Songwriters Hall of FameInducted 2001 | ASCAP Writer

Paul Williams has been lauded and awarded over the years by audiences and his peers alike, not only as one of the most gifted and prolific lyricists and composers, but also as a singer, an actor and a humanitarian.

As a composer, Williams’ achievements are virtually unparalleled, having received nine nominations from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and six nominations each from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and has filled his shelf with Grammys, Golden Globes and an Oscar for his victories. He has also been recognized by both ASCAP and BMI for the success of his songs.

Williams’ 2001 release, Back To Love Again, released by Pioneer Entertainment and distributed by Koch International, gives a hint as to why he has had these accolades heaped upon him during his career. The album was highlighted by new versions of such Williams’ hit songs such as “I Won’t Last A Day Without You,” “An Old Fashioned Love Song” and “Rainbow Connection,” as well as “You’re Gone,” which topped the charts for country stars Diamond Rio. The album, which also contains new original songs from Williams’ pen, features guest appearances by Graham Nash, Richard Carpenter, Valerie Carter and Wings’ guitarist Laurence Juber.

Williams’ list of acting credits is almost as long as that of his songs. Among his memorable movies have been “The Muppet Movie,” “The Doors,” “Battle For The Planet Of The Apes,” the cult favorite “Phantom of the Paradise” and his running portrayal of Little Enos in the three “Smokey And The Bandit” films. His television acting credits include “Star Trek, “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “Picket Fences,” “Boston Common,” “Babylon 5,” “Hart To Hart” and a regular role on the CBS daytime drama, “The Bold And The Beautiful.” He is also heard as the voice of the Penguin on the animated “Batman” series.

But it was as a singer/songwriter that Paul Williams first entered the public eye. In addition to previously mentioned hits, such enduring Williams’ songs as “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Rainy Days And Mondays,” “Let Me Be The One,” “You And Me Against the World,” Three Dog Night’s hit versions of “The Family Of Man” and “Out In The Country,” and the Oscar winning “Evergreen” are just a handful of his songs that have become part of our musical landscape and have sold hundreds of millions of records worldwide. As a performer he has toured extensively, not only in the United States, but also in Europe, Asia and South America.

Songs written by Paul Williams have been recorded by some of the biggest and most diverse names in the music business, including Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, David Bowie, Diana Ross, Elvis Presley, Gladys Knight, John Denver, Ella Fitzgerald, The Carpenters, Luther Vandross, Olivia Newton-John, Kenny Loggins, Sarah Vaughan, Art Garfunkel, Helen Reddy, Johnny Mathis, Judy Collins, Ray Charles, Bing Crosby and “Ally McBeal’s Vonda Sheppard. Williams’ songs have also found favor with such country music artists as Anne Murray, Glen Campbell, Crystal Gayle, Kris Kristofferson and Neal McCoy. As a matter of fact, Nashville has become Williams’ “home away from home” and many of country’s newer faces have been recording his material. In 1995, along with Stevie Winwood, Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues and Michael McDonald, he was honored at Music City’s Tin Pan South Music Festival at the famed Ryman Auditorium.

In addition to “Evergreen,” Williams also received Academy Award nominations for his work on music from the films “Cinderella Liberty,” Brian DePalma’s “Phantom Of The Paradise,” “The Muppet Movie” and “Bugsy Malone,” for which Paul wrote the songs and score, and which has gone on to become a successful stage production, not only in the United States, but in the United Kingdom as well. Among his other film credits musically are “Rocky IV,” “The Secret Of Nimh,” “The Muppet Christmas Carol” and “Ishtar,” which Paul laughingly talks about as “My hardest job ever ... to write the “good” bad songs required for this movie.”

Paul is very active on the speakers circuit across the country. He shares stories from his life and career interspersed with some of the classic songs he has written. Actively involved in the Musicians’ Assistance Program and other non-profit rehabilitation organizations, he also lectures frequently for such prestigious groups as Los Angeles Juvenile Court Judges, SOAR (Society of Americans for Recovery), the National Corporation for Substance Abuse Recovery, local chapters of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency, and others from coast to coast. He has appeared on national television talking about the devastating effects of drugs and alcohol, and the rising use of drugs among the nations’ young. He has been presented with the Global Arts Award by the Friendly House for his extensive efforts on their behalf, and the Spirit of Youth Award from the Pacific Boys’ Lodge for his humanitarian efforts and contributions. Paul was also honored to have been asked to join the board of the highly regarded and enormously influential National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. He not only speaks from and of his own experiences, but from the education and knowledge he gained through his studies and certification from UCLA as a licensed drug rehabilitation counselor, a field he is not only active in, but passionate about.

Paul, who was born in Omaha, Nebraska, is happily married to Hilda Keenan Williams, and is the proud father of a son and a daughter from a previous marriage. When not spending family time or working on new songs, Williams is working hard at straightening out his hook on golf courses across the country.

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