John Williams | Artist
John Williams AO OBE is an Australian virtuoso classical guitarist born 1941 in Melbourne. Renowned for his ensemble playing as well as his interpretation and promotion of the modern classical guitar repertoire, Williams shared a Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance with fellow guitarist Julian Bream for their 1972 album Together. Guitar historian Graham Wade made the assessment that "John is perhaps the most technically accomplished guitarist the world has seen". Williams was given his first lessons by his father, also a guitarist. The family moved to London in 1952 to further John's musical education, where he impressed spanish guitar master Andrés Segovia and was invited to study at Segovia's summer courses at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy each year until 1959. Williams also attended the Royal Academy of Music between 1956 and 1959, studying piano and composition. During that period he made his official London debut recital at Wigmore Hall and first recordings when he was just 17, followed by his Paris debut a year later. Williams' interests have always extended beyond the classical guitar repertory, into more wide-ranging music, including the album Changes (1971) where he first recorded Stanley Myers' composition "Cavatina." He also worked in a jazz-classical fusion mode with Ronnie Scott, and in folk music on a tour with Ralph McTell. In 1978 Williams formed the jazz-rock fusion quintet Sky, along with ex-Curved Air keyboardist Francis Monkman, classical percussionist Tristan Fry, Australian guitarist Kevin Peek, and ex-Shocking Blue bassist and session-man legend Herbie Flowers. Sky made the charts in England in 1980 with his arrangement of a Bach toccata and fugue and, after the release of the movie The Deer Hunter, "Cavatina" also made the British Top 20. But it is his work as a classical guitarist that has earned Williams such high acclaim as performer and recording artist. With a catalogue of over 80 studio albums to his credit, as soloist and collaborator with names such as Julian Bream, the English Chamber Orchestra, Itzhak Perlman, Cleo Lane and Paco Peña. Standout albums include 20 Studies for Guitar (1971), Spanish Guitar Music (1972), Concierto de Aranjuez (1974), Together Again (1974), John Williams Plays Bach (1975), Barrios (1977), Concierto de Aranjuez (1984), El Diablo Suelto (2003) and The Seville Concert (1993). As a matter of interest, Williams created a highly acclaimed classical-rock fusion duet with The Who guitarist Pete Townshend, based on Townshend's song "Won't Get Fooled Again", for the 1979 Amnesty International benefit show The Secret Policeman's Ball. The duet featured on the resulting album and the film version of the show.
Artist Website: johnwilliamsguitarnotes.com
Featured Albums: John Williams
Related Artists: Julian Bream, Sky, Kate Williams
