Roger Williams
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Biography
Roger Williams, born Louis Jacob Weertz on 1 October 1924 in Omaha, Nebraska, was an American pianist known for his easy listening and middle-of-the-road music. He began playing the piano at age three and initially pursued a career in boxing before returning to music. His breakthrough came in 1955 when he signed with Kapp Records and released Autumn Leaves, which became the only piano instrumental to reach number one on Billboardâs popular music charts. He claimed 23 hit singles to his name, including "Born Free" (1966)-from the movie of the same name-and 38 hit albums between 1955 and 1972. Notable songs include "Near You" and "Till". He was known as the 'Pianist to the Presidents', performing for nine US presidential administrations, starting with Harry S. Truman in 1948. He appeared in various film soundtracks, including Somewhere in Time (1980). He was awarded the Steinway Lifetime Achievement Award and inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame in 2010. In March 2011, he announced he had pancreatic cancer but continued performing until his death on 8 October 2011.
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Albums
Roger Williams
How Deep Is The Ocean/You're Just In Love/The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On)
FEATURED
Top Tracks
- Track Popularity
- Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #1
- Near You
- Almost Paradise
- Autumn Leaves
- Born Free
- Makin' Whoopee!
- My Dream Sonata
- More
- Donkey Serenade
- Nadia's Theme (Theme From The Young And The Restlless)
- None but the Lonely Heart
- Never On Sunday
- The Very Slow Bomb Song featuring Martin Carthy
- Oh What It Seemed To Be
- Only You (And You Alone)
- When My Baby Smiles At Me
- Rhapsody In Blue
- Rainy Days And Mondays
- Que Sera, Sera
- My Heart Cries For You
- Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head
- Never On A sunday
- Riviera Concerto
- Home Sick For England
