Lawton Williams

Biography

Songwriter Lawton Williams remains to be best remembered for Bobby Helms’ “Fraulein,” a crossover smash that topped the united states charts within the springtime of 1957. Delivered July 24, 1922, in Troy, TN, Williams was the kid of the sharecropper who moonlighted being a fiddle participant with regional string rings. A devout enthusiast of radio’s Grand Ole Opry, he worshiped Roy Acuff and Gene Autry, so when a teen trained himself electric guitar. While stationed in Houston during Globe Battle II, Williams befriended nation vocalist Floyd Tillman, whose understanding and advice had been instrumental in nurturing his latent songwriting abilities. Williams also started executing, and in the past due ’40s cut a small number of little-noticed singles for brands including Sultan and Lot of money. He spent a lot of the 10 years to check out co-starring on Dallas radio place KRLD’s renowned Big D Jamboree, with unheralded stints on brands including Four Superstar, Coral, and Imperial. “Fraulein,” created pursuing Williams’ ill-fated engagement to “just a little blonde-headed German female that [he] acquired met during Globe Battle II,” not merely launched his profession but rocketed Helms to nationwide stardom, topping the united states graphs for four consecutive weeks and getting Country Tune of the entire year honors on the 1957 Billboard and Cashbox Honours. A sequel, “Geisha Female,” hit number 4 for Hank Locklin, and in 1958 “Color of the Blues” demonstrated a big success for co-writer George Jones. Williams also continuing recording being a single act, signing towards the Fort Worth-based Le Costs label for 1960’s “Mama Doll.” His simple, defiantly traditional nation approach fared badly within the post-rockabilly period, however, and beyond the 1963 novelty “Everything’s Fine in the LBJ,” cut throughout a short tenure with RCA Victor, he continued to be a stranger to radio. Williams’ music continued enjoying achievement via other performers, nevertheless, and in 1962 Bobby Bare have scored with “Pity on Me,” implemented a year afterwards by Jim Reeves’ “Señor Santa Claus” — various other compositions of be aware consist of Gene Watson’s “Farewell Party” and Locklin’s “Paper Encounter.” Within the fall months of his existence, Williams founded his personal label, TIMA, and in 2003 released the LP Mending Fences. He also reunited with Tillman to record the traditional “It Simply Tears Me Up” for the Tillman tribute LP The Impact. Williams passed away of respiratory disease on July 26, 2007, simply two times after his 85th birthday.

Quick Facts