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other brothers (Bob, Dick and Don) in his hometown's Presbyterian church choir. The boys' fame spread and before long they caught the attention of Bing Crosby who catapulted them to stardom in film. Andy, however, was the only brother to venture east to make a career for himself as a solo artist. His career received a major boost when he was offered regular singing duties on Steve Allen's "Tonight!" (1953) show, which led to Andy's first recording contract with Cadence Records in 1956 and his first album, which featured a Top 10 hit in the beautiful ballad "Canadian Sunset." Switching to Columbia records, Williams collaborated with Henry Mancini who brought him universal fame when Williams released his signature song-- the Oscar-winning "Moon River"-- on the soundtrack of the hit film Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). Other major chartbusters for Williams came with the movie theme songs Days of Wine and Roses (1962), Dear Heart (1964) and Love Story (1970).



Just when it looked like he couldn't get any bigger, Williams was handed his own variety show. The Andy Williams Show, which premiered in 1962, featured Williams singing duets with such luminaries as Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland and Peggy Lee, and kept audiences enraptured week after week. The series, which concluded in 1971, won three Emmy Awards for "Best Musical/Variety Series." Williams himself picked up a couple of nominations as performer. In conjunction with his famous TV show, Williams opened Caesar's Palace in 1966 and went on to headline there for 20 years. He gave up the variety show in 1971 while it was still popular and retrenched to three specials per year. His Christmas specials, which appeared regularly until 1974 and intermittently from 1982 into the 1990s, were among the most popular of the genre. Following the demise of his TV success, Williams continued to tour both in the United States and abroad. In 1992, he built a $12 million state-of-the-art theater in Branson, Missouri, which was christened the Andy Williams Moon River Theater. Over half a century since his first performance Williams continues to take to the stage there, rekindling memories and winning over new generations of fans.