HWOF

Paul Williams

Source: Freebase

Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. (born September 19, 1940) is an American musician, composer, songwriter and actor.

Williams is responsible for a number of enduring pop hits from the 1970s, including a number of hits for Three Dog Night (including An Old Fashioned Love Song, “The Family of Man”, and “Out in the Country”), Helen Reddy (“You and Me Against the World”), and The Carpenters, most notably “Rainy Days and Mondays,” “I Won’t Last a Day Without You,” and “We’ve Only Just Begun”, which has since become a cover-band standard and de rigueur for weddings throughout North America. An early collaboration with Roger Nichols, “Someday Man”, was covered by The Monkees on a 1969 single, and was the first Monkees’ release not published by Screen Gems.

A frequent co-writer of Williams was musician Kenneth Ascher; their songs together included the popular children’s favorite “The Rainbow Connection”, sung by Kermit the Frog in The Muppet Movie. Most recently, he collaborated with Scissor Sisters on their second album, Ta-Dah.

Williams has worked on the music of a number of films, including writing and singing on Phantom of the Paradise (in which he also starred) and Bugsy Malone. He wrote the music for a musical production of Happy Days that debuted in 2007.

He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and his songs have been performed by both pop and country music artists. He has won one Academy Award for best song (Evergreen) from A Star Is Born (co-written by the artist who performed it, Barbra Streisand) and has been nominated for several others.

In April, 2009, Paul was elected President and Chairman of ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers).

• Birth name: Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr.
• Born: September 19, 1940 (age 71)
• Origin: Omaha, Nebraska
• Genres: Pop folk, Pop, Soft rock, Folk
• Occupations: Singer, songwriter, actor, writer and director.
• Instruments: Vocals, guitar, keyboards
• Years active: 1960s–present
• Labels: A&M Records
• Associated acts: The Holy Mackerel, The Muppets, The Carpenters
• Website: paulwilliamsconnection.org

Read more about Paul Williams at Wikipedia or at the Internet Movie Database

Paul Williams: Still Alive: Toronto Review
Hollywood Reporter, 2011-09-18 20:57:28
edit@hollywoodreporter.com (Kirk Honeycutt) Stephen Kessler's intriguing doc examines the curious yet ultimately triumphant case of a former show business star who learned how to better live his life.read more

Paul Williams and his doc feel the fest love
USA Today Music, 2011-09-12 22:09:00
Paul Williams, the '70s singer-songwriter who wrote such hits as Evergreen, is in the midst of a revival thanks to a new documentary.

Michael Bolton Announces Charity Golf Tournament & Concert
Entertainment Tonigh, 2010-07-27 23:30:00
Two-time Grammy winner Michael Bolton is joining forces with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dave Mason for their inaugural benefit concert and golf classic, sponsored by American Airlines. Michael and celeb friends Paul Williams, John O'Hurley, Jeffrey Donovan, Matt McCoy, Richard Roundtree and Kevin Sorbo are set to tee ...