Nelson Muntz: What is this place?
Bart: Branson, Missouri. My dad says it's like Vegas -- if it were
run by Ned Flanders.
Nelson: (sees a sign advertising an Andy Williams
concert)
Andy Williams!
Bart: Aw, we don't need to stop here.
Nelson: Yes we do. (punches Bart in the back of the head)
Bart: Point well taken.
--The Simpsons, "Bart on the Road"
American vocalist, born 1927, achieving fame in the 1950s and 1960s for his recordings, and later, his television variety show. Responsible for introducing America to, among other things, The Osmonds, and "Moon River."
Nelson: I didn't think he'd do "Moon River," but then -- bam! --
second encore!
Williams started singing at the age of 8 with his brothers in Wall Lake, Iowa. Radio appearances caught the attention of Bing Crosby- that's the Williams family singing backup on "Swingin' on a Star" in 1944. The brothers toured with Kay Thompson in a nightclub act for a while, but the group broke up in 1951.
Andy's solo career got a big boost when he landed a regular gig on Steve Allen's The Tonight Show. His 1960 album, Lonely Street, hit the charts but it was the smash single from Breakfast at Tiffany's, "Moon River," that launched his international performing career. From 1963 to 1972, he hosted his own television show on NBC, winning three Emmy awards. Although described as a "pop" singer, his signature vocal sound generally confines his albums to the easy listening section of the record store.
He opened his 2000-seat Moon River Theater in Branson in 1992 (the first non-country musician to do so), and performed there several months each year until 2011.
Williams died September 25, 2012, from bladder cancer.