THERE are few American country classic performers these days but DON WILLIAMS is certainly one of them.
With a warm baritone that balances strength with a gentle concern, the country music star draws his listener in and embraces them like an old friend.
Williams said he likes to believe his music can act as a ``helping hand'' to listeners.
``I don't think there's anything we have to do daily in our walk that's more important than how we deal with each other,'' Williams said.
``To me, it's everything.
``So when you're looking for songs, if they can express that, then you've found something special.'' Williams's hits include Good Ole Boys Like Me, I Believe In You, Love Is On A Roll, Amanda and Tulsa Time .
Without a doubt, Williams has a knack for producing songs that speak to the heart.
``When you first start making records, all the songs are challenging and there's so much to talk about,'' he said.
``But after you've done it for a while, it's hard to revisit the same places and still be believable.
``The longer you do it, the harder it becomes to do things that aren't just an echo of something you've already done.'' Addressing life's simple pleasures and the things that should last has always been Williams's forte.
He builds his songs around real emotions and does so with a subtle and simple approach.
``What it is is simple, I want the best songs possible,'' he said.
``Ideally, whether I'm in the studio or on stage, I'm totally into the story.
Or if there's no story, that emotion, that feel of what I'm doing at that moment, is the only thing I want to experience.
``After a day in the studio or a show, the energy I've used just wears me out and if you're not 100 thper cent there, that's even worse.
``There's nothing more trying than not being completely there.'' A simple approach to music has won Williams fans from Zimbabwe, Australia and England, to Monaco, Finland and Brazil as well as his native America.
``I couldn't have picked anything for the South African culture or the English culture,'' he said.
``We're all made of the same stuff and when we're dealing with one another, we're all on the same plane.
``I've been fortunate that when I've picked material, there's always been a universality to what I want to sing and what other people feel.'' Williams will perform at PANTHERS NEWCASTLE on March 24.
Tickets are $49 and bookings can be made at the club.
|
