Don Williams Announces Retirement
One of the most successful careers in the history of Country music is coming to a close with today’s announcement of the retirement of Don Williams. “It’s time to hang my hat up and enjoy some quiet time at home,” the Country Music Hall of Fame member said in a statement. “I’m so thankful for my fans, my friends and my family for their everlasting love and support.”
Williams’ laid-back and easy-going demeanor was similar to that of fellow legend Sonny James, who died last week. If you looked into the catalog of Williams, you wouldn’t find many (if any) songs talking about drinking and cheating, but you would find some of the biggest love songs of the 1970s and 1980s, a reflection of his 56-year marriage to wife Joy.
The singer first came to prominence in the mid 1960s as a result of his work with the folk trio The Pozo Seco Singers, who enjoyed a minor Pop hit with “Time.” However, success largely eluded the group, and Williams soon found himself in Nashville recording for independent label JMI. He charted six songs for the label, including “We Should Be Together,” a top ten hit from 1974.
He then switched labels to ABC / Dot, where his debut for the label, “I Wouldn’t Want To Live If You Didn’t Love Me,” became the first of seventeen releases to hit the top on Billboard. Follow-ups included “Say It Again,” “Tulsa Time” and the 1980 crossover record “I Believe In You.” Williams was named as the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year in 1978.
The hits continued through stints on MCA, Capitol, and RCA. His final chart appearance on the singles chart came in 1992. Besides his recording success, the singer also was one of the box-office draws in the business, selling out crowds consistently in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and England, where his signature style (which earned the nickname “The Gentle Giant”) helped make him an international superstar.
Williams first called it quits in 2006, retiring after a farewell concert tour. But, the road would beckon a few years later, with Williams beginning to tour again in 2010, not too long after his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He also recorded a pair of well-received albums for Sugar Hill – 2012’s And So It Goes, and Reflections, which was released in 2014. Among the collaborators that appeared on his later works included Alison Krauss, Vince Gill and Keith Urban – who counts Williams as an influence. Last month, Williams announced that he was forced to postpone his 2016 tour after undergoing unexpected hip replacement surgery.
