Mason Williams
| Mason Williams | |
|---|---|
Williams in 1969.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mason Douglas Williams |
| Born |
August 24, 1938 Abilene, Texas, United States |
| Genres | Easy listening, classical, bluegrass, folk |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, songwriter, writer, poet, photographer |
| Instruments | 12-string guitar, banjo, classical guitar |
| Years active | 1958–present |
| Labels | American Gramaphone, Everest, Flying Fish, Olympic, Real Music, Skookum, Vanguard, Vee-Jay, Warner Bros., WEA |
| Website | masonwilliams-online |
Mason Douglas Williams (born August 24, 1938) is an American guitarist and composer, best known for his instrumental "Classical Gas". He is also a comedy writer, known for his writing on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and Saturday Night Live. He is also an eclectic poet and lyricist who has published several books.
Mason Douglas Williams was born in Abilene, Texas; son of Jackson Eugene (a tile setter) and Kathlyn (Nations) Williams; married Sheila Ann Massey, April 22, 1961 (divorced); children: Kathryn Michelle.
Williams grew up dividing his time between living with his father in Oklahoma and his mother in Oakridge, Oregon. He graduated from Northwest Classen High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1956. It was in Oklahoma that he began his lifelong friendship with artist Edward Ruscha.
Williams attended Oklahoma City University (1957–60) and North Texas State University for one semester. Military Service: U.S. Navy, 1961–63.
Married Katherine Elizabeth Kahn in February, 1994, after first planning to marry in 1971; divorced after ten years.
He lived for a time in Oakridge, and as of 2008 he has lived in Eugene, Oregon, with his Canadian-born wife, Karen, who is an attorney.
In 1968 Williams won three Grammy Awards for his guitar instrumental "Classical Gas". Together with Nancy Ames he wrote "Cinderella Rockefella", a 1968 number one hit for Esther and Abi Ofarim in the United Kingdom.
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