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<div dir="ltr"><div><span style="">RIP Andy Williams. Coincidentally, I happened to be in Placerville, CA two weeks ago for a wedding and I stopped at nearby cemetery to pay my respects to Olympic alpine skier Vladimir 'Spider' Sabich. He had been shot and killed in 1976 by Andy William's ex-wife and world class femme fatale Claudine Longet. She was found guilty on a lesser charge and the judge sentenced her to 30 days in jail which she was allowed to serve at her convenience on the weekends. Prior to serving her jail time she vacationed with her then married defense attorney who then later married her.<br><br>-Scott <br> </span></div><span style=""></span><h1 style="overflow:visible !important;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;clear:both"><font size="3"><span style="">‘Moon River’ crooner dies at 84</span></font></h1><h5 class="ecxsubhead" style="overflow:visible !important;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-ali!
gn:baseline;font-weight:normal;clear:both"><font size="3"><span style="">Andy Williams’ easygoing style made him timeless</span></font></h5><div><span style="">With
a string of gold albums, a hit TV series and the signature “Moon
River,” Andy Williams was a voice of the 1960s, although not the ’60s we
usually hear about.</span></div><div><span style=""><br></span></div><div><span style="">The
singer known for his easy-listening style and his wholesome,
middle-America appeal was the antithesis of the counterculture that gave
rise to rock ‘n’ roll.</span></div><div><span style=""><br></span></div><div><span style="">“The
old cliche says that if you can remember the 1960s, you weren’t there,”
he once recalled. “Well, I was there all right, but my memory of them
is blurred – not by any drugs I took but by the relentless pace of the
schedule I set myself.”</span></div><div><span style=""><br></span></div><div><p style="overflow:visible !important;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="">Williams’
plaintive tenor, boyish features and clean-cut demeanor helped him
outlast many of the decade’s rock stars and fellow crooners such as
Frank Sinatra and Perry Como. He remained on the charts into the 1970s,
hosting hugely popular Christmas television specials and becoming
closely associated with the holiday standard “The Most Wonderful Time of
the Year.”</span></p><p style="overflow:visible !important;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="">Williams,
who continued to perform into his 80s at the Moon River Theatre he
built in Branson, Mo., announced in November 2011 that he had been
diagnosed with bladder cancer and vowed to return to performing the
following year, his 75th in show business.</span></p><p style="overflow:visible !important;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="">The 84-year-old entertainer died Tuesday night at his Branson home.</span></p><p style="overflow:visible !important;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="">Williams
became a major star in 1956, the same year as Elvis Presley, with the
Sinatra-like swing number “Canadian Sunset.” For a time, he was pushed
into such Presley imitations as “Lips of Wine” and the No. 1
smash “Butterfly.”</span></p><p style="overflow:visible !important;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="">But
he mostly stuck to what he called his “natural style” and kept it up
throughout his career. In 1970, when even Sinatra had temporarily
retired, Williams was in the top 10 with his version of the theme from
“Love Story,” the Oscar-winning tearjerker. He had 18 gold records,
three platinum and five Grammy award nominations.</span></p><p style="overflow:visible !important;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="">Williams
was also the first host of the live Grammy awards telecast and hosted
the show for seven consecutive years, beginning in 1971.</span></p><p style="overflow:visible !important;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="">Movie
songs became a specialty, including his signature “Moon River.” The
longing Johnny Mercer-Henry Mancini ballad was his most famous song,
even though he never released it as a single because his record company
feared such lines as “my huckleberry friend” were too confusing and
old-fashioned for teens.</span></p><p style="overflow:visible !important;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="">The
song was first performed by Audrey Hepburn in the beloved 1961 film
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” but Mancini thought “Moon River” ideal for
Williams, who recorded it in “pretty much one take” and also sang it at
the 1962 Academy Awards. Although “Moon River” was covered by countless
artists and became a hit single for Jerry Butler, Williams made the song
his personal brand.</span></p><p style="overflow:visible !important;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="">“The
Andy Williams Show,” which lasted in various formats through the 1960s
and into 1971, won three Emmys and featured Williams alternately
performing his stable of hits and bantering with guest stars.</span></p><p style="overflow:visible !important;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="">It
was on that show that Williams – who launched his own career as part of
an all-brother quartet – introduced the world to another clean-cut act –
the original four singing Osmond Brothers of Utah. Their younger
sibling Donny also made his debut on Williams’ show, in 1963, when he
was 6 years old.</span></p><p style="overflow:visible !important;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="">Williams’ wholesome image endured one jarring interlude.</span></p><p style="overflow:visible !important;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="">In
1976, his ex-wife, former Las Vegas showgirl Claudine Longet, shot and
killed her lover, skiing champion Spider Sabich. Longet, who said it was
an accident, spent only a week in jail. Williams stood by her. He
escorted her to the courthouse, testified on her behalf and provided
support for her and their children, Noelle, Christian and Robert.</span></p><p style="overflow:visible !important;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="">After
leaving TV, Williams headed back on the road, where his many Christmas
shows and albums made him a huge draw during the holidays.</span></p><p style="overflow:visible !important;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="">Eventually,
he decided to settle in Branson, with its dozens of theaters featuring
live music, comedy and magic acts, and was among the first wave of
national entertainers to perform there regularly.</span></p></div><div style="">-------------------------------------</div><div style=""><br></div><div style="">"Moon River" sung by Andy Williams</div><div style=""><span style=""><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xnCoo7vYqI" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xnCoo7vYqI</a></span></div><div style=""><span style=""> </span></div><div style=""><span style="">Rest well, Andy.</span></div><span style=""><br></span>Seeya at the polls, Moscow, because . . .<div><br></div><div>"Moscow Cares"</div><div><a href="http://www.MoscowCares.com" target="_blank">http://www.MoscowCares.com</a></div><div> </div><div>Tom Hansen</div><div>Moscow, Idaho</div></div>
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