Biography roger williams pianist
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Dave Kapp, the head of Kapp Records, heard Williams on the show and was impressed. There Williams said he was “playing better than ever,” but a few weeks later he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. However, he claimed that he was expelled from the practice room for playing “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”. So he joined the Navy ROTC amid WWII, was assigned officer training, and completed a degree in engineering at Idaho State University.
After suffering several injuries -- including breaking his nose a number of times -- he decided to turn his full attention to music, enrolling as a piano major at Drake University. While serving, he was the middleweight boxing champion (winning 22 straight and 14 knockouts), played concerts for the sailors, and was elected the Man-O’-Warsman by his peers which he considered his greatest honor!
Williams was equally successful on the album charts, racking up a total of 38 hit records between 1956 and 1972, including the Top Ten albums Songs of the Fabulous Fifties (1957), Till (1958), Maria (1962), and Born Free (1966).
Williams' audience faded away in the early '70s, but he continued to record into the '80s. He became interested in boxing at the insistence of his father.
After completing his bachelor’s degree at the Navy, Weertz returned to Drake and earned his master’s. Weertz enlisted in the United States Navy, and served during World War II. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1950 from Idaho State College, now Idaho State University. He had released 116 albums as of 2004. The single reached number one on the U.S.
charts and began a streak of 22 hit singles that ran through 1969; he had two other Top Ten hits, "Near You" in 1958 and "Born Free" in 1966. It was a huge success and won a gold disc. At that time, Autumn Leaves was the best-selling piano solo record of all time and the only one ever to top the Billboard charts.
After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March 2011, he died couple of months later on 8 October, 2011.
Over his career, Williams recorded over 100 albums, with 38 hit albums and 22 hit singles.
“Undeniably one of the greatest pianists of the 20th Century. His illustrious career in music is unparalleled.”
Roger Williams developed a blend of music inspired by the classics of Chopin, Gershwin, Duke Ellington, and contemporary composers.
He remained one of the most popular pianists of the postwar era.
After a couple of years, he moved to Juilliard, where he studied under jazz pianists Lennie Tristano and Teddy Wilson.
Williams' first big break arrived when he was scheduled to provide accompaniment for a Juilliard vocalist on Arthur Godfrey & Talent Scouts 1946-50. They lived in Omaha, Nebraska. With only 20 minutes left in the session (Kapp didn’t want to pay overtime), they rehearsed the orchestra and only recorded twice.
His father was a Lutheran minister and his mother was a music teacher. On Roger Williams’ 80th birthday, Steinway presented him with the first art case piano ever built to honor a Steinway artist, known as the “Roger Williams Limited Edition Gold Piano.” Designed in art deco style by Joseph Sidorowicz, the piano “beautifully reflects the spirit and genius of this celebrated pianist.” Lyrics to the first verse of Autumn Leaves decorate the piano’s stunning gold metallic finish perimeter and falling autumn leaves appear between each line of the verse.
Williams was selected to compete in a talent contest for Chance of a Lifetime, a television program hosted by Dennis James.