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Born May 27, 1939 in Floydada, Texas, Williams was one of the biggest country music stars of the 1970s. He was a leading proponent of the countrypolitan sound, which was a conscious attempt to crossover to the Pop charts; he made it seem like an absolutely natural progression. Possessed of a resonant, unaffected voice, his singing seemed as natural as mellow conversation. Although he started recording in the mid-'60s, his career took off in '74 with his first number one hit "I Wouldn't Want to Live If You Didn't Love Me," which was only the beginning of a hit-recording streak that would last the next sixteen years. Although he slowed down considerably during the '90s, the quality of his work has not diminished. Throughout his career, Williams has been a friend and champion of songwriters, unafraid to tackle material that was offbeat or outside mainstream country. It didn't matter to him if a song was written by cult favorite John Prine or the legendary rock team Mick Jagger and Keith Richards; if Williams liked a tune, he recorded it.
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