For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.
Just a heads up, I'm going on vacation tomorrow through next week, so this will be the last CoronaVinyl post until I'm back a week from Monday. Have a pleasant Fourth of July.
Today's CoronaVinyl category is "W," and we're going schmaltzy for the second day in a row, with Roger Williams's 1958 album Till.
I somehow have three Roger Williams albums, acquired as part of a larger lot of records. Williams was a popular music pianist who released dozens of albums from the '50s until the '90s. Like Billy Vaughn yesterday, this is the type of music I imagine people of my grandparents' generation listening to, as their kids were turning to that devil's music, rock and roll. It's the kind of standard pop music that I imagine being played in old time musicals -- syrupy piano-based instrumentals with strings and occasional choral vocals.
Till featured two songs that reached the Billboard Hot 100, including the title track, which went to #22 and "Arrivaderci, Roma," which went to #55.
Williams went on to be the best-selling piano recording artist in history, garnering 21 gold and platinum albums over his career. He served in the Navy in World War II and was a Navy boxing champ. After that, his musical career lasted until his death in 2011, and he was known as the "Pianist to the Presidents," playing for nine U.S. Presidential administrations, from Truman to George W. Bush. Insanely, on his 75th birthday, Williams performed a 12-hour piano marathon. Famed piano maker Steinway & Sons named a gold grand piano in his honor.
He was also known for his gracious attitude towards fans, as well as his uncanny ability to memorize songs by heart and take requests, allegedly knowing over 10,000 songs by heart.
He continued to perform right up until his death in 2011 from pancreatic cancer at the ripe age of 87.
All in all, he had 7 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including two Top 10s and one #1 (1955's "Autumn Leaves"). His music isn't something that I would tend to gravitate towards, but I can appreciate his talent, and certainly his story is a good one.
Favorite song from Side 1: "Jalousie"
This song is all piano (no strings or vocals), and it has kind of a foreboding feel to it.
Favorite song from Side 2: "The Sentimental Touch"
This one has a little more punch to it than most of the other songs on the album.
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