Song:Tulsa Time
Album:The Definitive Collection
Don Williams was one of the most popular country artists of the 70s & 80s with a constant string of hits. He is known as The Gentle Giant. He never really crossed over to the pop charts but he does have a significant fanbase in Europe. He was born May 27, 1939 in Floydada, TX and grew up in Portland, TX which is near Corpus Christi. His mom taught him to play guitar. He started out in the early 60s performing as The Strangers Two with Lofton Kline. They recruited Susan Taylor in 1964 and called themselves The Pozo-Seco Singers. They had a couple of modest hits in 1966. They split in 1971 and Williams persued a solo career in Nashville. Initially he signed as a songwriter with Jack Clement and then started recording. His 1974 breakthrough hit We Should Be Together earned him a contract with ABC Records. This began a string of country music chart toppers including Tulsa Time in 1978. Though Williams is a songwriter, most of his hits have been written by others. Tulsa Time was written by slide guitarist Danny Flowers and it was named Single Of The Year for 1978. Williams even appeared in some Burt Reynolds films like Smokey & The Bandit. Back problems forced Williams to slow down his tour schedule in the 80s and he moved to Capitol Records in 1986. But he continued to top the country charts. He moved to RCA in 1989 and his final hit was in 1992. This 2004 comp from MCA Nashville has 25 songs and covers his entire career. Don Williams held a retirement tour in 2006 but he's still recording. His latest CD The Journey was released by Aspiron Records Sept. 2008. Don Williams' music may not be flashy but it is enjoyable. Here's Don Williams performing Tulsa Time in Holland 1982.
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