[Vision2020] Andy Williams, ‘Moon River’ crooner, dies at 84‏

[Scott Dredge]

RIP Andy Williams.  Coincidentally, I happened to be in Placerville, CA two weeks ago for a wedding and I stopped at nearby cemetery to pay my respects to Olympic alpine skier Vladimir 'Spider' Sabich.  He had been shot and killed in 1976 by Andy William's ex-wife and world class femme fatale Claudine Longet.  She was found guilty on a lesser charge and the judge sentenced her to 30 days in jail which she was allowed to serve at her convenience on the weekends.  Prior to serving her jail time she vacationed with her then married defense attorney who then later married her.

-Scott 
 ‘Moon River’ crooner dies at 84Andy Williams’ easygoing style made him timelessWith
 a string of gold albums, a hit TV series and the signature “Moon 
River,” Andy Williams was a voice of the 1960s, although not the ’60s we
 usually hear about.
The
 singer known for his easy-listening style and his wholesome, 
middle-America appeal was the antithesis of the counterculture that gave
 rise to rock ‘n’ roll.
“The
 old cliche says that if you can remember the 1960s, you weren’t there,”
 he once recalled. “Well, I was there all right, but my memory of them 
is blurred – not by any drugs I took but by the relentless pace of the 
schedule I set myself.”
Williams’
 plaintive tenor, boyish features and clean-cut demeanor helped him 
outlast many of the decade’s rock stars and fellow crooners such as 
Frank Sinatra and Perry Como. He remained on the charts into the 1970s, 
hosting hugely popular Christmas television specials and becoming 
closely associated with the holiday standard “The Most Wonderful Time of
 the Year.”Williams,
 who continued to perform into his 80s at the Moon River Theatre he 
built in Branson, Mo., announced in November 2011 that he had been 
diagnosed with bladder cancer and vowed to return to performing the 
following year, his 75th in show business.The 84-year-old entertainer died Tuesday night at his Branson home.Williams
 became a major star in 1956, the same year as Elvis Presley, with the 
Sinatra-like swing number “Canadian Sunset.” For a time, he was pushed 
into such Presley imitations as “Lips of Wine” and the No. 1 
smash “Butterfly.”But
 he mostly stuck to what he called his “natural style” and kept it up 
throughout his career. In 1970, when even Sinatra had temporarily 
retired, Williams was in the top 10 with his version of the theme from 
“Love Story,” the Oscar-winning tearjerker. He had 18 gold records, 
three platinum and five Grammy award nominations.Williams
 was also the first host of the live Grammy awards telecast and hosted 
the show for seven consecutive years, beginning in 1971.Movie
 songs became a specialty, including his signature “Moon River.” The 
longing Johnny Mercer-Henry Mancini ballad was his most famous song, 
even though he never released it as a single because his record company 
feared such lines as “my huckleberry friend” were too confusing and 
old-fashioned for teens.The
 song was first performed by Audrey Hepburn in the beloved 1961 film 
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” but Mancini thought “Moon River” ideal for 
Williams, who recorded it in “pretty much one take” and also sang it at 
the 1962 Academy Awards. Although “Moon River” was covered by countless 
artists and became a hit single for Jerry Butler, Williams made the song
 his personal brand.“The
 Andy Williams Show,” which lasted in various formats through the 1960s 
and into 1971, won three Emmys and featured Williams alternately 
performing his stable of hits and bantering with guest stars.It
 was on that show that Williams – who launched his own career as part of
 an all-brother quartet – introduced the world to another clean-cut act –
 the original four singing Osmond Brothers of Utah. Their younger 
sibling Donny also made his debut on Williams’ show, in 1963, when he 
was 6 years old.Williams’ wholesome image endured one jarring interlude.In
 1976, his ex-wife, former Las Vegas showgirl Claudine Longet, shot and 
killed her lover, skiing champion Spider Sabich. Longet, who said it was
 an accident, spent only a week in jail. Williams stood by her. He 
escorted her to the courthouse, testified on her behalf and provided 
support for her and their children, Noelle, Christian and Robert.After
 leaving TV, Williams headed back on the road, where his many Christmas 
shows and albums made him a huge draw during the holidays.Eventually,
 he decided to settle in Branson, with its dozens of theaters featuring 
live music, comedy and magic acts, and was among the first wave of 
national entertainers to perform there regularly.-------------------------------------
"Moon River" sung by Andy Williamshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xnCoo7vYqI Rest well, Andy.
Seeya at the polls, Moscow, because . . .
"Moscow Cares"http://www.MoscowCares.com  Tom HansenMoscow, Idaho
 		 	   		  
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