The "gentle giant" Don Williams, the 75-year-old consummate country performer, has announced a new tour for 2015. With his easy-going style and laid-back nature, he is one of country music's most beloved performers.

Williams first came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the folk group The Pozo-Seco Singers. The trio recorded several hit records, with the biggest being Time. By 1971, Williams had gone solo and had signed a publishing deal with Jack Clement. The Hall of Fame producer was so taken with Williams' style that he offered him a recording contract with his JMI Records in 1972. Early hits included “Atta Way To Go” and “Come Early Morning,” as well as “We Should Be Together,” which became his first Billboard top 10 hit from 1974. He then moved to ABC / Dot (Later MCA), where the hits increased. Tracks such as “Rake and Ramblin’ Man,” “Tulsa Time” and “Nobody But You” helped to make him one of the most-played artists on country radio in the 1970s and 1980s. He took home the Male Vocalist of the Year trophy from the Country Music Association in 1978, and notched his biggest hit in 1981 with “I Believe In You,” which also crossed over to the top-30 on the Hot 100.

Subsequent moves to Capitol Nashville and RCA kept Williams on the charts into the 1990s, as he continued to play for huge crowds on the road. His success in the United States is well-documented, but the music of Don Williams has made him an international star – with followings in such places as England and New Zealand. He has placed 52 singles in the top-40 on the country charts in the United States, with 17 going all the way to the top spot. Williams was a member of the Grand Ole Opry in the 1980s, and appeared in the films W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings and Smokey & The Bandit II with Burt Reynolds.

His only Minnesota date on the new tour is expected to be May 19 at Grand Casino in Onamia. Get complete info at www.Don-Williams.com.

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