Page 177 - Cousins - Celebrities, Saints & Sinners

Andy Williams

th
8 Cousin –
1 time removed

Common Ancestor

Father: John Taylor
Berkshire, Massachusetts Bay,
British Colonial America

1641 - 1704
Born: Died:
December 3, 1927 Mother: Thankful Woodward September 25, 2012
Wall Lake, Iowa Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay, Branson, Missouri
British Colonial America
1646 - 1726

Howard Andrew Williams was an American singer who recorded 43 albums in his career, of
which 15 have been gold-certified and three platinum-certified. He was also nominated for
six Grammy Awards. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a television variety show, from 1962
to 1971, and numerous TV specials. The Andy Williams Show won three Emmy awards. The
Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri is named after the song for which he is best known—
Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini's "Moon River". He sold more than 100 million records
worldwide, including more than 10 million in the United States.
Williams was active in the music industry for 74 years until his death in 2012.

The extraordinary, easy-listening crooning talents of Andy Williams were first unveiled when he
was 8 years old and started singing in a quartet with his three older brothers. The quartet made
its professional singing debut when Williams was in third grade. The harmonizing siblings found
widespread popularity on wartime radio, eventually catching the attention of crooning
th
king Bing Crosby (9 cousin, 2 times removed), who included the boys on his mammoth 1944
hit single "Swinging on a Star". They then joined singer/personality Kay Thompson in 1947 with
her eclectic nightclub act and stayed with the popular show until they disbanded in 1951. Andy
was the only Williams brother who ventured out to the East Coast to seek a solo singing career.

His career received a major boost when he co-starred with Chico Marx on the short-lived
television show called The College Bowl (1950 - 1951). On the show he acted, sang, and danced
along with others. After College Bowl was cancelled, Williams was offered regular singing duties
on Steve Allen's Tonight! (1953) show. In 1956 Williams signed with Cadence Records and
recorded his first album, which soon resulted in several top 10 hits. During this time, he
cohosted a musical show with June Valli and developed into a top nightclub favorite.

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