Throughout his illustrious career in the country genre, Williams had secured 17 No. 1 singles, which include such songs as “Tulsa Time,” “Good Ole Boys Like Me,” “Lord, I Hope This Day is Good” and “Some Broken Hearts Never Mend”; moreover, 22 additional radio singles went to the Top 5 on the Billboard charts. (Country songstress Lee Ann Womack covered “Lord, I Hope This Day is Good” for her I Hope You Dance album).
His final Top 10 radio single, “Lord Have Mercy on a Country Boy” reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Airplay charts in 1991. It has been covered by neo-traditionalist Josh Turner on his sophomore studio album, Your Man.
Williams was affectionately known as “The Gentle Giant” in the country genre thanks to his trademark mellow, baritone voice and height (at six feet one) by listeners, fans and the media. In 1978, he was crowned “Male Vocalist of the Year” by the Country Music Association (CMA). In 2010, Williams was bestowed the highest honor in the country music business, an induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
His 2012 collaboration with country and bluegrass sensation Alison Krauss garnered them a Grammy nomination for “Best Country Duo/Group Performance” for “I Just Come Here for the Music.”
In 2016, the crooner retired from the country music industry, leaving back an impressive body of musical work. The arrangements for his funeral are pending.
