Andy Williams (1) (1927–2012)

Being the memoirs of one of the last of the crooners; the book which received misleading critical praise as a classic gossip dish, but this did not strike me as a frank book. True, there are some good tidbits here, but they mostly involve B-listers such as Fred MacMurray and Chico Marx; meanwhile the author tiptoes around the rumors swirling around his own fast living set. To me, the best part of the book was his description of his successful television series; he provides a detailed description of his work with the network and producers as they worked to try and keep the show popular as the type of music Williams specialized in was being engulfed in the tide of youth-oriented rock.… (más)

An easy to read bio of singer Andy Williams. He talks of growing up in the Depression era and singing with his brothers and the way his father pushed all of them to a better life. The most interesting portion of the book was his discussion of Robert Kennedy (Williams was in Kennedy's hotel suite the night of the assassination). It makes one wonder what our country would be like today if only we had benefited from RFK's Presidency. The book ends with the establishing of his Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri.… (más)

This was a quick read for me, partly because it was not particularly complicated or deep, and partly because it was pretty interesting. Williams was a part of the Williams Brothers, 4 boys who were encourage to begin singing by their father in order to move from their small town in Iowa. They did succeed in that, and Williams describes his road to stardom in detail. Most memorable were his descriptions of life as a child performer who was constantly on the move. Not a remarkable memoir, but good enough.… (más)