got large paintings on the walls, Warhols and things like that. It's like a penthouse apartment. It's got a garden, a bedroom and a kitchen in it. Oh, and a couple of bathrooms. It's quite something."

Andy currently performs in the theatre, named after one his most famous songs, twice a day, six times a week. He might be 82 this December, but the original American Idol, just one of his many nicknames, doesn't want to slow down just yet.

"Twelve shows a week is slowing down for me," he says, grinning. "I'm only working four months this year, September to the end of December, then I'm taking time off until next September when I'll start again.

"I'm planning on playing a lot of golf and travelling," he says, adding that London "for the shops, galleries and museums" and Italy "for the driving" are his destinations of choice these days.

There's a new compilation out in time for Christmas, The Very Best Of Andy Williams, as well as an autobiography Moon River And Me. Having spent the best part of the last year writing the book and, more recently, approving the tracks on the album - songs such as Music To Watch Girls By, Moon River of course, Up, Up And Away, The Impossible Dream and the enduringly popular Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Andy's legacy is very much at the forefront of his mind.

"There was a list of songs sent over to me that were going to be on the album, with a note asking me to flag up anything I would rather not be on there, but I like them all," he says proudly.

"There are few things that weren't hits in the US, but were in Britain, so they're on there."

The question then comes around to his back catalogue and, in particular, how he feels about having such a large body of work to look back on.

Ask any contemporary band for thoughts on their past work and you'll more than likely get a string of worthy responses noting how they stand by it, but 'what we're doing now is what we really care about', or that they're 'incredibly proud of what they achieved'.

For artists of Andy's generation, however, those who cut their teeth in cabaret clubs and later plied their trade in the glitzy surroundings of Vegas casinos, it's more about the dollar bill.

"I'm glad I've got those songs because they still sell," he says. "Moon River still sells, as do some other albums and all the big singles I did. When you put it all together, I get a pretty good cheque every six months. That's what you were getting at, right?"

Andy's singing career began all the way back in 1938, when he, along with his three brothers Bob, Don and Dick formed a quartet simply called The Williams Brothers. Managed by their dad Jay, they travelled around American radio stations performing before being signed to MGM Studios in 1943 and appearing in a number of films.

They teamed up with singer Kay Thompson four years later and found even greater, worldwide success until they parted ways in 1951.

"I was thinking about that time with my brothers and Kay while I was writing my book," he says. "Definitely some of my happiest times."

After the brothers disbanded, Andy became a solo artist, releasing hit after hit during the late-Fifties. It wasn't until 1962, however, the year of both breakthrough single Can't Get Used To Losing You and his series The Andy Williams Show becoming a regular staple on American TV screens, that he became a true star.

For the next decade, Andy made a TV show each week, and during any time off, found space in his schedule to record an album or two. There were also tours to consider.

"My father instilled in me a work ethic that a lot of people don't have," he says, explaining why he liked being so busy for so long.

"When times were rough and I wanted to give up I thought of him. 'Never give up', he'd say, he was like Winston Churchill or something. And I never gave up, because I didn't know what else to do.

"I was 24 when I started my solo career, and I was really afraid that if I didn't make it, I wouldn't know what else to do. The only thing I knew how to do was to sing.

"I didn't plan for a career as long as this, though, I don't think anyone plans for that. You might not take every day at a time, but you can only take a decade at a time at most."

During the Sixties and Seventies, Andy was a regular fixture in the casinos of Vegas, performing two or three shows a night at Caesars Palace. He admits he preferred the town when the mobsters ruled rather than large corporations as it was "more fun back then".

"They were always well dressed and polite and treated you well as long as you didn't cross them."

Up the road, Andy's friends and contemporaries, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr were playing at the now-closed Sands Hotel.

As well as the effortless cool and glamour associated with Rat Pack-era Vegas, there was a well-documented dark side to the town, which Andy managed to stay away from. He says he was too busy playing golf and performing for much else, although he did witness some nefarious goings on from time to time.

"One thing definitely sticks out from that time, when I was having dinner with Frank and about eight people one night. Two of the people were Lucille Ball and her husband Gary Morton," he says.

"We were sitting there with Frank telling his jokes and we were all having a great time. Some drunk at the next table spilled a glass of red wine all over Gary and this new suede jacket he was wearing. Frank suddenly changed entirely, and he got Jilly, his right-hand man, to take the guy outside and break his nose.

"I could never understand how a guy could be so tender and gentle and great when he's singing his ballads, and still have that side to him. It was really odd, but that was Frank and he was a great friend of mine, and I still think he's the greatest pop singer ever."

Extra time - Andy Williams

:: Andy Williams was born Howard Andrew Williams in Wall Lake, Iowa, on December 3, 1927.

:: He has recorded three platinum albums and 18 gold albums, more than any male solo artist after Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Johnny Mathis.

:: He moved to Branson, Missouri, in 1991 after his brother Don, a resident of the town, suggested he sell up in Vegas and move there too. Andy did just that, relocating shortly after marrying second wife Debbie.

:: He owns a restaurant in Branson, The Moon River Grill.