Why The Death Of Don Williams Hurts So Deeply
For many country fans, the way you would deal with the death of a close friend or a loved one would be to put a Don Williams record on. So what are you supposed to do when Don Williams is the one who has died? It’s also customary when one of your favorite music artist passes away to put on their music and reminisce. But again, with Don Williams, it almost makes it worse, knowing that iconic voice will never be heard again live on this mortal coil.
Let’s face it, there were bigger stars in country music than Don Williams. This is not to be impolite. When Merle Haggard or George Jones died, these were undeniably top tier Mount Rushmore “greatest of all time” names that you never recover from losing. Their deaths were a time of national mourning, even for people who were not necessarily fans of country music. That doesn’t mean that Don Williams wasn’t many people’s most favorite star, even if he didn’t amass the staggering amount of #1 hits as some others, or perhaps had the deeper influence throughout American culture like a Merle Haggard or George Jones.
But there was just something, or many things about Don Williams—his voice, his music, his soothing presence—that make his death so much harder to stomach, even days after the news has sunk in. It’s astounding as you witness people reflect back on his music and mourn, how many mention his name and tie it to their family. It’s a Don Williams song that reminds you of your dad or granddad that is no longer around. It was his soothing voice that helped put your kids to bed at an early age. It was one of the first songs you every heard, or one of the last songs you remember hearing with someone else. The memories of many other country greats are tied to us in distinct ways. But the songs of Don Williams, they are what tie us to someone else, and to one another.
The memories are so rich and the voice is so familiar, it’s like Don Williams is part of your family.
I dare you to find someone who has a discouraging word to utter about Don Williams. He didn’t have a checkered past of any sort. He never let his fans down. He never became a polarizing character in any way where someone would find themselves sideways with his music or his legacy, even in this polarizing era we live in today. And even though he was never the universally-recognized biggest star in country for any particular year, his longevity was such (he had Top 5 hits spanning from 1974-1991) that his influence was cross-generational, and his music was of a nature that everyone could listen together and enjoy. He was cool, to everyone who knew him.
Don Williams no longer being around is still not okay. And unfortunately, Don Williams is no longer around to help us get over the death of Don Williams. Because that’s what Don Williams is supposed to do.
September 11, 2017 @ 7:49 am
His death was a tough pill to swallow. Even as a late teen cruising gravels with my friends listening to the older Waylon, Cash, and Johnny Paycheck style music, we always made room for Don Williams tunes. Then flash forward to getting married and our song was a Williams tune. He just had a certain coolness to him. I went to see him everytime he came near my area, which was just three times.
He had great love songs, great front porch songs, just great everyday music. It was just relatable to everyone. It’s just a gut punch losing this guy I didn’t even personally know.
September 11, 2017 @ 8:09 am
Well said. I can still remember listening to an old 8 track tape of his that my parents had laying around. What really astounds me, is how he continued to make good music long after his star had faded. 2012’s so it goes is a great record from beginning to end. Don will always be the bar that every musician should try to reach when it comes to making solid music, that everone can agree on, no matter what side of the political spectrum you happen to live on.
September 11, 2017 @ 8:14 am
Put another way ,and that ‘s not to say you haven’t summed up Don’s importance to the genre quite beautifully Trigger ,the man had vision and character . He made ” Don Williams Country Music ” in a way that gave him an identity and an inarguable authenticity . This is missing from the sound-alike assembly line clones cranked out by labels today . Not only do they lack authenticity but they lack a musical identity They could all exchange songs and listeners wouldn’t know the difference whereas John Cash couldn’t have sung a Don Williams song …..Willie could not have sung a Charley Pride song , Randy couldn’t have sung a Waylon song without it sounding inauthentic and ‘wrong’ somehow . Today’s artists lack a strong sense of artistic vision …. a sense of who they are BEFORE a label molds them into radio fare REGARDLESS of their unique potential or lack thereof .
You knew the man when Don Williams sang a song .
September 11, 2017 @ 8:15 am
Don Williams was very unique that it seemed he never tried to “fit in”. He wasn’t “Nashville” he wasn’t “Outlaw” he wasn’t any of that. He was just “Don Williams” and no one else will ever copy that or imitate it. He did it to perfection.
September 11, 2017 @ 8:15 am
My wife and I were married in 2013. When walking back down the aisle at the end of the ceremony we chose to use Say It Again as we left the ceremony. She had grown up going between Tennessee and Florida to see her extended family and they would always listen to Don in the car and I had been a Don Williams fan since I was in middle school. We got to see him perform a year or so later. We were both devastated when we heard Friday afternoon. To make it worse I thought when I left the house “Man it’s a beautiful afternoon, I need some Don Williams”. When I pulled in to my wife’s work to pick her up I got out my phone and saw the news as I was listening to If I Needed You. It hit me really hard in that moment. I spent the next hour or so sitting in the car with our 7 month old daughter singing song after song trying to keep her calm until her momma got out to the car. Hopefully even now with Don gone, my wife and I can create memories like you mentioned with her. She’s definitely going to hear plenty of his music.
September 11, 2017 @ 8:42 am
“Say It Again” is my favorite Don Williams song! I enjoyed your story, and I wish I had seen him live like you did.
September 11, 2017 @ 8:41 am
Coffee black, cigarette…. The start of my favorite Don Williams song. That’s going out on a limb, as so many of his songs are my favorite at the moment I am listening to him.
Fist concert seeing him – the Greenville Memorial Auditorium (the same location where Lynyrd Skynyrd performed before the plane crash) in 1978 or so. That was it – I was a Don Williams fan. Last concert I saw him at was near Dawsonville, GA at a venue called Concerts In The Country. It has long since closed. There was no better place to see an artist. The place is normally 3/4’s filled. For Don Williams, it was standing room only.
I read that he and Burt Reynolds were great friends. Don was actually in a couple of Burt Reynolds movies.
There may be another artist coming along that reminds us of Don. I fear that in today’s so-called country music environment he or she will never see the light of day.
September 11, 2017 @ 8:46 am
“Some Broken Hearts Never Mend” is the song that introduced me to Don, and is still one of my favorites.
September 11, 2017 @ 10:44 am
”Oh, and if you see Burt Reynolds would you shake his hand for me
And tell ol’ Burt I’ve seen all his movies” That’s when Burt Reynolds became immortal.
September 11, 2017 @ 8:46 am
My dad was into the 60s folk stuff. My first memory of Don was hearing the vinyl albums from his early band, Pozo Seco Singers. One track thst stood out was I can Make it with You. Some of their material comes off as hokey today but overall they had a sound and Dons voice was the best part of it. What really stands out for me with him is that voice. It’s a Cadillac in a world of cheap subcompacts. His voice was deeper than the grand canyon, more refined than John Cash and smooth as maple syrup. Sure there are lots of baritone singers, but this was the consumate baritone, the one by which others can be judged. There was also a sense of comfort in that voice, even a feeling of wisdom behind it.When he sang Amanda how could you not be moved? His voice commanded listening to, when you heard it, you were in awe. How can anyone sing that pretty? And his melodies…..oh man….they stuck in your brain like candy. Did anyone have better melodies in country song? I dunno…maybe Ray Price but I’m not so sure. Don was totally one of a kind and they aren’t making em like him anymore.
September 11, 2017 @ 1:57 pm
Yes, “Amanda” is wonderful song. Loved the lyrics and he had such a soft pleasant way of singing it…
September 11, 2017 @ 8:58 am
Well said…I am heartbroken
September 11, 2017 @ 9:00 am
Well said, Trigger. I haven’t come around to words about his passing. When Johnny passed, I bid him farewell and knew I’d see him again. I cried when Merle died cause his music was part of my music. I’m still numb from Friday’s news. One of the best- ever.
September 11, 2017 @ 9:08 am
Trigger, you should have given his eulogy! Great write up.
September 11, 2017 @ 9:08 am
Van Morrison did a great country version of “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” last night in Hershey in tribute to Don. It brought some tears.
September 11, 2017 @ 12:10 pm
I was there last night too. Despite it being the dumpiest venue I’ve ever attended a show at, we had a real good time. People there were real nice.
I’m not asking the connection between I Can’t Stop Loving You and Don Willians though. Don Gibson wrote the song and as far I as know Don Williams never recorded it. Morrison did for an album in 1991.
September 12, 2017 @ 12:53 am
Hmmm.
September 12, 2017 @ 11:06 am
Don Williams sang the song on a Chieftans’ album where they collaborated with several country artists.
September 12, 2017 @ 11:07 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqiVs8GRe2w
September 13, 2017 @ 12:40 am
Thanks for sussing that out, Tom. I’d never heard it before.
September 11, 2017 @ 9:22 am
I don’t have the words to describe how I feel about losing Don Williams. My parents played nothing but country when I was growing up, and my mother always played his records more than anything else (and still does). To me, Don Williams has always been there. Losing him aches down deep.
September 11, 2017 @ 9:36 am
For me, Don Williams was above Jones,Haggard etc. Like he was my uncle who made it in Nashville.
September 11, 2017 @ 9:44 am
Without a lie, a Don Williams greatest hits CD has been in the CD player of every vehicle I’ve ever owned (since my vehicles started coming with CD players in them). I don’t mean it was in and out, I mean it got left in there along with Keith Whitley and I’ve never tired of either disc. “Lord I hope this day is good”, “Tulsa Time”. The list goes on. When George Jones asked “who’s gonna fill their shoes?” he foresaw this void, and I would say the answer is nobody. Nobody can fill their shoes.
September 11, 2017 @ 11:55 am
PrairieLily, your right about the George Jones insight, and unfortunately-your correct, Nobody can fill their shoes. It is a huge void today.
September 11, 2017 @ 10:30 pm
PrarieLillie, Keith whitley and Don had the same producer.
September 11, 2017 @ 10:32 am
Great article, Don is my all time favorite voice and sings my all time favorite song “good ole boys like me”. He was so authentic, an outsider without having an outsider persona. I could also argue that no artist this late in their careers had as solid of a two album output as he did with “and so it goes” and “reflections”.
September 11, 2017 @ 11:19 am
Absolutely Brian, I couldn’t agree more. His last 2 albums were right up there. Don was a one off, and for me he had no equal or never will.
September 11, 2017 @ 2:26 pm
“I’ll Be Here In The Morning” from “Reflections” is worth the price alone. Both records stood up with anything he put out in his heyday. A true master and gentleman.
September 11, 2017 @ 11:05 am
No one death is more tragic than another, so please don’t mistake this comment as me saying Troy Gentry doesn’t deserve to be missed or talked about. But with these deaths both being so close, it is hard to not notice, and to be personally saddened, by the overwhelming imbalance of coverage over Troy Gentry’s death versus Don Williams. Taste of Country has yet to even report on it via their Instagram, while there have been multiple posts about Troy.
September 11, 2017 @ 11:58 am
You know I also thought of how this whole situation mirrored his career. Like Trig said, he was never most mentioned or the biggest name. In his death, you would expect a ton of coverage and accolades. Tbere have been some, but the tragic death of Troy has somewhat overshadowed Don it almost seems like, which is very much like a lot of his career.
September 11, 2017 @ 7:42 pm
Can’t really compare a reasonably current artist dying in a helicopter crash (that also killed the pilot) with the death of a retired artist at the end of his natural life.
September 11, 2017 @ 8:33 pm
There is no doubt that when somebody dies at a younger age and under those circumstances it is viewed differently and with more shock. I think that is the main reason you have seen so much about Troy’s tragic passing.
September 11, 2017 @ 11:28 pm
I wish there was more coverage of Don Williams’ death, but in fairness, it is very difficult when news breaks Friday afternoon, and multiple stories, where there’s also a major hurricane, and a state still recovering from another. It has been a very busy news cycle lately. Hopefully folks catch up with the Don news.
September 12, 2017 @ 7:01 am
Yall are all totally right, and I get it. I guess my main argument is that country music outlets should at least be mentioning it a little more than they are (if they even are).
September 11, 2017 @ 11:49 am
Was just starting my career in radio in early 70’s and Don was just beginning his hits. I loved his music, and wish we still had the 70’s type of Country still around today. Boy has country radio lost its way. Get on YouTube and enjoy a Don Williams song, any song, and you will enjoy it. I used to enjoy playing “Country Bumpkin’ by Cal Smith in those days, another beautiful song of that era. Im still not over losing Glen Campbell either, what a major loss for the Country Music family. Dennis Williams Toledo,OH
September 11, 2017 @ 12:13 pm
I commented earlier that there weren’t any words to describe Williams, but you did it!
September 11, 2017 @ 12:17 pm
Spot freakin on, Trigger.
I’ve always listen to Hag and Jones when I was down and felt like wallowing in it
Don was who I listened to when I wanted to get in a better mood.
And I felt the same way Friday as you. What now? Who’s gonna lift my spirits now?
And to make make it worse, I’ve been reading obits since Friday with inaccurate information in them, from major news outlets. As if, “We’ll do our job and report his death, but we’re city-slickers who don’t know much about him, and don’t care to find out, so here’s our Wiki-obituary. Please read it.”
September 11, 2017 @ 2:24 pm
None of our TV stations in Toledo even mentioned his death, they were too busy talking about the hurricane, which is important, but Dons songs were big hits here back in the day. Big hits. I thought, so sad to be forgotten.
September 11, 2017 @ 12:18 pm
The Gentle Giant never came out on stage with crazy lights and different costumes. It was always jeans, a button up shirt and that same old hat. His voice was unmistakable, yet pure and steady. Each song was a story that you could relate to. He felt like family.
September 11, 2017 @ 1:08 pm
I was fortunate enough to see him several years in a row in Pigeon Forge, TN. He sounded just he did on the albums. Don seemed like such a regular guy and always connected with the audience. Was looking forward to more music, but fortunately he left a great catalog. I listen to him regularly and miss him deeply.
September 11, 2017 @ 1:18 pm
To me Don Williams was like painter Bob Ross. Their soothing voices would put me at ease and make my day better.
September 11, 2017 @ 2:25 pm
This correlation is completely on the money. Two gentlemen who left the world a better place by sharing immense talent with a calm demeanor. God bless both of them.
September 11, 2017 @ 2:20 pm
the news was a real heart breaker for me and my wife we never missed a tour in the uk my best friend was a real favourite ,even when he finished touring just knowing he was somewhere enjoying life made me so happy for him after all the pleasure he had given us over the last 40 years but now sadly thats gone but his memories will be with me forever goodnight god bless you big man
September 11, 2017 @ 3:26 pm
Don Williams
We have lost the greatest legend in Country Music today. I know the Angels are rejoicing at his presence in Heaven. I want to honor him by posting a letter that I wrote to him telling him how his music influenced mine and Ray’s life. We will always love stronger because of you Don Williams.
Dear Mr. Williams,
I am writing to express to you with the deepest heartfelt appreciation what your music has meant in the lives of my husband and I. Ray and I met when we were both 16 years old. I was a poetry writing, happy, rock n roll teen of the 70’s raised by a single mom. Where Ray was a shy, quiet, yes ma’am, no ma’am, had no idea how cute he was country boy raised in a Baptist, God fearing family by both parents. I was out going, always smiling and never at loss for words. Ray kept to himself and talked when he was spoken to, but he would flex those muscles and flash that crooked smile when he looked at me and I would melt like icecream on a hot summer day. We fell in love in his 1972 Pontiac Lemans, we called it the Blue Goose. We sat in front of my house watching the stars and planning our lives listening and singing to Don Williams all night until my mom would flash the porch light for me to come in. Ray didn’t always know how to say what he felt so he did it by singing your songs to me. We fell in love, fought and made up, danced and fell asleep with your music. We stayed together for 4 years and planned to get married but something happened that I kept a secret from him. I eventually couldn’t deal with it emotionally any longer and I left. He came after me and I rejected him. I can’t explain it but anger helped me to stay away from him. I believed I was protecting him. He came looking for me throughout the years at my mom’s but she never told me. We both married other people but they ended in divorce. As God healed my heart, he assured me that if I waited on HIM, he would give me the love of my life. And he did on February 23, 2016 Ray contacted me through FB after 33 years of being apart. We were so excited and happy. It felt as if all those years had never passed but I was still afraid of our past. So I prayed asking God to show me what to do. I had healed so much the last several years from my past relationships because of the glory of God. I knew I could count on HIM. Right then and there a song came on the radio that I had never heard before. It was “Maybe that’s all it Takes” by Don Williams. I knew it was God. “Maybe that’s all it takes is forgetting about past mistakes and holding on to the love we made maybe that’s all it takes.” I am happy to say we were married July 22, 2016. It was the happiest day of our lives. My Godmate is back in my life. It must be love because he is my Best Friend 🙂
Till the rivers all run dry
Till the sun falls from the sky
Till life on earth is through
We will be missing you.
May you continue to love and live through your music forever.
Thank You.
Love,
Ray and Theresa Burns
September 11, 2017 @ 5:59 pm
….just a beautiful , beautiful love story …thanks for posting .
September 11, 2017 @ 4:43 pm
With my listening habits lately, I think Ryan Scott Travis would be a much worthy successor to Don Williams. He has a song on his Guadalupe Breakdown album called ‘Ain’t That Strong” and I play it alongside Williams’ “Infinity” from “And So It Goes” because they have pretty strong similarities to each other.
My biggest regret about Don Williams is that I should’ve found his music sooner, don’t get me wrong, I’ve heard of him as a kid but never got enough curiosity to listen to him until recently when I bought his last two records. With Ryan Scott Travis, I don’t plan to make the same mistake again.
September 11, 2017 @ 4:50 pm
I`m surprised that Don wasn`t one of the very best of American country music stars. He never yearned for that anyway. Back here in Kenya, almost all generations from 14yrs to his agemates happen to know Don. He made life bearable and gave us the words to get to those young girls hearts, when we started discovering love.We copied his music from tape/cassette players and passed on to the girls. It paid of! Please don`t wake me up from the bad dream that he`s gone. if it`s real, someone tell me it`s not true. Cowboys never die!
September 11, 2017 @ 5:17 pm
Wow. I can sing along to many of his songs but had know idea who was singing them. I had the same experience with Bill Withers. You hear their songs everywhere and can sing the words the songs lift you up. They are timeless…To me he is to country what Bill Withers is to Soul and R&B. Music good for all ages. It’s fascinating that he was so famous for his work. What he left behind was truly admired and valued in this weird world. Love lasts and it sure does sell! But you gotta have it yourself, along with singing talent, or you got just got country gentry and charm. Not a sensation. .
September 11, 2017 @ 6:10 pm
last night the canadian country music awards were aired live from saskatoon. some terrific singers ( some not so ) but all in all a talented group of vocalists .
”You hear their songs everywhere and can sing the words the songs lift you up. They are timeless…”
to your point , ginger , i can’t remember one song I heard performed on that awards program last night …. a program meant to feature THE BEST songs of the year . if they were the BEST songs of the year according to the industry it tells me everything I need to know about the industry . they were not ‘ timeless’ songs …they were not memorable …they were very average ( well-written ,I suppose ) but very average , forgettable songs . and this is the issue with so much of today’s music ….. not to take from the artists themselves but a label thinking you can sing and telling you to write your own songs very rarely guarantees a GREAT song . thing is ….a ‘ great song” doesn’t seem to be the motivation of all of these grooming , promoting and image-making efforts any more . sad isn’t it ?
September 11, 2017 @ 6:55 pm
Albert… I always said growing up “about every song ever worth getting written already done got wrote.”
Growing up, and especially after finding SCM I had to retract that. because so many great songs are still coming out…
But really albert… is any love song, in another sixty years, going to be there like “when you and I were young maggie” is?
how about “bury me beneath the willow?”
“fields of athenry”
“Jambalaya”
“I Saw the Light”
“Leaving Liverpool”
I think most of the songs we’ll see standing up in another several decades will be a lot of those old three chord songs with easy lyrics easy melody…
and i loved Slaid Cleaves “Primer Gray” that came out recently.
that song is my theme song. but it won’t last.
it’s overwritten. those other songs are so simple, so serene, like “old folks at home” that they just don’t ever go away.
September 11, 2017 @ 8:20 pm
Well my point Sir Albert, which you missed completely, was that you have to actually have love, you can’t be just fascinated with it’s selling power. It’s extremely difficult to get love in your heart for other people if you weren’t born with it. Most people only have the kind that is reserved for their mother’s. The memory of how adorable you were when you were a kid is where you are trying to get to now. Suck your thumb to soothe yourself when you feel pain, instead.
September 11, 2017 @ 8:46 pm
“and i loved Slaid Cleaves “Primer Gray” that came out recently.”
– Why would you mention who ever that guy is, in a tribute to Don Williams?
that song is my theme song. but it won’t last.
– Does anyone care what your theme song is at a funeral?
“it’s overwritten. those other songs are so simple, so serene, like “old folks at home” that they just don’t ever go away.”
-Don was 78. Plain rude. He did go away…. are you following along? Why would you say such a disrespectful thing?
September 12, 2017 @ 1:06 am
Ginger ….once again you have succeeded in thoroughly confusing me which , granted , may not be that difficult .However I really believe we are having two conversations .
MY point is that timeless ,memorable well-crafted songs with HEART are not being written any more…. in part because labels think their singers should be writers . This is simply not the case if you start looking for ‘ standards’ from the past 15 years or so . There are very very few comparatively .
September 12, 2017 @ 6:58 am
I think the point of Ginger is to thoroughly confuse people.
September 12, 2017 @ 4:48 am
Singers are singers, and writers are writers, and musicians are musicians. It takes exactly 3 people to write and sing a GREAT song. Great singers hone the strength of their emotions. Great songwriters home the craft of creating heart felt stories and songs. I didn’t mean to be confusing, I think we actually agree. Put a sad melody with a happy song or the other way around…
September 11, 2017 @ 5:35 pm
This was very, very well put. And there’s not much left for mo to say beyond what I said at my own blog:
Don Williams once sang, “what’ll you do, with good ole boys like me?”
As I put it elsewhere, the more pressing question now is — what will we do without good ole boys like him?
Maybe that’s why it hits so hard: he was a simple and honest man, without an ounce of arrogance or pretension, if not the last of a dying breed, pretty close to it.
September 12, 2017 @ 5:05 am
I think we have to learn from the mistake of not appreciating him enough when he was with us. He should have been showered with accolades, put higher on the pedestal. We miss him now and we are wishing we had done more celebrating of his gifts while he was here. He deserved it all, everything you could wish for in life, and more!
September 11, 2017 @ 5:54 pm
As a heavy metal head in the 80’s I wasn’t supposed to like any country music. But even then I loved the music and voice of Don Williams. That love and appreciation has continued through today and will continue until I die. An amazing song writer with the voice I would choose as my own if it was possible. Most know his many hits but I highly recommend his album “Borrowed Tales” if you have not heard it. It is Don covering many of his own personal favorite songs by other artists and how easily and deftly he makes those songs his own, proves just how exceptional his voice really was.
September 11, 2017 @ 6:37 pm
I recently re-discovered “Lord, I Hope this Day is Good.” What a simple yet incredibly powerful record.
September 11, 2017 @ 7:13 pm
I watched W.W. and the Dixie Dance Kings last night in honor of Don. It brought me back to my childhood and an Era that doesn’t exist anymore. Great writing Trigger!
September 11, 2017 @ 7:23 pm
I have to admit, I’m pretty torn up about Williams’ death, and it *does* feel like more than just that a singer that I liked died. The older I get, the more I not only appreciated Don, but almost leaned on his music like a crutch. Where do I go now for support? Garth Brooks?!?
September 11, 2017 @ 8:08 pm
Don was an original. While he didn’t fit into the mold of Haggard or Jones, he had an enormous & dedicated following in England, Ireland and Africa. I always plug “I believe in you” when I find him in a jukebox, but my favorite Don Williams tunes were his deeper cuts-
“How did you do it?”
“From now on”
“Going back to the flatlands”
“Reason to be”
“Cup of tea”
“Shadowland”
Rest In Peace Don. Thankful to have your music as a companion all these years.
September 11, 2017 @ 8:58 pm
Don Williams had great songs out like I believe in you, Love me all over again, Some Broken hearts never mend, Heartbeat in the Darkness, Say it again ,Stay Young and list goes on. Don was a great country singer and a true legend. Rest in peace Don you’ll be missed.
September 12, 2017 @ 1:12 am
One almost took Don Williams for granted. He was smooth, steady, reliable, and never changed. He was like George Strait in that way. There’s a capricious market for “versatile’ singers whose image and music changes from one album to the next. If you’re a genius like David Bowie, you can have that sort of career. It takes another type of genius entirely to have a career like Williams. He was simply himself, and didn’t have to live up to his latest incarnation. There are not many like him in country today. More’s the pity. My favourite song of his was “She Never Knew Me.” No one else could even come close to him on it.
September 12, 2017 @ 3:46 am
What’s to know about a person really? I mean are they really even there? Was Din Williams really there when he was in the room? Where was he exactly? In his brain, his heart? If you walk into the room claiming to be one person, and into another room as a completely different person, which one are you? Are you either? Are you only the person that others believe you are? Can you point yourself out to others? How do exist in people’s eyes? Was Don the same person all the time? Was he one person or was he many? Was he the same person he was 40 years ago? Who was he really? If I bleach my hair and change my eye color, am I the same person I was yesterday? Don’s not really gone yet, he knows what’s going on and he can’t leave.
September 12, 2017 @ 4:43 am
“What’s to know about a person really?”
How they treat others. Period. Your actions define who you are, not your hair or eye color, nor what you say you are or what other people think of you. We all mess up and fall short, but that’s how we can all get better if we learn from it
September 12, 2017 @ 2:58 pm
For argument sake, take the homophobic person. The homophobe claims that the homosexual is all sorts of disagreeable choices made, and they are not naturally existing. The homophobe believes something righteous about themselves that just is NOT true. They are treating homosexuals cruelling to hide their latent homosexual tendencies. The homophobe will tells everyone they are the opposite of an evil person. But in fact they are evil. Now apply that to people who are phobic about people who want to marry babies. Baby marriage phobes hate baby marriage people so bad that they kill and torture them. The phobes can’t sleep at night they hate them so bad. What latent tendencies are they scared of in themselves? So who are we really, if we hate or are phobic towards anyone? A heroic warrior or do we have latent tendencies toward that which we fear. And if you don’t even consider the phobic person, who are you really? Who really decides who a person is according to how they treat people? You can say you are one thing, but it is completely possible for you to be phobe.
A person from Germany who drinks at lunch and night is completely normal there. Here they are alcoholics. If you feel like a woman but you were born a man, it used to mean you were crazy. Today you are perfectly normal tomorrow you are not, and those that say otherwise are considered crazy. Is a bad person bad, or are you judgmental, thoughtless and cruel? Are you a joker or a liar, a bloodthirsty zombie or an innocent onlooker? Who are you really? You are who you are depending on others. You know you are one thing, but a group of people say you are ignorant. If a group is telling you there is something wrong with you, are they just a bunch of bullies? Or are you the problem? Who you are is not how you treat other people. The labels you give yourself in 2017 because “you treat people right,” could be considered the scourge of the entire world if you suddenly found yourself in 1917. Who are you then? It’s not that you made a mistake being phobic, or because you had fear, it’s because you are really one of them.
September 12, 2017 @ 3:34 am
The death of Don Williams hurts so deeply because nobody can fill his shoes.
My favourite song: “One Good Well”
“It takes one good well,
Deep and ever-flowing
One good well,
To draw from night and day
Pure and fine, it’s yours and mine
And it’s, always enough
We’ve got one good well,
Overflowing with everlasting love.”
(Written by Mike Reid & Kent Robbins – Source for the lyrics: azlyrics.com)
September 12, 2017 @ 5:10 am
Don Williams was a cultural attaché for the South.
Good Old Boys Like Me encapsulates the influences of growing up in the South at the time that I did.
Who else, other than Don, would think to weave Uncle Remus, Stonewall Jackson, Hank Williams, Tennessee Williams and Thomas Wolfe into the fabric of the same song?
These people were, and are, influences in my life.
And having your father talk to you about honor at night before bedtime with alcohol on his breath?
My dad certainly did.
September 12, 2017 @ 11:58 am
GOBLM is the song that most effects me now that I’ve grown older. Maybe its nostalgia, or melancholy, but that song soothes my tattered old man nerves like no other…
September 12, 2017 @ 9:58 pm
Chris,
I am surprised by how many people hear that song, which will always be my absolute favorite and don’t grasp the fact that every word has significance. It has such deep meaning and tells such a life story that, in my mind, none other can compare…and I love them all. I saw the man sing in 17 concerts, and that’s after getting a free ticket to see him the first time back in 1989. As a young radio DJ, I had the good fortune to spin his vinyl, and later, CDs, for almost two decades.
The thrill of my life was in 1992 when I was able to arrange for a meet and greet before his concert. Although he was the headliner, Lori Morgan opened for him. I remember walking into the room and seeing a dozen people standing around the Lori. Don was standing alone waiting for me to come back, Billy Sanford, his lead guitarist, was taking some video of us, and Gus Laux, his road manager, took some pictures of us conversing before posing for a final shot. From talking to everyone who worked with him, the Don you saw on stage was the same Don you would see anywhere else. A very kind man, indeed. At any rate, I found myself almost speechless standing in front of him. I introduced myself, told him how much I appreciated his music, he then signed a photo I brought with me. After that, he put his arm around my shoulder as we took a final photo. I’ve met many artists since, but nothing will ever top that. I was devasted on Friday, but Don will always live through my playlists.
September 12, 2017 @ 6:09 am
The thing that gets me about “Good Old Boys Like Me” is how the harmony perfectly supports the words.
When Don sings, with affection, “I can still hear the soft southern winds in the live oak trees,” the melody rises like his memory as the harmony falls, making a swirl. When he sings “I guess we’re all gonna be what we’re gonna be,” the chord at the end of that phrase is minor, which is like frowning and nodding as you swallow your whiskey. Or gin.
What I’m saying is that our sense of Don’s gentleness isn’t an accident. He had a great feeling for how music and words can combine so that their whole is greater than the sum of their parts. That’s how good a craftsman he was.
Just had to say that.
September 12, 2017 @ 6:08 pm
Oh, I forgot:
we’re all gonna die. It just takes a while to get used to it.
September 13, 2017 @ 12:49 pm
Not only do I really dig your content but I have to say you’re real, talented writer to boot. Keep up the good work!
September 14, 2017 @ 3:38 pm
I am so glad these comments were written about Don, and I’m writing my reply literally through tears and a heavy heart, His passing is that emotional for me. I feel so fortunate to have been raised in his era of music, and it is pleasing to know that so many other people have such wonderful memories of and through his music and the way he delivered it with his soothing canyon deep voice. Whether they know it or not, those who never had or took the opportunity to listen to his music have missed a rare chance to experience an artist with such an impact on family memories and life, thankfully we still have his great recordings to listen to. Don Williams is an American Icon….
October 10, 2017 @ 7:04 pm
Don williams is to me one of the greatest thing ever that happened to my family, been listening to thisgret man since 1979/1980,along with Jim reeves,dolly parton, skeeter Davis&all,he is part of my life& will continue to be,he died the same month with ma dad,list 2 great men at the same time
April 12, 2019 @ 7:38 am
His music still makes me sick.i have to change the station when I here “The gentle giant”.
March 29, 2020 @ 9:18 am
Every publication, including this one, and Wikipedia, stated Don Williams’ date of birth as1939 and his age when he passed away as 78. If he was born in 1939 he would have been 81. One of the two statements is obviously wrong.
I saw him perform once, in the round at Westbury, LI. He was a man of few words. He just came out and played his songs.