Above photos from top to bottom. 1. Paul Williams with the Muppets. He wrote their song "The Rainbow Connection". 2. A current photo of Paul Williams. 3. Paul Williams in "Smokey and the Bandit 3" as Little Enos Burdette.
Watching the Grammys can make one feel old if you're not under 30. There is such an emphasis on youth, and the artists who are currently at the top of the charts. But, they had some of the "old folks" on this year's show. I saw Chicago, Carole King, Willie Nelson, Paul McCartney, Steven Tyler, and more. Paul Williams won a Grammy for his work with the electronic group Daft Punk. Who is Paul Williams? In the 1970's and 1980's he had a fair amount of notoriety. He appeared in the "Smokey and the Bandit" films, he was in "Planet of the Apes" and he was a regular guest on Carson's Tonight Show. He also had hits writing for "The Muppet Movie", "A Star is Born", The Carpenters, Three Dog Night and more. He wrote the lyrics for the theme song to "The Love Boat." Williams is a member of the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. He is candid about his battles with addictions but he has come out the other side, with an attitude of gratitude. He has been sober for 23 years. He is the head of the music publishing organization, ASCAP. A documentary was recently released about his life called "Still Alive." Anyway, it was nice to see an "old guy" (age 73) get some attention on the Grammy show. Check out his website here.
Information from www.paulwilliamsofficial.com and en.wikipedia.org.
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