Paul Williams--Bailey Masterson
Pwinconcert
Mondays," "Evergreen," "Just An Old Fashioned Love Song" and "Rainbow
Connection," Paul Williams is responsible for what will remain part of our pop
culture for many years to come. His music has been recorded by some of the
biggest names in the entertainment industry. Three Dog Night's versions of
"Just An Old Fashioned Love Song," "Out in the Country" and "Family of Man"
have sold millions of copies worldwide. Karen Carpenter's rich vocals made
"We've Only Just Begun," "Rainy Days and Mondays" "Let Me Be the One and "I
Won't Last a Day Without You," a part of our lives. Elvis Presley, Frank
Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Barbra Streisand, Willie Nelson, Kermit the Frog and
Luther Vandross are among the hundreds of artists who've recorded Paul's songs.
Neil McCoy recently recorded Paul's "Party On" while Diamond Rio recorded and
took "You're Gone" to the top of the charts. The video for "You're Gone"
became Pick of the Week on Country Music Television.
In 1997, Paul went back into the recording studio and recorded his CD "Back To
Love Again," which includes remakes of some of Paul's more classic hits such as
"Rainbow Connection" and "I Won't Last A Day Without You" as well as new songs
which contain the same quality, passion and depth that was heard and felt in
his hits from the past. Richard Carpenter and Graham Nash appear as guest
artists on the album bringing to it a richness and a quality all its own.
Critics, fans and the most famous in the music industry have all had positive
reactions and reviews to the album. Hal David sums it up by saying, "Paul
Williams, singing Paul Williams-it doesn't get any better. Fabulous!" But
Herb Alpert's remark "Through the decade his keen wit and big heart have made
him an uniquely special songsmith and artist," is what keeps a true Paul
Williams fan coming back for more. No one sings a song like the songwriter who
wrote it, and the same holds true for Paul's music. No one captures the
emotion within the songs the way he can and does time and time again. Paul is
one of the most celebrated songwriters of our time having won Academy, Grammy
and Golden Globe awards. His most recent accomplishments include his induction
into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.
Paul's reputation as a motion picture songwriter took hold in 1973 with an
Academy Award nomination for "Nice to Be Around" (co-written with John
Williams) from "Cinderella Liberty." 1975 brought Paul's second nomination for
the soundtrack from the Brian DePalma cult classic, "The Phantom of the
Paradise." He not only wrote the words and music and produced the album for
the rock cantata, but also held the audience captive with his devious portrayal
of the evil Swan. Paul went on to become the Music Supervisor for "A Star is
Born," bringing with it the challenge of working with three different composers
to produce its award winning score. Williams and Ken Ascher won a Golden
Globe Award for "Best Motion Picture Score." "Evergreen," co-written with
Barbra Streisand won the 1976 Oscar for "Best Song of the Year."
In 1980, Paul was once again nominated by the Academy for the score from the
box office smash hit "The Muppet Movie" for "Best Original Score" as well as
the song "Rainbow Connection" being nominated for "Best Song." "The Muppet
Movie" soundtrack went on to win two Grammy Awards and became the biggest
soundtrack album of the year, exceeding sales of one million units.
Paul reunited with Henson Productions in 1992 for the Disney feature film "The
Muppet Christmas Carol." He wrote and produced the songs for the soundtrack
which brought with it yet another Grammy Award nomination for "Best Musical
Album for Children."
Paul's other film credits include the songs and score for "Bugsy Malone," which
starred Jodie Foster and Scott Baio. Bugsy Malone continues to be a favorite
of children's playhouses and theatres worldwide. He co-wrote the title song
for "Flying Dreams" from the "The Secret of Nimh," which was recently recorded
as a duet by Kenny Loggins and Olivia Newton John and has written songs for
"The End," "Rocky IV," and "Ishtar."
Recently, Paul collaborated with Jerry Goldsmith on the title song for "The Sum
of All Fears." The song is featured in the beginning of the movie with a Latin
translation and again at the end in English, performed by Electra recording
artist Yolanda Adams. This may very well be the first time in entertainment
history where a song has been presented in a film in two different languages.
Paul Williams began his career as an actor in 1965 with his portrayal of a 12
year old prodigy in "The Loved One" playing opposite Jonathon Winters. He is
probably best known for his roles as Little Enos in the "Smokey and the Bandit"
movies as well as the orangutan Virgil in "Battle for the Planet of the Apes."
In 1995, Paul received stellar reviews for his starring role as a wheelchair
bound hostage in "Headless Body in a Topless Bar." Variety Magazine proclaimed
his performance as "standout" and "sterling," while Bill Hoffman wrote, "The
most intriguing performance comes from pop songwriter Paul Williams who was
eerily convincing as a depressed MS victim who ends up a hero." Paul is also
remembered for his roles in Oliver Stone's "The Doors," "People Like Us," (the
NBC miniseries based on the Dominick Dunne bestseller), as the fun loving
amphibian Gus in "Frog" and "Frog II" and Freddie the Bomb in "Solar Crisis."
He rarely passes up the opportunity to return to his early roots of acting and
plays an emergency room doctor in Roger Avery's soon to be released "Rules of
Attraction" and is scheduled to begin shooting another movie in August entitled
"The Vacation." Paul is no stranger to the small screen. He has appeared on
"Picket Fences," "Dream On," "Honey I Shrunk the Kids," "Boston Common,"
"Walker, Texas Ranger," and "The Bold and the Beautiful." Many people are
unaware that Paul has provided voice-overs for countless animated series some
of which include his role as Penguin in "Batman, the Animated Series," and his
recurring appearances in "Phantom 2040."
Having obtained his certification from UCLA as a drug and alcohol counselor,
Paul is very active on the speaker's circuit across the country. Speaking from
his personal experiences with his own addiction and the knowledge that he
gained through his education and his experience as a counselor, Paul continues
to touch the lives and hearts of many people whose lives have been affected by
drug abuse and/or alcoholism. He is actively involved with the Musician's
Assistance Program and is on the Board of Directors for Community High School,
a sober high school in Nashville, Tennessee which offers the teens assistance
with their recovery as well as the education that they both strive for and
deserve. Paul has appeared on "Primetime Country," "Geraldo Rivera," and
"Primetime Live" talking about the devastating effects of drugs and alcohol and
the increased use of them amongst our teens and pre-teens. Paul has been
presented with the Global Arts Award from the Friendly House for his efforts on
their behalf, the Spirit of Youth Award from the Pacific Boys Lodge for his
efforts and contributions and the `Celebration of Hope' award given to him by
Hazelden for his overall contribution in the recovery field. Recovery is not
simply a field that Paul is active in, it is one that he is passionate about.