Customer Reviews

Moon River and Me: A Memoir

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As a fan of Andy's for over 40 years (I started when I was all of 9 years old) I was thrilled to learn of his autobiography. Andy did not disappoint. He writes a detailed account of his early years (with his family) in Iowa and parts of the mid-west and how the Williams Brothers came to be.

Over the years I had read about Kay Thompson and how she helped develop Andy into becoming a class A entertainer but this book really goes into depths about the relationship.

The book is filled with interesting and funny anecdotes about fellow celebrities and entertainers. But more important than that he delves into his relationships with Robert and Ethel Kennedy and, of course, Claudine Longet - his first wife.

The chapter that includes his recounting of the assassination of Robert Kennedy will bring many to tears when reading it. He opens up, without going too deeply into detail, about his relationship with Claudine and why the marriage failed. He goes into detail however about the Claudine Longet / Spider Sabich shooting incident and his thoughts about it and how it effected him and his family. For fans of Andy, if you think you know all there is to know about him, his book will give you at least a couple of surprises. I know it did me.

After reading the book (1 ½ days) and "digesting it" I was given the sense that this book was a cathartic release for Andy in the writing of it. He reveals a lot about himself and his inner thinking. I was spelled bound by it and couldn't put the book down.

Now for the few things in the book that had me scratching my head in confusion. In the book Andy writes about the decade of the 60's as almost being something of a blur to him because of his skyrocketing career with all the tours, recordings and TV shows, his marriage / separation and 3 kids. I think this may show in his writing. On page 150 he writes about the Washington State Fair and the Osmonds joining him. He mentions doing "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" with the 4 brothers and then introducing Donny who was "still only five years old, for his first state fair appearance". The song however was written and released in 1969 when Donny was 11 years old. At the state fair he's writing about it was only 1963 or 64.

Another confusing page for me was on page 197. He's on a river trip with Robert and Ethel Kennedy and he's on top of a "luggage raft" singing "Happy Heart" after Ethel Kennedy asks him to sing a song. Andy doesn't give a definite year for the river trip but "Happy Heart" wasn't released by anyone (himself or Petulia Clark) until 1969 - a year or so after RFK's death.

But these are possible minor glitches in the totality of the book. This is a must book for anyone who has ever been a fan of the greatest pop tenor singer in history. I'm glad that he's starting to accept the fact that maybe he really is as good as the others. Even back in 1969 when I first heard him on the radio at age 9 I would have said, "well duh!!"

I don't know if Mr. Williams employed "help" or not while writing this, but I was very impressed with his style and description. Unlike another reviewer, I actually found that he was more forthcoming than I expected from an entertainer with such a squeaky clean image: drinking, sex, language, etc. Even the fact that he did not enjoy performing live for so many years. I suspect that some fans in Branson may be shocked, in fact. But what a wonderful life story about an America long since past.

True, I found the chapter regarding Claudine Longet a bit hard to swallow because I find it hard to believe there was never any doubt in his mind that the shooting was an accident. Surely anyone in that situation would have had some questions. But I wasn't there and Mr. Williams was, and this is his account of his life so he is absolutely entitled to his belief and the writing of it. I commend him, actually, for his support of Ms. Longet as the mother of his children.

As with every celebrity memoir, there are several juicy tidbits about other celebrities. But the one I found most telling was his recount of Ethel Kennedy asking him to find a pretty girl to sit next to her husband at a dinner party in order to help him "relax." Hmmm, what to make of that in light of what we know about Bobby Kennedy? In any case, bravo Mr. Williams for a brave and delightful memoir, and for many years of entertainment.

At 300 pages you'd think Andy Williams would have lots of fascinating stories to share about his life and loves, but what this nice guy does is mostly provide a travelogue through his life while diverting attention away from himself via side stories about others.

He tells his story the way you would expect. He acts as if he is decent and mellow, not bragging too much. The problem with that is that he skips so quickly through some of the major moments in his life that he doesn't provide any insight or emotions. It's as if another person has taken a few of Andy's memories and edited them together objectively, stripping them of much passion.

Evidence of this also lies in his constant inclusion of information on others that have nothing to do with his own story. He'll talk about the origins of Milton Berle on TV or a seven-page aside regarding a person named Billy Pearson (who?). He talks a lot about art, says nothing about his kids and provides almost no information on any of his recording sessions or why he chose to sing certain songs. If you're looking for stories about his time with his kids or insights into his recording career you won't find them here.

He drops all sorts of famous names but then fails to provide anything interesting to say about most of them. He spent a week on a yacht with Jackie Kennedy and Ari Onassis but then talked about the boat and said nothing Jackie! Elvis, Sinatra, Sammy Davis--they're all here but never in enough detail.

There are a few titillating bits that he tosses in to make you believe he slept around and did drugs (he admits to flying to Canada to experiment with LSD). He tosses in some R-rated four letter words as well, but then when it gets to stories of raw emotion (like his divorce, where he simply walked out on his family one night) he fails to open up. There is an interesting section on his being there the night Bobby Kennedy was murdered, but mostly what he gives are facts and never explains much beyond the headlines. (For instance, he says he's a Republican who went to the Democratic convention and voted for super liberal Eugene McCarthy--are we just supposed to accept that normal people do that?) After awhile you realize that even though he claims he's just an Iowa farm boy, he really was a professional entertainer from about age ten and grew to covet money and fame.

At times the facts about others are wrong (like about Doris Day's theme song and Fred MacMurray's filming methods) and some of the dates are mixed up. Andy even is incorrect in some of his own personal information (he grew up over 100 miles from Des Moines, not 50 miles as stated in the book and he gave the wrong name of the golf course he played at in Iowa). After awhile it becomes obvious that he relied heavily on his co-author to fill in details.

Andy provides few insights into his loves, admits he was a workaholic, defends his ex-wife against murder charges and seems to mostly have memories of the facilities where he sang (giving great details about rooms). While it's an easy read and there are plenty of facts, you come away wishing for more. The way he wrote the book made me appreciate him less and realize that what I've loved all these years is his voice and image, not the real man.

Who would have known that Andy William's memoir would be so funny and witty. I picked this up at an airport and was so pleasantly surprised. His writing is charming, funny and shows what a had worker he was (and still is) and what an all around good guy he really is. Try it ..........you'll like it.

I confess, when I think of Andy Williams my eyelids get heavy. The smooth voiced crooner who hosted a weekly variety show and introduced the world to the Osmonds, is not my musical cup of tea. I play his Christmas albums when appropriate....but other than that no real connection. And that is what makes Andy Williams so fascinating. The effortless musical delivery and easy going charm hid a drive and work ethic that allowed Williams to move away from his humble start in life, his beginnings as part of the Williams Brothers, and even overcome the seeming demise of his career in the 1950's. This was all news to me. With the exception of the murder trial of his ex-wife Claudine Longet for the shooting of her live-in lover, he has stayed out of the tabloids spotlight. His over six decades in show business allowed him to cross paths and work with many of the most talented stars...Judy Garland, Kay Thompson, the Osmonds, Barbara Streisand, Elton John, Jack Lemmon and many others. He was also close to key political figures such as Bobby Kennedy and thier families....and was present when Kennedy was shot.

In his life as in his music, Williams is low key and modest, but don't let that fool you. He was one of the first to see Branson, Missouri as a musical stop and built his theatre there. The writing is easy to read, much like sitting in on a conversation. This was a surprise good read.

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words "Moon River"? If you're like me and millions of other baby boomers, you'll think of Andy Williams. In his aptly named memoir, this well-known singer and entertainer for nearly seven decades takes us on a journey from his humble beginnings to his rise to stardom.

Andy was born into a poor family in the small town of Wall Lake, Iowa, two years after the beginning of the Great Depression. Although there was always food on the table, there was never any extra money to spend. But the family was able to keep busy with the one pastime they shared: singing. Andy's father and his three older brothers --- Don, Bob and Dick --- originally started singing in the choir for their local church. In fact, they comprised the entire choir. After he joined the group at the age of seven, Andy's father decided his sons might have a future in show business. Known simply as the Williams Brothers, he booked them at any and all available venues in town, although there weren't very many.

Not content with such meager fare, the ambitious Mr. Williams moved his family to Des Moines, where he got the boys an audition for the popular radio station WHO, but their performance wasn't good enough to earn them a spot. "Your boys have got talent, Mr. Williams, no doubt about that," a producer said, "But they haven't got enough experience. Get them singing anywhere you can, whether it's for money or not, just to get some more experience. Then come back and see us again in six months' time, and I think we'll have something for you."

Mr. Williams took the producer's advice to heart. After a period of six months, he returned to the radio station and the boys were hired for a daily 15-minute show. They soon sang at any other events they could find and became minor celebrities in town. Still not satisfied, he kept moving his family around. They went to Chicago and Cincinnati, where the boys started to make a name for themselves in radio. Dreaming even bigger, Mr. Williams relocated his family to Los Angeles as he dreamed for his sons to appear in movies. Although they would go on to land minor roles, their film careers never flourished.

Their big break came when Andy met Kay Thompson, a vocal and choral director at MGM who suggested the Williams Brothers quit movies and join the nightclub business. They worked on a new act called "Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers," and soon they became regulars on the nightclub circuit. They performed together until 1953, when the new age of television severely crippled the nightclub scene.

But the end of the Williams Brothers was just the start of Andy's solo career, although he almost never made it on his own. For two years, he played little-known venues around the country, trying to make a name for himself. He got his big break with a regular spot on Steve Allen's "The Tonight Show." That --- and several hit singles --- established Williams as a national star.

Williams shares stories and memories about his highest points as well as some of his lowest (like when he was driven to eat dog food to survive). He confesses that even with his velvety smooth voice (a voice President Reagan declared a "national treasure") and his boyish charm, he retains a touch of insecurity, as his father always told him he would have to work hard because there were people out there who were better than him. He throws in some anecdotes about rather embarrassing moments in his career and recounts the controversial series of events following his ex-wife's shooting of her lover. He also reveals some secrets of the rich and famous with whom he has come into contact through the years.

Andy Williams's writing is candid, insightful and often witty. His fans will not want to miss this book.

--- Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin

I love Andy Williams. Saw him with my family in San Francisco in December of 2003. His voice was golden as ever. Considering the lack of autobiographies, or biographies for that matter, of the great popular singers, this book came as a surprise. I saw it at the airport in Baltimore and was surprised to see it. I didn't see any promotion for this book. Had I not seen it there, I never would have known about it. I enjoyed the book tremendously. I didn't realize how poor his family was. It was his father that decided to use music to make certain his boys would not have to live in such poverty and saw it as their way out. A lot of interesting stories, particularly about song writer Kay Thompson, the woman who almost single handedly made Andy's career. Even though I really enjoyed the book, I was disappointed with the lack of mention of the actual recording sessions, his opinion about the arrangers he worked with (except the ones he mentions on his TV shows, and the brief mentions of Archie Blyer) and how he was treated by Columbia Records. I found it curious in the fact that he said he bought the master tapes of all his recordings for Cadence and had them subsequently reissued on Columbia. This is interesting to me because when I purchased the reissues of the Cadence recordings on CD that were issued by Sony (which now owns the Columbia records library) I was disappointed at the incredibly poor quality of the transfer. Yet, when I bought the same Cadence recordings issued by Varese Sarabande, they sound excellent. So I wonder if Sony only had inferior copies of Andy's master tapes, or did Andy choose not to license the master tapes to Sony? So more clarification on why this is would have been helpful. I also wanted more insight in his style of recording, how often he rehearses and if he had any preferences for any particular arranger or conductor. So I guess I wanted a more insightful look at Andy the musician, in addition to all the great stories he had told. A minor quibble, but as a huge music fan, I would have found this material invaluable. I would have also liked a discography of his recorded works. That too is also absent, but again, this is a memoir and not intended as a discography of his recordings, but even a small discogarphy would have been welcome. One the whole, the book is very enjoyable and is a must for all Andy fans.

If you love books and Andy, this may be the greatest thing to ever happen to you. Imagine that Andy came over, sat down began to talk to you. That's what reading this book feels like. Now if only he would come over and keep talking.

After being an Andy Williams fan for about 50 years, I loved the candidness of the events of his life as well as the dealings with which he's had with other well-known people througout his career. Several of the topics have been documented before as in his A&E Biography show and shows like Larry King Live a few years back but not in this much detail.

I've seen Andy probably 15 times through the years - state fairs, concerts in arenas, music halls, Vegas at Caesar's Palace, and of course Branson. He was fabulous always, and in light of the issues he had with performing live throughout the years, all you can say is that Andy is a true professional --- always giving the best he can for any audience. I am so happy he is at peace with performing after all of these years in Branson.

Also, as to his character --- his taking full responsibility for his breakup with Claudine; being with them during the whole Aspen ordeal; always providing for those he has had both relationships and business dealing with throughout the years; and always supporting important causes during his career. These are all marks of a good and caring person with much character. A perfect person - NO! A responsible one - DEFINITELY!

When I began really enjoying Andy Williams at age 14 or so, and trying to model my singing after him, I not only loved his music and his talent; I loved his person just as much. Singers are a dime-a-dozen; however, singers who make the listener/watcher feel good about listening are on a level all by themselves - Andy is right there.

Continued success, Andy. Thanks for sharing your story with us. We are all the better for it.

He hailed from the tiny town of Wall Lake, Iowa. As he recalls "there were no paved roads in the town, just dirt and gravel, and none of the streets had a name; it was that small a town. The population then was just 749, and that probably included the occupants of the cemetery." And yet from these humble beginnings Andy Williams would go on to become one of the most popular singers in America. Andy recalls his improbable rags-to-riches story in the 2009 autobiography "Moon River and Me: A Memoir". It seems that Andy Williams achieved success the old-fashioned way.....he earned it!

Andy was the youngest of four sons of Jay and Florence Williams. A sister Janey would come along later. Jay was a blue-collar worker and Florence a stay-at-home mom. Mom and Dad were musically inclined and encouraged their sons to sing from a very early age. As was the case with so many other performers from that era the Williams kids got their start singing at the tiny Presbyterian church in town. Young Andy joined the group at the age of seven. It quickly became apparent to Jay Williams that he had an extremely talented group of youngsters on his hands and that singing could very well be the ticket to bigger and better things for his sons. Thus, The Williams Brothers were born and dad would serve as manager, mentor and PR man. Under Jay's careful tutelage the group worked extremely hard and kept getting better and better. Before long they would leave Wall Lake for Des Moines where they would headline their very own radio show. Then it was on to Chicago and ultimately to Los Angeles. It seemed that the sky was the limit for this very talented quartet. The Williams Brothers were signed by MGM and would appear in a half dozen B movies while continuing to perform both on the radio and in nightclubs. Perhaps the highlight of The Williams Brothers career was the opportunity to back the legendary Bing Crosby on his huge 1944 hit single "Swinging On A Star". After World War II the boys would hook up with singer/actress Kay Thompson who created a sensational and high successful nightclub act that would keep them busy for the next several years. However, in 1953 with the advent of television, nightclubs were having a difficult time drawing customers. Seeing the handwriting on the wall The Williams Brothers decided to call it quits. Twenty-four year old Andy Williams now faced a very uncertain future.

The next several chapters of "Moon River and Me" chronicle Andy Williams' quest to establish himself as a viable solo act. Despite his past successes he was going to have to pay his dues. Suddenly he was forced to take gigs in much smaller venues in places like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. He was still using material from the old nightclub act. Then one night in Cleveland he had an epiphany. Andy determined that his act had become dated and he really should be singing the top pop tunes of the day ala Frank Sinatra and Perry Como. He decided to revamp his entire schtick and return to New York at once. He managed to get a two week gig at the Blue Angel where fate would intervene. A man named Bill Harback was in the audience on opening night and was extremely impressed with what he saw. Harbach just happened to be the producer of the new five night a week Steve Allen show on NBC that would eventually become "The Tonight Show". Harbach offered Andy an audition and the rest as they say is history. Andy Williams would become a regular on that program and would go on to a highly successful career as both a recording artist and also as the host of his own network variety show. He would become so popular that in the 1980's President Ronald Reagan would dub him "a national treasure". Not bad for a kid from Iowa.

Now if you are someone who enjoys reading about the personal lives of celebrities then "Moon River and Me" will not disappoint. Andy is very candid about his marriage to singer/actress Claudine Longet and blames himself for the breakup. He confesses that he was too focused on this career at that point in his life and regrets not having spent more time with Claudine and his three children. He clearly adored her. Over the years Andy Williams worked with a whole host of Hollywood icons that reads like a "who's who" of show business. Andy discusses many of those experiences and performances in this book. He also talks about many of his friends both inside and outside the world of entertainment. In the mid 1960's Andy Williams was introduced to an up and coming U.S. Senator from New York named Robert Kennedy. They quickly became fast friends. When Bobby was gunned down in 1968 Ethel Kennedy asked Andy to sing at his funeral. Who can ever forget Andy singing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" on that June morning at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York? I still have that recording and his haunting performance sends chills up your spine. And as I recall there wasn't a dry eye in the house. According to Andy it was the most difficult thing he ever did.

"Moon River and Me: A Memoir: A Memoir" was first published in 2009 and would become a New York Times Bestseller. I thought for the most part that this was an honest and fairly well written book. Nearly two decades ago Andy Williams built his own theater in the Ozarks resort town of Branson, MO. This proved to be a very shrewd business and lifestyle move and today at the age of 83 Andy Williams continues to perform. He is happily married to Debbie his wife of 20 years and has no plans to retire. "Moon River and Me" proves to be an entertaining book about a really good guy. Highly recommended!