HWOF

Roger Williams at the Piano

Source: isu.edu

Roger Williams (born October 1, 1924), born Louis Weertz, is one of the most popular pianists in American popular music history.[citation needed] As of 2004, he has released 116 albums.

One night Weertz was scheduled to play as an accompanist for a Juilliard student who was to sing on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts. When the singer failed to appear, Weertz went on as a piano soloist and won the night’s contest. He was heard by David Kapp, founder of Kapp Records. Kapp was so impressed that he signed the pianist, changing his name to “Roger Williams” after the founder of Rhode Island. In addition to the Godfrey program, Williams also won a talent contest on Dennis James’ program, Chance of a Lifetime.

In 1955 Williams recorded “Autumn Leaves”, the only piano instrumental to reach #1 on Billboard magazine’s popular music charts. While many other recordings have been made of this song, Williams’ version is easily the best known and most played. In 1966 he had another Top Ten hit with the song “Born Free” from the motion picture soundtrack of the same name.

• Birth name: Louis Weertz
• Born: October 1, 1924, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
• Died: October 8, 2011 (aged 87), Encino, California, U.S.
• Genres: Pop standards
• Instruments: Piano
• Years active: 1955–2011
• Labels: Kapp
• Website: Roger Williams homepage

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

US pianist Williams dies aged 87
BBC Entertainment, 2011-10-09 16:48:00
US pianist Roger Williams, who topped the Billboard charts in the 1950s with his solo of Autumn Leaves, dies in Los Angeles at the age of 87.

Famed Pianist Roger Williams Dies at Age 87
Billboard, 2011-10-09 13:04:00
Roger Williams, the virtuoso pianist who topped the Billboard pop chart in the 1950s and played for nine U.S. presidents during a long career, died Saturday. He was 87.

Roger Williams, Pianist Known for Sentimental Songs, Dies at 87
NY Times Music, 2011-10-08 20:37:27
Among the nostalgia-inducing tunes Mr. Williams was known for are “Autumn Leaves,” “Born Free” and “Lara’s Theme” from “Dr. Zhivago.”