Smorgasbord Music Column – William Price King with The Duet – #1970s – 1970 – Simon and Garfunkel – Bridge Over Trouble Water , Bobbie Gentry & Glen Campbell

In this series for 2024, William will be sharing some of the iconic duets from the 1960s onwards. Collaborations between artists that were hits around the world and are still enjoyed today.

Thanks for joining me today and I hope you will enjoy this trip down memory lane with me in coming months. William

1970 – Simon and Garfunkel – Bridge Over Trouble Water

“Bridge Over Trouble Water” was the second single from their fifth studio album. It was composed by Paul Simon with lead vocals by Art Garfunkel and a piano accompaniment influenced by gospel music. The song won five Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It became their most successful single.

It topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks, and was the #1 song on Billboard’s Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1970. It also peaked at #1 in the UK, Canada, France and New Zealand. It reached the top five in eight other countries, eventually selling over six million copies worldwide. It became one of the most performed songs of the 20th century, covered by over 50 artists and is ranked #66 on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”

1970 – Bobbie Gentry & Glen Campbell – All I Have To Do Is Dream

“All I Have To Do Is Dream,” written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant in 1958, was made famous by the Everly Brothers.

Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell covered the song and hit the charts in 1970 with their version peaking at #27 on the Billboard Hot 100, #6 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles, and #4 on its Easy Listening chart. It also reached #3 in the UK, #6 in Sweden, and #3 in South Africa.

The song is ranked #141 on the Rolling Stone magazine’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Thanks for joining me today and look forward to hearing from you… William.

William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.

His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.

While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.

Website: William Price King – Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial – Regular Venue – Cave Wilson