Don Williams was nicknamed the Mild Large at a not-quite towering 6’1”. He was large, although, when it got here to his success on the nation charts. With a virtually two-decade-long run within the high ten of Billboard’s Sizzling Nation Songs, Williams remained steadfast because the style moved by means of plenty of totally different aesthetic eras, carving out his personal timeless, velvety area of interest together with his distinctive voice and magnificence.
The native Texan had already spent years pushing for hits as a member of the ’60s people group the Pozo-Seco Singers (finest recognized for his or her tune “Time”) by the point he made it to Nashville and launched his solo profession. He had hits nearly instantly, and barely strayed from the sound and collaborators he established early on. Williams produced and wrote in addition to sang and performed guitar; particularly as a producer, he was in a position to hold his rock strong however nonetheless understated smooth country-rock sound fixed by means of dozens of songs.
Williams’ wealthy bass-baritone voice, charming and greater than a bit seductive, provided one other throughline to his catalog. Nearly any love tune sounded sweeter when Williams sang it, and extra fashionable and groovy when he produced it – so regardless that he was extremely prolific by means of the ’70s and ’80s, his hit charge not often modified. It was nation by means of an grownup modern lens, mature and acquainted however nonetheless compelling. But with all that consistency, Williams was nonetheless in a position to dabble in modern types like disco extra convincingly than most different nation artists – all of it nonetheless simply appeared like Don Williams music, fairly than some vital departure.
Under are 20 of Don Williams’ finest songs, from heartbroken ballads to upbeat dance numbers and the whole lot in between.
Hearken to the very best Don Williams songs now.
20. “If Hollywood Don’t Need You” (1982)
Virtually a sequel to “Tulsa Time,” the only tells the story of somebody left behind in a small city whereas his lover tries to make it within the films (and hasn’t but needed to head on again to Tulsa time). All moody, resigned pathos, the tune would have sounded fairly acquainted to Williams followers by the point it was launched, almost a decade into his profession — but the way in which that it performed with leaving tune conventions made it nonetheless sound compelling and recent sufficient to as soon as once more carry the singer-songwriter to No. 1 on the nation charts.
19. “Rake and Ramblin’ Man” (1978)
Williams’ catalog is remarkably constant: He discovered a sound and a method and a sort of tune that he cherished, and barely deviated. This tune is one among his extra anomalous hits, although — the singer deserted his favored four-on-the-floor groove and crooning for a extra off-center beat and a bit little bit of speak singing about unplanned being pregnant. It was written by his frequent collaborator Bob McDill, although, and similar to nearly each different Don Williams single from the interval reached the highest 5 of Billboard’s nation chart.
18. “Listen To The Radio” (1982)
“The words I’d say don’t seem to sound as real/The songs they play, that’s how I really feel,” Williams sings on this song-about-songs, a self-referential ode to the facility of music. All lush strings and piano, the singer appears to be imagining an grownup modern station (and never a rustic one) as he croons about how laborious it’s to convey how you actually really feel with out an help from the High 40.
17. “Love Me Over Again” (1979)
Certainly one of Williams’ poppier outings, with a sturdy string part and a few beachy guitar riffs, “Love Me Over Again” was additionally the singer’s first and solely No. 1 hit as the only real songwriter. He additionally co-produced the seductive tune, crafting its lush layers with hints of the period’s disco and funk sounds however by no means totally abandoning his nation roots. “Likely as not, there’s been better weather,” can be only a unbelievable opening line.
16. “Ghost Story” (1974)
Don Williams made his title with easy love songs — this album lower, although, serves that convincing affection with a twist. On it, Williams helps his companion transfer on from a traumatic relationship with attribute gentleness (and quite a lot of flippantly spooky musical adornments from the pedal metal and organ). The result’s surprising and candy, a love tune for adults with pasts that also has nation bona fides to spare.
15. “I Just Come Here For The Music” (2012)
On his second-to-last album, Williams included this duet with Alison Krauss — displaying off simply how little his supple, wealthy voice had modified through the years over a bluegrass-tinged mattress of candy acoustic devices. It’s a compelling story tune, portray an image of two world-weary individuals who would possibly simply discover one another. Krauss sounds songbird-sweet as ever, and collectively they recall the candy harmonies of “If I Needed You,” 40 years later.
14. “The Shelter Of Your Eyes” (1972)
By the point Don Williams launched this unique composition as his first solo single, he was already one thing of an trade veteran, having spent almost a decade within the Pozo Seco Singers, a Texas people group. “The Shelter Of Your Eyes,” one among only a few singles that Williams wrote himself, combines a few of that folksy, stripped-down sound with a decidedly Music Row polish. Quite than resting on the low finish, Williams stretches into a few of the greater reaches of his vary, showcasing a much less often-heard facet of his voice.
13. “Some Broken Hearts Never Mend” (1977)
Williams picked up the tempo for this dancefloor-ready heartbreak tune, which opens with as basic a rustic line as exists: “Coffee black, cigarettes/start this day like all the rest.” Lloyd Inexperienced’s pedal metal grounds this bouncy observe on Music Row, but it grew to become a global success through Telly Savalas’ cowl, which topped European charts — proving that even when it wasn’t displaying up on American charts, Williams’ sound was deeply related to the pop music of the ’70s.
12. “Til The Rivers All Run Dry” (1975)
One other timeless love tune from Williams launched throughout his most commercially profitable interval, “Til The Rivers All Run Dry” is fittingly hypnotic and fluid, with the singer having a musical dialogue with the pedal metal. Its fairly refrain is fleshed out by a meaty backing choir, all, like most of his recordings, produced by Williams himself. All the things is silky clean with out feeling processed or redundant, a sound that the singer would experience to over a decade on the charts — a decade that had, when this tune was launched, barely begun.
11. “You’re My Best Friend” (1975)
By 1975, Don Williams had one nation No. 1 beneath his belt and a robust sense of his personal signature fashion — a mellow, smooth rock and pop-driven sound that was heat, listenable and flippantly seductive. This love tune, his second No. 1, exhibits that sensibility, which might change little over the following decade. The strings would possibly ultimately be turned down a bit bit within the combine, however in any other case “You’re My Best Friend” begs for grownup {couples} to hit the dance flooring and bob alongside sweetly collectively.
10. “She’s In Love With A Rodeo Man” (1974)
An album lower that grew to become a fan favourite, “She’s In Love With A Rodeo Man” is the uncommon Don Williams tune that finds the singer flaunting his Texas roots. The gradual waltz tells a narrative about some elusive honky tonk angel, painted full with jangling spurs punctuating the observe — in contrast to lots of Williams’ extra well-known tunes, its Western aptitude would nonetheless appeal the group at any roadhouse or dancehall.
9. “Stay Young” (1983)
Opening with an nearly modern-sounding mandolin riff (if such a factor exists), this uplifting observe really encourages rock n’ rollin’ despite its twangy aesthetic. “Just step outta line and break all the rules,” Williams croons with a attribute lack of urgency, creating probably the most relaxed exhortation to reside within the second you’ll ever hear. Groovy and vibrant, the tune finds Williams stretching a bit outdoors his love tune consolation zone to nice impact.
8. “I Believe In You” (1980)
The daybreak of Don’s transient run on the pop charts, this mellow waltz grew to become his sole entry on Billboard’s High 40 as Individuals began to come back down from their disco highs. Candy and understated, the ballad features a laundry checklist of latest political touchstones (gasoline costs, inflation) in service of its bigger level: that actual love is easy, in contrast to the whole lot else. Few may ship that message as convincingly because the velvet-voiced Williams, who croons it with attribute ease.
7. “I Wouldn’t Want To Live If You Didn’t Love Me” (1974)
This tune is principally the Don Williams prototype: intimate, conversational singing; a heat, spherical bass pulse; fairly pedal metal and dobro; gentle however locked-in percussion; and lyrics for grown-ups. It’s simple to know why it grew to become his first No. 1 tune on the nation charts, as there may be not a single sound on the recording that chafes the ear even barely. As an alternative, it’s inticing and breezy, the musical model of a glass of wine on a again porch.
6. “It Must Be Love” (1978)
Certainly one of plenty of Bob McDill compositions that Don Williams recorded over his hottest interval, “It Must Be Love” continued the groovy streak that “Tulsa Time” began. The tune is settled within the low finish, layering plenty of totally different rhythmic riffs with precision — and sure, that may be a cowbell offering the tune’s persistent pulse. Williams’ singing provides one other dimension to the tune’s danceable contour, as evidenced by the late tune breakdown the place his self-harmonized melodies are accompanied solely by percussion and he doesn’t miss a beat.
5. “(Turn Off The Light And) Love Me Tonight” (1975)
“Don’t think about tomorrow, it don’t matter anymore,” Williams sings on this twangy charmer, one among his extra express singles thus far. Nation followers weren’t thrown, although — it was the second of 4 straight No. 1 tracks for the now not up-and-coming star. The tune, produced as so lots of his recordings have been by Williams himself, consists of an early instance of the deep, engaging, disco-lite groove that will develop into one of many singer’s signatures.
4. “Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good” (1981)
One thing of a return to nation kind for Williams, chock stuffed with mandolin and pedal metal, “Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good” hyperlinks a broad-strokes Christianity with universally relatable sentiment to forcing impact. It grew to become Williams’ twelfth nation No. 1, and an vital entry within the lengthy checklist of nation songs that cross over into non secular music with out essentially alienating secular listeners. Optimistic and endlessly listenable, it’s acquired a timeless twang that’s impressed covers by everybody from Lee Ann Womack to Keb’ Mo’.
3. “If I Needed You” (1981)
Could all nice songs be recorded this merely and sensitively. Williams joined forces with the equally superlative Emmylou Harris to show Townes Van Zandt’s composition into a rustic normal, and the pair’s easy concord did simply that. Launched because the lead single from Harris’ album Cimarron (in addition to on Williams’ Particularly For You), “If I Needed You” reached No. 3 on Billboard’s nation chart with little adornment — brushes of strings, a gurgling harmonica, gentle synths — and two of nation music’s most distinctive voices in simple tandem.
2. “Love Is On A Roll” (1983)
Co-written by songwriting legend John Prine with Roger Prepare dinner — the identical duo who penned “I Just Want To Dance With You” — this lilting, danceable quantity finds Williams translating Prine’s whimsy with attribute ease. The unlikely trace of calypso is the right musical signifier for the lighthearted love tune, which bridges nation and pop into an endlessly candy and listenable trend. You’d by no means know that Williams was a seasoned fixture of Music Row by this level with the tune’s levity and creativity.
1. “Tulsa Time” (1978)
Disco by no means sounded as grounded and earthy because it did on Don Williams’ No. 1 nation single, an evergreen, easy ode to Central Commonplace Time. The Bee Gees have been working the pop charts, Saturday Night time Fever was working the field workplace, and Williams acquired in on the good-timin’ grooves with this tune, composed by his bandmate Danny Flowers in (the place else) a Tulsa motel room. It could develop into a much bigger hit for Eric Clapton, however Williams’ model stays definitive, with a four-on-the-floor pulse that may get anybody dancing. It’s a rustic basic that stands alone.
Hearken to the very best Don Williams songs now.
