View source for John Williams (guitarist)

{{Short description|Australian guitarist (born 1941)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{About|the guitarist|other people named John Williams|John Williams (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = John Williams
| honorific_suffix  = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AO}} {{post-nominals|country=GBR|OBE}}
| image             = Guitarist John Williams in performance (Cordoba, 1986).jpg
| caption           = Williams in concert in Córdoba, 1986
| birth_name        = John Christopher Williams
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1941|4|24}}
| birth_place       = [[Melbourne]], Australia
| alias             = 
| genre             = [[Rock music|Rock]], [[Classical rock]], [[progressive rock]]
| occupation        = Guitarist, arranger, composer
| years_active      = 1958–present
| associated_acts   = [[Sky (English/Australian band)|Sky]]
| label             = [[Sony Classical]]/SME
| module            = {{Infobox person
| embed               = yes 
| parents             = Len Williams and Melaan (''née'' Ah Ket)
| children            = 2, including [[Kate Williams (pianist)|Kate Williams]]
| relatives           = [[William Ah Ket]] (grandfather)
| spouse              = {{married|Kathy Panama|2000}}
}}
}}

'''John Christopher Williams''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AO}} {{post-nominals|country=GBR|OBE}} (born 24 April 1941) is British guitarist, particularly of ensemble playing as well as interpretation and promotion of the modern classical guitar repertoire. In 1973, he shared a [[Grammy Award]] in the [[Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance|Best Chamber Music Performance]] category with fellow guitarist [[Julian Bream]] for ''Together'' (released in the US as ''Julian and John (Works by Lawes, Carulli, Albéniz, Granados)'').<ref>{{cite web | url=http://musicalworld.com/artists/julian-bream/reviews.html | title=Music World | access-date=11 January 2014 | archive-date=11 January 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111094648/http://musicalworld.com/artists/julian-bream/reviews.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> Guitar historian Graham Wade has said that "John is perhaps the most technically accomplished guitarist the world has seen."<ref>Dalya Alberge, [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/oct/14/john-williams-accuses-segovia-snob "John Williams says guitar maestro Andrés Segovia bullied students and stifled their creativity"], ''The Observer'', 14 October 2012.</ref>

== Early life ==
John Williams is an only child who was born on 24 April 1941 in [[Melbourne]] to an English father, Len Williams, who bought John, at age four, his first guitar with a modified neck.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 April 2021 |title=John Williams at 80 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/classic/programs/legends/legends-john-williams-at-80/13302750 |access-date=10 August 2022 |website=ABC Classic |language=en-AU}}</ref> Len would later found the Spanish Guitar Centre in [[London]], England. John's mother Melaan (''née'' Ah Ket) was the daughter of [[William Ah Ket]], the first Australian barrister of Chinese heritage. In 1952, the family moved to England, where John attended [[Friern Barnet Grammar School]], London.<ref>''The International Who's Who: 1984/85'', 2004.</ref> 

Williams was initially taught guitar by his father, who was a musically disciplined and accomplished classical guitarist.<ref>Paul Vernon Chester, Manouche Maestro: [http://www.paulvernonchester.com/LenWiilliams.htm "Leonard Williams Guitarist – Journalist – Zoo Keeper and father of John Williams"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20131101195004/http://www.paulvernonchester.com/LenWiilliams.htm |date=1 November 2013 }}. Retrieved 1 November 2013.</ref> From the age of 11, Williams attended summer courses with [[Andrés Segovia]] at the [[Accademia Musicale Chigiana]] in [[Siena]], Italy. He attended the [[Royal College of Music]] in London, from 1956 to 1959, studying piano because the college did not have a guitar section. In 1958, when he was 17 years old, he made his musical debut performing publicly at London's [[Wigmore Hall]]. Upon graduating from his college, he was invited to create and then to run their guitar department for its first two years of life. Williams maintains links with the college (and also with the [[Royal Northern College of Music]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://plum.cream.org/williams/biography.htm|title=John Williams, Guitar: Biography 1940s, 1950s, 1960s|work=cream.org|access-date=10 November 2015}}</ref> in [[Manchester]]).

== Classical guitarist ==
Since his first professional performance at the [[Wigmore Hall]] in [[London]] on 6 November 1958, Williams has performed throughout the world and has made regular appearances on radio and TV. He has extended the repertoire by commissioning guitar concertos from composers such as [[Peter Sculthorpe]], [[Stephen Dodgson]], [[André Previn]], [[Patrick Gowers]], [[Richard Harvey (composer)|Richard Harvey]], and [[Steve Gray (musician)|Steve Gray]]. Williams has recorded albums of duets with fellow guitarists [[Julian Bream]] and [[Paco Peña]].

Williams is a visiting professor and honorary member of the [[Royal Academy of Music]]<ref>{{cite web | title=Guitar staff | url=http://www.ram.ac.uk/find-people?pid=225 | publisher=Royal Academy of Music | access-date=11 December 2010}}</ref> in London.

Williams mostly uses [[Greg Smallman]] guitars, after using Spanish [[Ignacio Fleta|Fleta]] during the 1970s.<ref>Joel McIver, "Classical Mover", [http://www.acousticmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=38&Itemid=48 ''Acoustic magazine''.]</ref>

== Thoughts on guitar education and teaching ==
Williams has expressed his frustration and concern with guitar education and teaching,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guitarteacher.com.au/johnwilliams.htm |title=John Williams Interview with Austin Prichard-Levy |work=The Twang Box Dynasty |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825045035/http://www.guitarteacher.com.au/johnwilliams.htm |archive-date=25 August 2007 }}</ref> that it is too one-sided, i.e., focusing only on solo playing, instead of giving guitar students a better education, including ensemble playing, sight-reading and a focus on phrasing and tone production and variation. Williams notes that "students [are] preoccupied with fingerings and not notes, much less sounds"; some are able "to play [...] difficult solo works from memory", but "have a very poor sense of ensemble [playing] or timing". He notes that students play works from the solo repertoire that are often too difficult, so that the teachers often put more "emphasis [...] on getting through the notes rather than playing the real substance of each note". To encourage phrasing, tone production and all-around musicianship, Williams arranges for students to play together in ensembles, choosing works from the existing classical music repertoire, such as the "easier [[Joseph Haydn|Haydn]] String Quartets".

== Other musical genres ==
Although Williams is best known as a performing classical guitarist, he has explored many different musical genres, as well as being a composer and arranger. 

Williams is perhaps best known to the general public for his recording of the [[Stanley Myers]] piece "[[Cavatina (Myers)|Cavatina]]". The piece originally included only the first few bars of the tune as it is known today, but at Williams' request Myers rewrote and expanded it into the better-known guitar arrangement. After this transformation, it was used for a film, ''[[The Walking Stick]]'', in 1970. In 1973, [[Cleo Laine]] wrote lyrics and recorded it as the song "He Was Beautiful" accompanied by Williams. The guitar instrumental version became a worldwide hit single when it was used as the theme tune to the [[Academy Awards|Oscar]]-winning film ''[[The Deer Hunter]]'' (1978).

Between 1978 and 1984, Williams was a member of the instrumental fusion group [[Sky (English/Australian band)|Sky]], with whom he recorded six successful albums and scored a UK Top Five single with "Toccata". At the invitation of producer [[Martin Lewis (humorist)|Martin Lewis]], he created a highly acclaimed classical-rock fusion duet with rock guitarist [[Pete Townshend]] of [[The Who]] on Townshend's anthemic "[[Won't Get Fooled Again]]" for the 1979 [[Amnesty International]] benefit show ''[[The Secret Policeman's Ball (1979)|The Secret Policeman's Ball]]''. The duet featured on the resulting album and the film version of the show, bringing Williams to the broader attention of the rock audience.

== Personal life ==
Williams and his third wife, artist Kathy Panama (whom he married on New Year's Eve 2000),<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v_etAwAAQBAJ&q=%22kathy+panama%22+wife+john+williams&pg=PT183|title=Strings Attached: The Life and Music of John Williams|first=William|last=Starling|publisher=Biteback Publishing|date=2012|isbn=978-1-84954-478-8}}</ref> have residences in London ([[Hampstead]]) and [[Cornwall]]. He has a daughter, [[Kate Williams (pianist)|Kate Williams]], who is an established jazz pianist.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kate-williams-quartet.com/|title=Homepage|work=kate-williams-quartet.com|access-date=10 November 2015}}</ref> He also has a son, Charlie, by his second wife, the television presenter [[Sue Cook]].

== Discography ==
{{Main|John Christopher Williams discography}}

== Awards and recognitions ==
Williams was appointed an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in 1980,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=48212|supp=y|page=12|date=14 June 1980}}</ref> and an [[Officer of the Order of Australia]] (AO) in the [[1987 Australia Day Honours]], "For service to music".<ref name=AO1>{{cite web |title=Mr John Christopher WILLIAMS, OBE |url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/870220 |website=Australian Honours Search Facility |publisher=Australian Government, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |accessdate=12 February 2021}}</ref><ref name=AO2>{{cite web |title=Commonwealth of Australia Gazette Special No. S 10, Monday, 26 January 1987, page 2 |url=http://old.gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/honours/aaagazattes/1983-1993/Order%20of%20Australia%20-%20Australia%20Day%201987%20(AD87)%20-%20Gazette%20S10.pdf |website=Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia (old website) |publisher=Commonwealth of Australia |accessdate=12 February 2021 |archive-date=12 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312185651/http://old.gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/honours/aaagazattes/1983-1993/Order%20of%20Australia%20-%20Australia%20Day%201987%20(AD87)%20-%20Gazette%20S10.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Bernard Heinze Memorial Award===
The [[Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award]] is given to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to music in Australia.

{{awards table}}
|-
| 2013 || John Williams|| Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award || {{yes2|awarded}} 
|-
{{end}}

===Brit Awards===
{{awards table}}
|-
| 1983 || John Williams for ''Portrait of John Williams'' || Best Classical Recording || {{won}} 
|-
{{end}}

===Brit Awards===
{{awards table}}
! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
| 2012 || [[British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors]] || BASCA Gold Badge Award|| {{won}} ||<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.m-magazine.co.uk/features/gold-badge-awards-2012-in-pictures/|title=Gold Badge Awards 2012 in pictures – M Magazine|date=23 October 2012|work=M magazine: PRS for Music online magazine|access-date=19 January 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=7 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200107185216/https://www.m-magazine.co.uk/features/gold-badge-awards-2012-in-pictures/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
{{end}}

===Edison Classical Music Awards===
{{awards table}}
! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
| 2007 || John Williams || Oeuvreprijs || {{yes2|awarded}}
|-
{{end}}

===Grammy Awards===
{{awards table}}
|-
| [[Grammy Awards of 1973|1973]] || Julian Bream & John Christopher Williams for ''Julian and John'' (Works by [[Henry Lawes|Lawes]], [[Ferdinando Carulli|Carulli]], [[Isaac Albéniz|Albéniz]], [[Enrique Granados|Granados]]) || [[Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance]] || {{won}} 
|-
{{end}}

== Further reading ==
* Michael O'Toole, [https://arrow.tudublin.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1088&context=appadoc "John Williams: An Evaluation of his Impact Upon the Culture of the Classical Guitar"]. Doctoral thesis, Technological University Dublin, 2018. doi:10.21427/D70129
* [https://www.innerviews.org/inner/john-williams/ Interview (2024)], by Anil Prasad
* [http://www.paulmagnussen.com/john-williams-interview.html Interview (1983)], by Paul Magnussen

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{discogs artist|John Williams (7)}}
* {{imdb name|0930932}}

{{Sky (band)}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, John}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Australian classical guitarists]]
[[Category:Australian male guitarists]]
[[Category:Musicians from London]]
[[Category:Musicians from Melbourne]]
[[Category:Australian emigrants to England]]
[[Category:Australian expatriates in England]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal College of Music]]
[[Category:Academics of the Royal College of Music]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Academics of the Royal Academy of Music]]
[[Category:Honorary members of the Royal Academy of Music]]
[[Category:People educated at Friern Barnet Grammar School]]
[[Category:Fly Records artists]]
[[Category:Sony Classical Records artists]]
[[Category:Australian people of English descent]]
[[Category:Australian people of Chinese descent]]
[[Category:Sky (English/Australian band) members]]
[[Category:Accademia Musicale Chigiana alumni]]