John T Williams | Artist
John Towner Williams KBE aka Johnny Williams is an American composer, conductor and pianist born 1932 in New York City. In a career spanning seven decades, he has composed some of the most popular, recognizable and critically acclaimed film scores in cinema history, winning 25 Grammy Awards, five Academy Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. With 53 Academy Award nominations, he is the second most-nominated individual, after Walt Disney. He is considered among the greatest composers in the history of cinema. Early in his career he was known as Johnny Williams, and under this name released several jazz albums, including World on a String and The John Towner Touch. Williams also served as music arranger and bandleader for popular music albums with the singers Ray Vasquez and Frankie Laine. The artist's characteristic sound can be described as a form of neoromanticism which was inspired by the late 19th century's large-scale orchestral music in the style of Tchaikovsky, Wagner, and Gustav Holst. His first film composition was for You Are Welcome, a promotional film for the tourist information office of Newfoundland, created in 1954 when Williams was stationed at Pepperrell Air Force Base. His first feature film composition was in 1958 for the B-movie Daddy-O. But he soon gained notice in Hollywood and received his first Academy Award nomination for his score for 1967's Valley of the Dolls, and was nominated again for his score for 1969's Goodbye Mr. Chips. He won his first Academy Award for his score adaptation for the 1971 film Fiddler on the Roof. Williams has over 160 albums to his credit, including Soundtracks, symphonic works and early Jazz works. A small selection of standouts includes Jaws (1975), The Star Wars Trilogy: Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Superman the Movie (1978), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), and Schindler's List (1993). Williams' eldest son Joseph is also a film composer but is best known as the lead singer for American pop-rock band Toto.
Artist Website: johnwilliams.org
Featured Albums: John T Williams
Related Artists: Johnny Williams, Boston Pops Orchestra
