American crooner Andy Williams died on September 25 at the age of 84. To mark his passing, here are five great performances from The Andy Williams Show. He might be more Brucie than Jools, but his TV variety show had its fair share of legendary guests in a 12-year run from 1959 to 1971.
Aretha Franklin – ‘Gentle On My Mind’
Soul legend Aretha was a frequent guest in the show. Here, she tickles the ivories with Andy as they share renditions of ‘Gentle On My Mind’. “You do your thing, I’ll do my thing,” she says. “Let’s put our things together and see what happens,” he replies.
Country bad boy Johnny Cash sings his chucklesome hit on a 1969 episode of the show. Skip past the bit at the start with the guy pretending to be Japanese – it’s not quite PC…
The sultry, Southern singer-songwriter played her best-known hit, ‘Ode To Billy Joe’ surrounded by people in ’70s knits. Is it just me who thinks Jack White needs to find the long-lost Gentry and produce a new album?
Prepare to go, “Awwwwww!” at the sight of a 12 year-old Michael Jackson leading his brothers though a performance of their big hit in 1970.
Here’s the man himself singing a fitting song to bow out on – ‘My Way’. RIP Andy.