Danny Williams (musician)

Number one success with Moon River on HMV 932

Danny Williams (born January 7, 1942 in Port Elizabeth , † December 6, 2005 ) was a South African pop singer who made a career in Great Britain in the 1960s.

Musical career

Williams grew up in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where he performed as a solo singer in a church choir at the age of six. At fourteen he won a talent competition and later toured South Africa with the music show Golden City Dixies. In 1959 he performed with the show in Europe, where Norman Newell, manager of the British record company His Master's Voice (HMV) became aware of the young tenor. Newell, who had published the early songs of Elvis Presley in Great Britain, hoped from Williams to be able to build him up as a new Johnny Mathis , and brokered him a recording deal. The first single with 17-year-old Danny Williams was released by HMV in May 1959. Although television appearances, e.g. For example, promoted in the British TV music show Drumbeat , there were initially no record successes, even if HMV produced singles with Williams at regular intervals. It was not until 1961 that Williams' songs found acceptance with British audiences, with the title We Will Never Be as Young as This Again he had his first chart success in the summer of 1961 .

Williams achieved the ultimate breakthrough with the theme song Moon River from the American film Breakfast at Tiffany's . The song was first released in the US in September 1961 with moderate success with Henry Mancini (32nd) and Jerry Butler (11th), before HMV released a version with Danny Williams in Great Britain in October. This became Williams' greatest record success, it reached number one in the UK charts and was in the charts for 19 weeks. By 1963 he had four other chart listings, including another Top 10 success with Wonderful World of the Young (8th). After that he had no chance as a ballad singer against the emerging Beat era in Great Britain. In the USA, where several of his songs had been published by United Artists since 1961 without success, Williams came to Billbord in 1964 with the titles White on White (9th) and A Little Toy Balloon (84th) - Hot 100 .

His Master's Voice stuck to Danny Williams until 1966, after which the record deal was terminated. This was followed by some record productions on the Deram and Ocean labels, which were followed by an engagement with Philips between 1973 and 1975 . After a two-year break, three more singles followed at Ensign and Piccadilly. In the summer of 1977 Williams had a late hit with Ensign with the title Dancin 'Easy (30th). In 1994 he had another public appearance on a Nat King Cole show .

Discography

Albums

title	Catalog no.	published
Swinging For You (& Nelson Riddle)	HMV 1471	1962
Only love	HMV 3523	1966
Danny Williams	Deram 1017	1968
Danny Williams	Contour 164	1972
I'm A Song - Sing Me	Philips 150	1973
To know you is to love you	Philips 116	1975
Anytime Anyplace Anywhere	Philips 268	1977

Singles

From page	Catalog no.	published
	His Master's Voice
Tall a Tree / I Look at You	624	05/1959
So High, So Low / My Own True Love	655	09/1959
Youthful Years / It Doesn't Matter	703	01/1960
A Million to One / Call Me a Dreamer	803	11/1960
We Will Never Be as Young as This Again / Passing Breeze	839	03/1961
The Miracle of You / Lonely	885	05/1961
Moon River / A Weaver of Dreams	932	10/1961
Jeannie / It Might as Well Be Spring	968	01/1962
The Wonderful World of the Young / A Kind ff Loving	1002	03/1962
Tears / Tiara Tahiti	1035	06/1962
My Own True Love / Who Can Say?	1112	01/1963
More / Rhapsody	1150	04/1963
The Wild Wind / Once Upon a Time	1172	06/1963
A Day Without You / Secret Love	1203	09/1963
How Do You Keep From Crying? / Now the Day Is Over	1236	12/1963
White on White / After You	1263	03/1964
Today / Lonely in a Crowd	1305	05/1964
The Seventh Dawn / The World Around Me	1325	07/1964
Forget Her, Forget Her / Lollipops and Roses	1372	12/1964
The Roundabout Of Love / I Wanna Be Around	1388	02/1965
Go Away / Masquerade	1410	04/1965
Lovely Is She / Gone and Forgotten	1455	08/1965
And So We Meet Again / Violets for Your Furs	1487	10/1965
I've Got to Find That Girl Again / Throw a Little Lovin 'My Way	1506	01/1966
Don't Just Stand There / Now and Then	1522	04/1966
Since You Set Me Free, Baby / I Really Don't Know What Hit Me	1532	06/1966
Rain (Falling from the Skies) / I'm So Lost	1560	11/1966
	Deram
Never My Love / Whose Little Girl Are You	149	10/1967
Love Me / When You Were Mine	163	11/1967
Everybody Needs Somebody / They Will Never Understand	199	07/1968
	Ocean
Fare Ye Well - Separate Ways / A Girl Like You	1002	001970
	Philips
I Will Touch You / Words of Romance	6006 287	03/1973
So Begins My Life / Where Is the Love	336	09/1973
Hey Love / Life's a roundabout	377	03/1974
Every Night I Cry Myself to Sleep / Natali	402	07/1974
Ebony Eyes / Believe in the Rain	472	08/1975
	Ensign
Dancin 'Easy / No More Cane	3	07/1977
I Hate Hate / I Hate Hate (Disco Version)	7th	10/1977
	Piccadilly
Daddy Write a Letter Soon / Give a Little Bit	196	09/1980

Chart placements

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
year	Title album	UK	US	Remarks
1961	We Will Never Be As Young As This Again	UK44 (3 weeks) UK	-
	The Miracle Of You	UK41 (8 weeks) UK	-
	Moon river	UK1 (19 weeks) UK	-
1962	Jeannie	UK14 (14 weeks) UK	-
	Wonderful World Of The Young	UK8 (13 weeks) UK	-
	Tears	UK22 (7 weeks) UK	-
1963	My Own True Love	UK45 (3 weeks) UK	-
1964	White on White	-	US9 (14 weeks) US
1964	A Little Toy Balloon	-	US84 (4 weeks) US
1977	Dancin 'easy	UK30 (7 weeks) UK	-

literature

Frank Laufenberg: Rock & Pop Lexicon . Econ Taschenbuch Verlag 1998, ISBN 3-612-26207-6 , Volume 1, p. 1634.

Web links

swell

↑ Chart sources: UK US

personal data
SURNAME	Williams, Danny
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	South African musician
DATE OF BIRTH	January 7, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH	Port Elizabeth
DATE OF DEATH	December 6, 2005

[charts-1] Chart sources: UK US