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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZWILLIAMS, John (film composer, conductor)(b John Towner Williams, 8 February 1932, Flushing, NY) Conductor, composer of film music. His father Johnny Williams played drums with Raymond Scott in the late 1930s. Young John played jazz piano, recorded for Kapp, RCA, Bethlehem; his studio work led to derivative music for the movies: soundtracks for Jaws '75, Star Wars and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind '77, Superman '79 have been hit albums, followed by Schindler's List, Jurassic Park etc. By c.2000 about eighty film scores had been nominated for 35 Oscars, won five. He succeeded Arthur Fiedler as conductor of the Boston Pops in 1980 (Fiedler d 1979 at age 83; 18 chart LPs 1959-79 included those with Al Hirt, Peter Nero, Chet Atkins, The Duke At Tanglewood '66 with Ellington). Williams's Boston Pops slipped into the top 200 with Pops In Space '80, Swing, Swing, Swing '86, into the top 100 with Summon The Heroes '96 (theme of the Summer Olympics in Atlanta). He left the Pops '93; a CD on Sony '97 included his own bassoon concerto 'The Five Sacred Trees', Alan Hovhaness's 'The Mysterious Mountain' and two other pieces; he has written two symphonies and several concerti. |