Don Williams' illustrious career generated a total of 17 #1 Hits and 38 Top 5 Hits on Billboard's Hot Country Charts. 2019 also marks the 40th anniversary of his #1 hits "It Must Be Love" and "Love Me All Over Again." He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010, and was best known for his straightforward, yet smooth bass-baritone voice and soft tones which earned him the nickname The Gentle Giant of Country Music. As many of Don's accolades landed him in the history books, so will the premiere of Don Williams: Music & Memories of The Gentle Giant which takes its residency at Nashville's famed Schermerhorn Symphony Center for three nights starting October 31 and will reflect on the Country Music Hall of Fame members music, accompanied by the Nashville Symphony.
Music enthusiasts attending the first-ever screen show using Don's original vocals, original video footage from around the world, and accompanied by his original touring band with The
Nashville Symphony will also get to see some personal artifacts that took Don to his place in Country Music history. On display at The Schermerhorn
Symphony Center will be Don's 1971 MCI tour bus, 'Gypsy Lady', which carried Don from show to show for many years until his retirement. In addition, inside the venue, ticketed patrons can view the medallion presented to Don as he was entering the Country Music Hall of Fame, his legendary cowboy hat and jean jacket along with Gold records and a few of his most recognizable guitars.
"As we are getting closer to this show, the more exciting it is becoming," says Don's longtime manager Robert Pratt. "I have been viewing the video footage and listening to the vocal tracks and it truly is remarkable what I am witnessing. It's like Don is still on stage!
Keith Urban has recorded a video too and does a terrific job helping explain what the audience will be seeing. Then when I think of the guest artists that have agreed to come sing a song of Don's, I am just blown away. I can't wait for people to experience what I have in putting this all together."
Tickets for these shows are on sale via Ticketmaster and are also currently available with
Nashville Symphony season ticket packages at NashvilleSymphony.org, 615-687-6400 or the Schermerhorn
Symphony Center box office.
Williams first came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the folk group The Pozo-Seco Singers. The trio recorded several hit records, with the biggest being "Time." By 1971, Williams had gone solo, and had signed a publishing deal with Jack Clement.
The Hall of Fame producer was so taken with Don's style that he offered him a recording contract with his JMI Records in 1972. Early hits included "Atta Way To Go" and "Come Early Morning," as well as "We Should Be Together," which became his first Billboard top ten hit from 1974. He then moved to ABC / Dot (Later MCA), where the hits increased.
Tracks such as "Rake and Ramblin' Man," "Tulsa Time," and "Nobody But You" helped to make him one of the most-played artists on Country Radio in the 1970s and 1980s. He took home the Male Vocalist of the Year trophy from the Country Music Association in 1978, and notched his biggest hit in 1981 with "I Believe In You," which also crossed over to the top-30 on the Hot 100.
Subsequent moves to
Capitol Nashville and RCA kept Williams o n the charts into the 1990s, as he continued to play for huge crowds on the road. His success in the United States is well-documented, but the music of
Don Williams has made him an international star - with followings in such places as Africa, England and New Zealand. He has placed 52 singles in the top-40 on the Country charts in the United States, with 17 going all the way to the top spot. Williams was a member of The Country Music Hall of Fame and
The Grand Ole Opry. Williams appeared in the films W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings and Smokey & The Bandit II with Burt Reynolds.
Comments
To post a comment, you must
register and
login.
.png)
