Christmas With Andy Williams

Each December, from 1962 to 1972, watching a holiday special on TV that featured singer Andy William and his family was a great way to get into the Christmas spirit.  You always knew you would hear standards like Sleigh Ride, White Christmas, and I'll Be Home for Christmas, and beloved sacred carols like O Holy Night and Ave Maria.  During those years, Andy also released three best-selling Christmas albums.  He was known to many as "Mr. Christmas" because of his devotion to celebrating "the most wonderful time of the year.'  Born in 1927 in Wall Lake, Iowa, Andy was welcomed by three older brothers, Bob, Don and Dick.  under their father's tutelage, the four began singing in church when they were very young, learning to sing in perfect harmony.  In 1938, when Andy was 11, the four siblings formed a quartet known as The Williams Brothers.  They did so well that they had a radio show in the Midwest.  In 1943, the family moved to California, and in 1944, the brothers sang backup for Bing Crosby on Swinging' on a Star, Bing's hit song from the movie Going My Way, and they appeared uncredited in several movie musicals.  After serving during World War II, The Williams Brothers reunited and became backup singers and dancers for radio star Kay Thompson (better known now for her role in Funny Face with Audrey Hepburn in 1957 and as the writer of 1950s children's book series Eloise), and they had a huge success in Las Vegas.  In 1949, the act broke up, but they reunited for a tour from 1951 to 1953.  After that, the Williams brothers went their separate ways professionally, as the older brothers were tired of touring and wanted to settle down.  Thompson continued to be an influence in Andy's life, writing songs and arrangements for his solo career.  Andy was a regular on Tonight Starring Steve Allen on NBC from 1954 to 1957, singing in 276 episodes of the live late-night show.  During that same time, in 1954, Andy signed a contract with Cadence Records and had several Top Ten hits, including Are You Sincere? (1985), The Village of St. Bernadette (1959), and Lonely Street (1959).  In 1962, he was asked to sing the theme song from the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany's, starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppar, at the Academy Awards.  With over 18 million viewers watching, Andy performed Moon River, composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer that evening.  Now signed with Columbia Records, Andy had already recorded the album Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes, which was released the same day the Oscars were televised.  The album remained on the charts for three years, peaking at No. 3.  Though he had had a successful show business career for many years, his performance that evening and the subsequent hit song made Andy Williams a bona fide star.  The Andy Williams Show premiered on NBC in September 1962, and in December the first of his many Christmas specials aired.  Edward Pool and George Wyle wrote It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year especially for Andy, and it became a staple on his Christmas shows through the years.  Billboard rated Andy's original version of the song No. 5 in the top 10 Christmas songs ever recorded.  The brothers appeared more than 20 times in various Andy Williams programs and were a staple on his Christmas specials.  Between 1973 and 1982, Andy produced several more Christmas specials on TV.  Out of the 43 studio, compilation and live albums that Andy recorded over a span of 56 years, eight were Christmas albums, with 1963's Andy Williams Christmas Album being the first.  A year after it was released, it was certified gold for selling over 500,000 copies.  Besides the success of his single It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year from his first album, in 1965, his Merry Christmas Album and Merry Christmas records were eventually certified platinum for sales over 1 million each.  In 1992, Andy had The Moon River Theater built in Branson, Mo., where he contiued his traditional Christmas specials until his last performance in 2011.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.