{{Short description|Cook Island-born New Zealand pop singer}} {{for multi|the Jamaican-American gymnast|Toni-Ann Williams|other people with similar names|Tony Williams (disambiguation){{!}}Tony Williams}} {{redirect|Antoni Williams|other people with similar names|Anthony Williams (disambiguation){{!}}Anthony Williams}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=October 2016}} [[File:Toni Williams MNZM (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Williams in 2010]] '''Henry Anthony Williams''' {{post-nominals|country=NZL|MNZM|size=85%}} (28 May 1939 – 1 October 2016), known professionally as '''Toni Williams''' or '''Antoni Williams''', was a [[Cook Islands|Cook Island]]-born New Zealand pop singer, who began singing at the Gandhi Hall in Auckland City where he became a local sensation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.audioculture.co.nz/people/toni-williams|title=Toni Williams |publisher=AudioCulture|date=3 July 2013|first=Chris|last=Bourke}}</ref>
==Background== Born Henry Anthony Williams<ref name="Rockhappenz">Rockhappenz [http://www.rockhappenz.com/toni_williams.html ''Toni Williams MNZM'']</ref> on 28 May 1939,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/search/search?path=%2FqueryEntry.m%3Ftype%3Ddeaths |title=Death Search: registration number 2016/26779 |website=Births, deaths & marriages online |publisher=Department of Internal Affairs |accessdate=8 June 2019}}</ref> in Parekura in the [[Avarua]] District of [[Rarotonga]], he was the son of a doctor.<ref name="Cook Islands News 2010">{{cite news | url=http://www.cookislandsnews.com/item/25773-tony-still-singing-strong/25773-tony-still-singing-strong | title=Tony still singing strong | date=22 October 2010 | work=Cook Islands News | accessdate=2 October 2016 | first=Rachel | last=Reeves}}</ref> Owing to his father's being employed by the New Zealand government, Williams' childhood was taken up by moving between Rarotonga and the outer Cook Islands. He moved to [[Auckland]] in 1950 at the age of 11 for schooling. As a youngster he injured himself playing football. With a hip condition as a result, he stayed at the Wilson Home for Crippled Children for a period of time.<ref name="Cook Islands News 2010"/>
==Career== Williams cited his interest in the guitar and singing as coming from spending 13 months in hospital as a result of a football accident.<ref name="Rockhappenz"/> Not long after his hospitalisation, Williams formed the Housewarmers, which was a little group that performed at small family events. Two years later, the band by Williams' direction became Toni Williams and The Tremellos. After that things started happening, and he toured New Zealand under the promoter Harry M. Miller.<ref name="Cook Islands News 2010"/>
In 1960 his single, "Cradle Of Love" bw "Brush Those Tears From Your Eyes" was released on the La Gloria label. Also that same year, "[[Let the Little Girl Dance]]" bw "In A Mansion Stands My Love", and "Endlessly"/"Is A Bluebird Blue" were released by La Gloria.<ref name="45cat">45cat [https://www.45cat.com/artist/toni-williams/all Toni Williams discography], 45cat.com; accessed October 3, 2016.</ref> Williams toured with the [[Howard Morrison Quartet]], and in 1965 he married the Miss Canterbury beauty pageant winner. <ref name="Cook Islands News 2010"/>
In 1972, his single "Tellabout" (composed by [[Tony McCarthy (producer)|Tony McCarthy]]), was an [[APRA Awards (New Zealand)|APRA Silver Scroll]]-nominated song.<ref>[http://www.audioculture.co.nz/scenes/apra-silver-scroll-nominated-songs-1965-1976 APRA Silver Scroll nominated songs 1965-1976], audioculture.co.nz, 30 December 2015.</ref>
In the [[2010 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)|2010 Queen's Birthday Honours]], Williams was appointed a [[New Zealand Order of Merit|Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit]] for services to entertainment<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/queens-birthday-honours-list-2010 |title=Queen's Birthday honours list 2010 |date=7 June 2010 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |accessdate=10 October 2018}}</ref>
==Death== Williams died in [[Christchurch]] on 1 October 2016, aged 77.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/kiwi-entertainer-tony-williams-dies-at-77-2016100214|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003163645/http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/kiwi-entertainer-tony-williams-dies-at-77-2016100214|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 October 2016|title=Kiwi entertainer Tony Williams dies at 77|date=2 October 2016|author=Stewart Sowman-Lund|accessdate=3 October 2016}}</ref>
==Singles== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" |+ NZ Singles |- ! scope="col" | Name ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Release info ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |- ! scope="row" | Toni Williams | ""Cradle Of Love" / "Brush Those Tears From Your Eyes | [[La Gloria (record label)|La Gloria]] G.S.P.-012 | 1960 | |- ! scope="row" | Toni Williams | "[[Let the Little Girl Dance]]" / "In A Mansion Stands My Love" | La Gloria GSP-021 | 1960 | |- ! scope="row" | Toni Williams | " Endlessly" / "Is A Bluebird Blue" | La Gloria GSP-023 | 1960 | |- ! scope="row" | Toni Williams | "Look Over The Hill" / "Down The River Of Golden Dreams" | La Gloria GSP-030 | 1961 | |- ! scope="row" | Toni Williams | "[[Little Boy Sad]]" / "The Search Is Over" | La Gloria GSP-035 | 1961 | |- ! scope="row" | Toni Williams | "Runnin' Scared" / "Monsoon" | La Gloria GSP-039 | 1961 | |- ! scope="row" | Toni Williams | "Angel Of Love" / "I'm Tired Of The Rain" | La Gloria GSP-044 | 1961 | |- ! scope="row" | Toni Williams | "You Are My Sunshine" / "[[Love Came to Me]]" | [[Viking Records|Viking]] 112 | 1962 | |- ! scope="row" | Antoni Williams | "[[Twistin' the Night Away]]" / "Think Twice" | La Gloria GSP-052 | 1962 | |- ! scope="row" | Antoni Williams | "Harbour Lights" / "Daddy's Little Boy" | La Gloria GSP-057 | 1962 | |- ! scope="row" | Antoni Williams | "How Many Nights, How Many Days" / "For The First Time In My Life" | La Gloria GSP058 | 1962 | |- ! scope="row" | Antoni Williams | "Handsome Guy" / "For The First Time In My Life" | La Gloria GSP058 | 1962 | |- ! scope="row" | Antoni Williams | "Handsome Guy" / "Amor" | La Gloria GSP-059 | 1962 | |- ! scope="row" | Antoni Williams | "Remember You" / "Dance On Little Girl" | La Gloria GSP-064 | 1962 | |- ! scope="row" | Antoni Williams | "Ole Man M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-" / "Couldn't That Just Tear Your Heart Out" | La Gloria GSP-075 | 1963 | |- ! scope="row" | Tony Williams | "If You Lose Her" / "It's Alright Now" | [[Sunshine Records (Australia)|Sunshine QK-1728]] | 1967 | |- ! scope="row" | Toni Williams | "There's No Limit" / "[[The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp]]" | [[Zodiac Records (New Zealand)|Zodiac]] 45-1340 | 1968 | |- ! scope="row" | Toni Williams | "Sad, Lonely And Blue" / "[[Please Send Me Someone To Love]]" | Zodiac Z45/1334 | 1968 | |- ! scope="row" | Toni Williams | "[[I'll Be Your Baby Tonight]]" / "[[Ten Guitars]]" | Zodiac Z45-1341 | 1969 | |- ! scope="row" | Toni Williams | "Dominating Man" / "Beautiful Smile" | Zodiac Z 451347 | 1969 | |- ! scope="row" | Toni Williams | "Patterns Of Sunlight" / "Walking In The Sand" | Zodiac Z 1361 | 1970 | |- ! scope="row" | Tony Williams | "I Love My Children" / "You're Not The Crying Kind" | Zodiac Z/1348 | 1970 | |- ! scope="row" | Toni Williams | "Tying The Pieces Together" / "(There'll Come A Day When) Ev'ry Little Bit Hurts" | Zodiac Z 1377 | 1972 | |- ! scope="row" | Toni Williams | "[[Rose (Can I Share A Bed With You?)]]" / "Poor Man's Blues" | [[Interfusion (record label)|Interfusion]] K 78 | 1976 | [#11 NZ] |- ! scope="row" | Tony Williams | "Rose (Can I Share A Bed With You?)" / "Poor Man's Blues" | [[Festival Records|Festival]] K-78 | 1977 | |- ! scope="row" | Toni Williams | "[[The One I Sing My Love Songs To]]" / "Amanda" | Festival K 79 | 1977 | [#7 NZ] |- ! scope="row" | Toni Williams | "Don't Let Me Know" / "She's In Love With A Rodeo Man" | Festival K 86 | 1977 | |- |} <ref name="45cat"/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{discogs artist}} *{{Allmusic|artist/toni-williams-mn0001385209}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Toni}} [[Category:1939 births]] [[Category:2016 deaths]] [[Category:People from Rarotonga]] [[Category:Cook Island emigrants to New Zealand]] [[Category:New Zealand pop singers]] [[Category:Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit]]
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