About three or four years ago, I was about to take a flight with a friend. As we talked about the music we’d downloaded for the trip, he mentioned he planned to listen to Don Williams for most of the flight. I hadn’t heard of him before, so I quickly downloaded his greatest hits album. I ended up listening to it the entire flight and fell in love with the “Gentle Giant,” Don Williams.
Don Williams was a country music singer and songwriter celebrated for his incredibly smooth bass-baritone voice. He began his recording career in 1965 with the Pozo-Seco Singers, a folk music trio that released two albums before disbanding by 1970. After a brief hiatus from the music scene, Don launched his solo career and quickly made a name for himself in country music.
Fun Fact: His first No. 1 hit was “I Wouldn’t Want to Live If You Didn’t Love Me,” and an impressive 42 of his 46 singles landed in the Top 10 between 1974 and 1991.
This song is from his 12th studio album, Listen to the Radio (1982). I love how it mentions one of my favorite actors, Burt Reynolds, during the chorus:
Oh, and if you see Burt Reynolds
Would you shake his hand for me?
And tell old Burt, I’ve seen all his movies
Well, I hope you make the big time
I hope your dreams come true
But if Hollywood don’t need you
Honey, I still do
Fun Movie Fact: Don Williams actually appeared in a 1975 film with Jerry Reed and Burt Reynolds called W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings.
Fun Songwriter Fact: This song was written by Bob McDill, a prolific songwriter who penned hits for Don Williams, Crystal Gayle, Bobby Bare, and more. McDill also wrote “Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold),” another of my Sanchez Song of the Day picks.
I hope you enjoy this great song sung by one of the smoothest voices in country music history!
Song: “If Hollywood Don’t Need You”
Artist: Don Williams
Album: Listen to the Radio
Year: 1982
Well, you know I’m not much good at writing letters
So, I gave up and decided that I’d call
No, there’s really not much news to tell you
Things back here, they never change at all
It snowed today, it’s cold here for November
But I hear the weather’s warm out there
Oh, and if you see Burt Reynolds
Would you shake his hand for me?
And tell old Burt, I’ve seen all his movies
Well, I hope you make the big time
I hope your dreams come true
But if Hollywood don’t need you
Honey, I still do
Last night I drove the truck to Amarillo
Some friends and I, we had a laugh or two
But lately we don’t cut up like we used to
‘Cause all that I can think about is you
I know this is what you’ve always wanted
But I know now that all I want is you
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My name is Michael Sanchez and I’m an avid record collector and obscure song searcher. My goal is to post (hopefully) one song a day that’s been on my stereo/turntable frequently. If you don’t like the song… too bad 🙂 You can just wait for the next one. All the info I find is from wikipedia/youtube/interviews/news articles/personal stories I’ve heard/random googling. Sorry if there are any mistakes.
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Sanchez Song Of The Day 