Howard Andrew Williams

Williams first began singing in his local church choir, before joining his elder brothers Bob, Don and Dick singing in night clubs across America's mid-west and joining Bing Crosby on his 1944 hit Swinging On A Star. He went solo in 1952 and had his first US Number 1 hit in 1956 as an Elvis Presley sound-alike on Butterfly. However, Williams soon established his own distinctively smooth pop style and, having released one of his signature records, Can't Get Used To Losing You, signed what was reputed to be the biggest record contract in history. He then made an art form of easy listening music with iconic songs like Moon River, Can't Take My Eyes Off You, Music To Watch Girls By, Almost There and Can't Help Falling In Love. Despite his apparently old-fashioned style, Williams himself retained an unfeasibly cool persona, underlined by news that - at the age of 82 - he was to appear at the 2010 Glastonbury rock festival. © ©Copyright Music Story 2020