Howard Andrew Williams or professionally known as Andy Williams is an American singer who was born on December 3, 1927 in Wall Lake, Iowa. He was the son of Jay Emerson and Florence Williams. He has three brothers namely Bob, Don, and Dick. They formed the group “Williams Brothers quartet” in the late 1938. He graduated in Western Hills High School in Cincinnati.

In 1953, Williams recorded six songs with the record label named “X” by RCA Victor. However, these songs did not gain any popularity. He became a regular cast in Steve Allen’s tonight show in the year 1954. He then signed a record deal with Cadence Records by the conductor Archie Bleyer. His single “Canadian Sunset” reached the seventh spot in the Top Ten in August 1956. While his song “Butterfly” reached the top spot in the Billboard in February 1957. Other songs include “The Hawaiian Wedding Song”, “Are You Sincere”, “The Village of St. Bernadette”, “Lonely Street”, as well as “I Like Your Kind of Love”. In 1960s, Williams is one of the most prominent lead singers in the country. He also signed the biggest record label during that time. In 1973, he earned 18 gold albums awards. His hit albums include Moon River, Days of Wine and Roses, The Andy Williams Christmas Album, Dear Heart, The Shadow of your Smile, Love Andy, Get Together with Andy Williams, as well as Love Story. The songs “Almost There”, “Can’t Help Falling in Love”, “Home Lovin’ Man”, and “Solitaire” reached the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart.

His show “The Andy Williams Show” won three Emmy Awards under the category for outstanding variety program. He also hosted several Grammy telecasts starting from the 13th Annual Grammy Awards in 1971 up to the 19th Grammy Awards in the year 1977.

Williams built his own theater in Branson, Missouri which was officially opened on May 1, 1992. He named it “The Moon River Theatre”. The name came out from the song that he made for the movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. It became the first theater to be featured in Architectural Digest and won the 1992 Conversation Award in the State of Missouri. The theatre can accommodate 2,054 people. Some of the shows and celebrities performed in the theatre include Glen Campbell, Ann-Margaret, Petula Clark, as well as Charo. Williams also present his annual “Andy Williams Christmas Show” in the theatre. In 2007, Williams opened Moon River Grill next to his theater in Branson. It is decorated with  photos from the Andy Williams Television Show with other celebrities like Diana Ross, Elton John, as well as Sammy Davis Jr.

Williams married Claudine Longet, a French-born, on December 15, 1961. They had three children namely Noelle, Christian, and Robert. Williams and Longet divorced in 1975. Williams married Debbie Meyer for the second time to Debbie Meyer on May 3, 1991. They have homes in Branson, Missouri and la Quinta, California.

Williams hosted the PGA Tour golf tournament in San Diego from 1968-88 at Torrey Pines. It is known as the “Andy Williams San Diego Open”.

On November 4, 1011, it was announced that Williams has been diagnosed with bladder cancer. He is undergoing chemotherapy in Houston and will soon move with his wife in Malibu, California to get easy access to cancer specialists in Los Angeles hospitals.

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Veteran singer Andy Williams, a 1960s television variety show star best known for his rendition of the ballad “Moon River,” told fans over the weekend that he has been diagnosed with bladder cancer.  The 83-year-old entertainer broke the news to a live concert audience at his Moon River Theater in Branson, Missouri, during a Saturday performance of his “2011 Andy Williams Christmas Show,” city officials confirmed on Sunday.

The singer said that he does have cancer of the bladder but that is no longer a death sentence for people with cancer are getting through this thing adding that they are kicking it and they are winning more and more every year.  He claimed that he is going to be one of them and is going to do the shows that he has planned to do.  The theater’s website made no specific mention of Williams’ diagnosis but said that due to health reasons Andy may not make a live appearance in his Christmas Show.

Williams missed the opening four shows of the season last week, making his first appearance on Saturday night.  The Lennon Sisters and other acts are filling in for him at the Moon River Theater in his absence.  The 2,000-seat dinner theater, which Williams built and opened in 1992, is named for his signature song, written by Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini for the movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

It became Williams’ own theme after he sang it at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1962, the same year he began hosting his own regular weekly TV variety show on NBC.  Known for a smooth vocal style, he also recorded hits with “Days of Wine and Roses,” “The Shadow of Your Smile,” “Can’t Get Used to Losing You,” “Solitaire,” “Music to Watch Girls By,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” and the theme from the 1970 movie hit “Love Story.”

In 1999, a polyp was discovered on his vocal chords.  Rather than undergo surgery, Williams chose instead to rest his voice with no singing and little talking for 10 months until the polyp went away on its own.  Williams has otherwise been appearing in Branson on a regular basis for the past two decades, typically performing two shows a day, six days a week for nine months a year.

He is among the higher-profile performers associated with Branson, which has grown into a major vacation and live entertainment hub in the Ozarks, attracting such talent as Dolly Parton, Roy Clark, Tony Orlando, Chubby Checker and the Righteous Brothers.  Williams, known as “Mr. Christmas” around Branson, a city of about 10,000 residents in southwestern Missouri, encouraged other venues in town to open holiday shows, light up their theaters and launch the Yuletide season on November 1 every year.  Huge billboards with Williams in his traditional red holiday sweater adorn the town.

Suzy Aikman, owner of a gift shop called the Burlington Annex said that Williams has been a great asset to their community adding that he helped turn November into a month-long Christmas prelude where you could shoot a cannon down Main Street and not hit a person during the month.