Danny Williams ( singer ) - wikipedia Danny Williams ( singer ) Danny Williams ( 7 January 1942 -- 6 December 2005 ) was a British, South African - born pop singer. who earned the nickname, `` Britain 's Johnny Mathis '', for his smooth and stylish way with a ballad. He is best known for singing his UK number 1 version of `` Moon River '' in 1961 and his US top ten hit, `` White on White ''. Contents 1 Career 2 Discography 2.1 Albums 2.2 Singles 2.3 Catalogue 3 References 4 External links Career Born in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa, Williams won a talent contest at the age of 14 and joined a touring show called Golden City Dixies that played throughout South Africa. In 1959, the show came to London where Williams impressed EMI 's Norman Newell, who signed the young singer to a recording contract. He was to spend most of his life in the United Kingdom, where at first he made a few moderately successful singles, mainly popular ballads, before scoring a Number One hit with his cover version of `` Moon River '' in 1961. To this day it remains his most famous record which he re-recorded for a self - titled album `` Danny Williams '', issued in the UK by Contour Records in 1972, and he also scored a No. 8 chart hit with `` The Wonderful World Of The Young '' in April 1962. It led to his appearance in the film Play It Cool ( 1962 ), directed by Michael Winner, and starring Billy Fury as pop singer Billy Universe. In 1963, Williams joined a 20 - city tour which starred Helen Shapiro and featured the Beatles as a support act on the bill ; like many other ballad singers of the day, he was swept away by the new beat group era. Williams had no more major British hits, even though `` White On White '' became popular abroad and was his only US Top Ten hit, charting in 1964 ( # 9 Pop, # 3 MOR ). He continued to record for HMV until 1967 while working the nightclub circuit. In 1968, he had a nervous breakdown and was declared bankrupt two years later. However, he resumed his singing career in the early 1970s, achieving a Top 30 success with `` Dancin ' Easy '' in 1977. In the early 1990s he recorded for Prestige Records and subsequently starred in a Nat `` King '' Cole tribute show which made several British tours. Compilations of his early recordings, including `` Moon River '', have been issued on CD. He died in December 2005 of lung cancer, at the age of 63. Williams was married three times, and is survived by his two daughters ( Natali and Melody Williams ) and two sons, the actor Anthony Barclay and Michael Stewart. Discography Albums ( Record label in parenthesis ) 1962 : Swinging for You ( & Nelson Riddle ) ( HMV ) 1966 : Only Love ( HMV ) 1968 : Danny Williams ( Deram ) 1972 : Danny Williams ( Contour ) 1973 : I 'm A Song - Sing Me ( Philips ) 1975 : To Know You Is to Love You ( Philips ) 1977 : Anytime Anyplace Anywhere ( Philips ) Singles Year Title Position UK 1961 `` We Will Never Be as Young as This Again '' 44 `` The Miracle of You '' 41 `` Moon River '' 1962 `` Jeannie '' 14 `` Wonderful World of the Young '' 8 `` Tears '' 22 1963 `` My Own True Love '' 45 1977 `` Dancin ' Easy '' 30 Catalogue ( Record label in bold ) His Master 's Voice 1959 : Tall a Tree / I Look at You 1959 : So High, So Low / My Own True Love 1960 : Youthful Years / It Does n't Matter 1960 : A Million to One / Call Me a Dreamer 1961 : We Will Never Be as Young as This Again / Passing Breeze 1961 : The Miracle of You / Lonely 1961 : Moon River / A Weaver of Dreams 1962 : Jeannie / It Might as Well Be Spring 1962 : The Wonderful World of the Young / A Kind of Loving 1962 : Tears / Tiara Tahiti 1963 : My Own True Love / Who Can Say ? 1963 : More / Rhapsody 1963 : The Wild Wind / Once Upon a Time 1963 : A Day Without You / Secret Love 1963 : How Do You Keep From Crying ? / Now the Day Is Over 1964 : White on White / After You 1964 : Today / Lonely in a Crowd 1964 : The Seventh Dawn / The World Around Me 1964 : Forget Her, Forget Her / Lollipops and Roses 1965 : The Roundabout Of Love / I Wanna Be Around 1975 : Go Away / Masquerade 1965 : Lovely Is She / Gone and Forgotten 1965 : And So We Meet Again / Violets for Your Furs 1966 : I 've Got to Find That Girl Again / Throw a Little Lovin ' My Way 1966 : Do n't Just Stand There / Now and Then 1966 : Since You Set Me Free, Baby / I Really Do n't Know What Hit Me 1966 : Rain ( Falling from the Skies ) / I 'm So Lost Deram 1967 : Never My Love / Whose Little Girl Are You 1967 : Love Me / When You Were Mine 1968 : Everybody Needs Somebody / They Will Never Understand Ocean 1970 : Fare Ye Well - Separate Ways / A Girl Like You Philips 1973 : I Will Touch You / Words of Romance 1973 : So Begins My Life / Where Is the Love 1974 : Hey Love / Life 's a Roundabout 1974 : Every Night I Cry Myself to Sleep / Natali 1975 : Ebony Eyes / Believe in the Rain Ensign 1977 : Dancin ' Easy / No More Cane 1977 : I Hate Hate / I Hate Hate ( Disco Version ) Piccadilly 1980 : Daddy Write a Letter Soon / Give a Little Bit References ^ Jump up to : Roberts, David ( 2006 ). British Hit Singles & Albums ( 19th ed. ). London : Guinness World Records Limited. p. 603. ISBN 1 - 904994 - 10 - 5. ^ Jump up to : `` Biography by Linda Seida ''. Allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 June 2009. Jump up ^ `` Allmusic ( ( ( Danny Williams > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles ) ) ) ''. External links Dead Rock Stars website entry Danny Williams biography at Allmusic website UK Christmas number - one singles in the 1960s `` I Love You '' ( Cliff Richard & The Shadows, 1960 ) `` Moon River '' ( Danny Williams, 1961 ) `` Return to Sender '' ( Elvis Presley, 1962 ) `` I Want to Hold Your Hand '' ( The Beatles, 1963 ) `` I Feel Fine '' ( The Beatles, 1964 ) `` Day Tripper '' / `` We Can Work It Out '' ( The Beatles, 1965 ) `` Green, Green Grass of Home '' ( Tom Jones, 1966 ) `` Hello, Goodbye '' ( The Beatles, 1967 ) `` Lily the Pink '' ( The Scaffold, 1968 ) `` Two Little Boys '' ( Rolf Harris, 1969 ) Complete list 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s BNE : XX1575991 GND : 134807995 ISNI : 0000 0001 1020 2333 LCCN : n95106122 MusicBrainz : aab7a1d7 - 5461 - 4874 - 8162 - bc127b91da59 VIAF : 87297691 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Danny_Williams_(singer)&oldid=828994760 '' Categories : Christmas number - one singles in the United Kingdom 1942 births 2005 deaths South African male singers South African pop singers South African expatriates in the United Kingdom Black British singers People from Port Elizabeth Deaths from lung cancer Traditional pop music singers 20th - century singers Hidden categories : Wikipedia articles with BNE identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Polski Português Edit links This page was last edited on 6 March 2018, at 00 : 36 ( UTC ). 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Question: who had a number one hit with moon river
Answer: Danny Williams