R.I.P.: Andy Williams Dead At 84

Andy Williams discusses his new memoir  and Moon River with ABC News Radio correspondent Bill Diehl.

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According to  John Kiesewetter at Cincinnati.com, Andy Williams lived in Cheviot, Ohio as a teenager and graduated from Western Hills High School. He and his three older brothers came to WLW-AM in 1941, after Chicago’s WLS-AM canceled their radio show. They also had worked for Des Moines’ WHO-AM.

The Williams brothers sang on the 15-minute “Time to Shine” show at 8 a.m. before going to school. Sixty years later, Williams sang the opening theme song for Griffin (shoe) Polish for WVXU-FM’s award-winning “Cincinnati Radio: The Nation’s Station (1921-41)” documentary released in 2001.

 Andy Williams (center, holding microphone) sang with his three older brothers on WLW-AM, Chicago’s WLS-AM and Des Moines’ WHO-AM.

On its website, Country WGNA in Albany, NY reports Mr. Williams actually has a connection to Country Music by way of Ray Stevens and Marie Osmond. In 1970, Ray Stevens hosted a summer replacement show for The Andy Williams Show.  That stint helped launch the hit ‘Everything Is Beautiful,’ that Ray used as the show’s theme song. The song was released on Andy’s record label, Barnaby Records, in addition to the Ray Steven’s classics ‘Misty’ ‘The Streak’ and ‘Turn Your Radio On.’ Jimmy Buffet and The Osmonds also recorded for Andy Williams’ label.

Marie Osmond, another Country hitmaker, also got her start working with Andy Williams. At the age of 3, she made her debut on the Andy Williams Show alongside her brothers, The Osmonds, who were regulars on the show throughout the ’60s.  Marie would later score a No. 1 Country hit in 1973 at the age of 13 with ‘Paper Roses.’  In the ’80s she would return to the top of the Country Music charts with ‘There’s No Stopping Your Heart’ and ‘Meet Me In Montana’ with Dan Seals.

Also Must Read:  Obit in the New York Times, Click Here.