Don Williams

One of the most enduringly popular of the old school Nashville country singers, Don Williams - rarely seen without his trademark cowboy hat - is renowned for his deep voice, easy-going manner and a laid-back, relaxed approach to singing which has endeared him to American country music lovers for several generations. Growing up in Portland, Texas, Williams made his first public appearance at the age of three, winning an alarm clock in a local talent contest. Learning to play guitar in his teens he formed a duo, The Strangers Two, with Lofton Kline and they developed into the Pozo-Seco Singers when Susan Taylor joined. They had a minor hit with Time and signed to Columbia Records on the back of it, going on to make four albums and had a series of hits before disbanding in 1971. After a period away from the music industry, Williams concentrated on songwriting for a while before launching his career as a solo artist, breaking through with We Should Be Together before achieving his first Number 1 with I Wouldn't Want To Live If You Didn't Love Me. He had an even bigger hit in 1980 with I Believe In You and other celebrated tracks include the worldwide hits I Recall A Gypsy Woman and You're My Best Friend. In 2006 he announced a farewell world tour, but was back on the road in 2010 and two years later released his first new album for eight years, And So It Goes, with guest appearances by Alison Krauss, Keith Urban and Vince Gill.