Goodbye, Andy Williams

Andy Williams died last Sept. 25. He was 84 years old and set to commemorate his 75th year in show business. The news was not as shocking as when Whitney Houston died earlier this year or when John Lennon, Andy’s fellow ’60s icon, was gunned down ages ago, but it was sad. Williams during turbulent times was a charming performer and the steady voice of hope in a world reeling from rapid-fire changes. Remember, it was not only wars or revolutions that were erupting everywhere back then.

Music was also changing. The Beatles had arrived and soon would come the others, the Rolling Stones, The Who, the Mamas and the Papas, etc. A lot of big-name stars were falling by the wayside, victims of the British Invasion. But the wholesome Andy would prevail against this and become an important star in three areas of entertainment. I believe that the movies, television and the Christmas Holidays were made all the more richer because Andy was there.

Somehow back then, you could retreat from chaos by listening to Andy sing movie themes like Henry Mancini’s Moon River or Days Of Wine And Roses. To this day, when one thinks of great songs from the movies, the versions that come to mind were those recorded by Andy. I do not mean just the Mancini songs. He also did Mancini’s The Shadow Of Your Smile, Charade, Two For The Road and Loss of Love from Sunflower. There were also those by other composers like Where Do I Begin (Love Story), A Time For Us, Dear Heart and certainly one of his best, Speak Softly Love from The Godfather. Truth to tell, there is no way one can go through the best films of the ’60s and ’70s without coming across a great theme song by Andy.

He brought a nice, reassuring presence to TV with his weekly Andy Williams Show where he had regulars like the very young Osmond Brothers. I remember that Dean Martin and Tom Jones also had TV shows at that time and they were good. But the younger viewers prepared Andy’s. So did the Emmy Awards, which Andy won three years in a row. Andy was also the host of the Academy Awards and the Grammys for several years. Maybe it was because he was seen as cool, wearing those casual turtle-neck pull-overs and having guests like the newcomer Elton John. He also sang more pop stuff like Happy Heart, Lonely Street and Can’t Get Used To Losing You.

And then come the end of each year, the sounds that would usually usher in the yuletide celebration would be also by Andy. No wonder he was also known as Mr. Christmas. Remember his Christmas-themed sweaters in his yearly Christmas TV specials? The Andy Williams Christmas Album and Christmas With Andy Williams are acknowledged as two of the best Christmas recordings ever made. There was really nothing earth-shaking about them. They just had nice, easy listening arrangements with the usual Christmas tunes, Jingle Bells, The First Noel or White Christmas. I believe though that it was Andy who made the difference. He made the songs more special because there is such joy in the way he sings that one cannot help but get into the Christmas mood when you hear his Happy Holidays or It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year.

It was Andy’s voice that made him one of the most successful entertainers of all time but I have a feeling that he could have also had a great career as an actor had he chosen to do more films. He made only one, I’d Rather Be Rich, a sweet romantic comedy that also starred Sandra Dee and Robert Goulet. I enjoyed watching the movie which also featured Maurice Chevalier. Andy was attractive and did well in his role as a popular singer. It was for the film’s soundtrack that he sang Almost There and It Had To Be You.

 Andy was at the Araneta Coliseum three years ago. He was a spritely 80-year-old who, bless him, sang all his hits to the delight of the audience. As he did in his TV appearances, he ended the show with one of his most loved songs, May each day of the week be a good day, may the Lord always watch over you…

May the Lord always watch over you, Andy.