The Society of Singers Presents 17th Annual ELLA Award to Andy Williams

The Society of Singers Presents 17th Annual ELLA Award to Andy Williams

SHERMAN OAKS, Calif., Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Andy Williams, one of the world's most beloved singers, has been named the recipient of the 17th Annual ELLA Award by the Society of Singers (SOS). The announcement was made by Jerry F. Sharell, the president and CEO of SOS, a non-profit organization that offers comprehensive services to meet the emergency financial needs of professional singers worldwide. Named after its first recipient, Ella Fitzgerald, the ELLA Award is given to singers whose significant musical accomplishments are equaled by their dedication to charitable and humanitarian causes both local and international.

"Andy Williams makes it look and sound easy, but behind that smooth voice and easy charm is one of the most accomplished and skilled singers in pop music," says Sharell. Williams, whose voice was once dubbed "a national treasure" by Ronald Reagan, has enjoyed more than two dozen Top 40 hits over the years, along with eighteen gold and three platinum albums and a top-rated television show that ran for close to a decade and helped launch the careers of such artists as the Osmonds and Ray Stevens. His signature song remains Henry Mancini's "Moon River," and his top-selling worldwide record is "Where Do I Begin" from the film Love Story. Almost 70 years after he began performing as a young boy, he is still singing regularly at his own Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri.

The honor will be presented to Williams at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on May 19, 2008. Previous recipients of the ELLA Award, besides Ms. Fitzgerald herself, include Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Lena Horne, Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, Placido Domingo, Celine Dion and Elton John.

The Society of Singers was founded in 1984 by Chairman Emeritus Ginny (Mrs. Henry) Mancini and Gilda Maiken Anderson when the two friends, both of them former professional singers, realized that many of their friends and colleagues were without pensions, unions, medical insurance or places to turn for financial help during tough times. SOS aids professional singers of all ages, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds and offers scholarship programs designed to advance the vocal arts.

For more information about the Society of Singers, please consult http://www.singers.org/ or call (818) 995-7100.

Contact:
Jane Ayer/Irene Dean
Jane Ayer Public Relations
310-315-4881
jane@janeayerpr.comhttp://www.janeayerpr.com/

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Society of Singers

CONTACT: Jane Ayer, or Irene Dean, +1-310-315-4881, jane@janeayerpr.com,
both of Jane Ayer Public Relations

Web site:

http://www.janeayerpr.com/

-------
Profile: intent