More than four decades after his first Top Ten country hit, singer Don Williams continues to be a popular concert draw throughout the world, thanks to his warm vocal style and easygoing nature both on and off stage. The influential Texas native, nicknamed the “Gentle Giant,” has just announced his latest tour, which launches on September 9th, in Dodge City, Kansas, and is slated to run through November.
“Mercy, the fans have kept us going for years, and I am glad to share the music with them once again,” says the 76-year-old musician, whose two most recent LPs on Sugar Hill Records, And So It Goes (2012) and Reflections (2014) both reached the Top 20 on Billboard‘s Country Albums chart.
A member of the Sixties folk group, the Pozo-Seco Singers, Williams’ solo career was launched in 1971, with early hits including “Atta Way to Go” and “Come Early Morning.” His first Top 10 hit, “We Should Be Together,” was followed by such familiar tunes as “Rake and Ramblin’ Man” and “Tulsa Time.” In 1978, guitar great Eric Clapton covered Williams’ composition, “We’re All the Way.” That same year, Williams took home the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year honor. He became a crossover act in 1981 with the smash single, “I Believe in You.” For an entire decade, from 1974 to 1984, every chart hit he had reached the Top 10, with 17 of them going all the way to Number One.
Williams has also been featured on the big screen, in W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings and Smokey and the Bandit II, both featuring Burt Reynolds, who is name-checked in his hit, “If Hollywood Don’t Need You.” Among the contemporary acts that have covered his songs are Alan Jackson and Lee Ann Womack. Williams was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010.
Don Williams 2015 Tour Dates:
September 9 – Dodge City, KS @ United Wireless Arena
September 10 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Pikes Peak Center
September 11 – Deadwood, SD @ Deadwood Mountain Grand Hotel
September 14 – Winnipeg, MB @ Pantages Playhouse Theatre
September 15 – Regina, SK @ Conexus Centre of the Arts
September 16 – Saskatoon, SK @ TCU Place
September 17 – Edmonton, AB @ Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
September 19 – Calgary, AB @ Jack Singer Hall Epcor Centre
September 20 – Kelowna, BC @ Kelowna Community Theatre
September 23 – Boise, ID – The Morrison Center
September 24 – Pocatello, ID – Stephens Performing Arts Center
September 25 & 26 – Wendover, NV @ Peppermill Concert Hall
October 14 – Clearwater, FL @ Capitol Theatre
October 15 – Bremen, GA @ Mill Town Music Hall
October 16 – Pigeon Forge, TN @ Country Tonight Theatre
October 17 – Pigeon Forge, TN @ Country Tonight Theatre
October 18 – Newberry, SC @ Newberry Opera House
October 20 – Durham, NC @ Carolina Theatre of Durham
October 22 – Huntsville, AL @ Von Braun Center Concert Hall
October 23 – Paducah, KY @ The Carson Center
October 24 – Branson, MO @ Oak Ridge Boys Theatre
November 7 – Lula, MS @ Isle of Capri Casino
November 8 – Bartlesville, OK @ Bartlesville Community Center
November 9 – Omaha, NE @ Kiewit Concert Hall at the Holland
November 12 – Kansas City, MO @ Ameristar Casino and Hotel
November 13 – Norman, OK @ Riverwind Casino
November 14 – Bossier City, LA @ Riverdome Horseshoe Hotel
November 15 – San Antonio, TX @ Tobin Center for the Performing Arts
November 18 – Stafford, TX @ Stafford Centre
November 19 – Midland, TX @ Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center
November 20 – Austin, TX @ Paramount Theatre
November 21 – Arlington, TX @ Arlington Music Hall
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