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The Gentle Giant of Country returns - Don Williams announces 2012 UK and Ireland tour

Posted: 12 years ago

If you, or someone you know, still enjoys the country-music '70s heyday of Charlie Rich, Jim Reeves, Glen Campbell and Dolly Parton, you might well be partial to the baritone style of Don Williams, otherwise known as the 'Gentle Giant of Country'.

Williams represented the less traditional side of country, opting for an easy-going style and approachable delivery, with a career spanning almost 40 years. In the States he has, not surprisingly struck a chord, with hit after hit, album after album, sometimes as many as two long-players a year. Prolific, he certainly was.

In the UK, however, Williams rarely troubled the singles charts, instead becoming a staple of every music-counter in Woolworths and John Menzies (or so it seemed at the time) and the playlist on pre-Paul Weller Radio 2. His most familiar signature tune is "I Recall a Gypsy Woman", a song so laid-back, it's positively horizontal. If Cafe del Mar bars decided to play country-music songs (probably out of irony), they'd surely include this chilled-out classic.

News of a UK tour will certainly please his following, particularly as he has chosen to cover more than just the usual big cities. He will play Ireland beforehand with shows confirmed for Killkenny on 19th April, Castlebar (20th), Belfast (21st) and Dublin (22nd), before crossing the sea to Liverpool on the 24th. Rare shows in Gateshead, Ipswich and Southend also feature in his busy schedule, with a Hammersmith Apollo show booked for 4th May.

We will have tickets for all dates from Friday 30th September at 9am.

Paul Pledger