Roger Williams burst upon the music scene in 1955 when he recorded Autumn Leaves, the only piano instrumental recording to reach #1 on the Billboard singles charts with more than 2 million sold. It has become an American classic and still stands as the greatest-selling piano instrumental recording of all time. 

Known as “Mr. Piano”, Roger Williams went on to receive 21 Gold and Platinum albums. He was the first pianist to receive a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.

Williams was the first pianist Steinway & Sons honored with their “Steinway Lifetime Achievement Award” and was a featured artist in Steinway and Son’s 150th Anniversary at Carnegie Hall. On Roger Williams’ 80th birthday, Steinway presented him with the first art case piano ever built to honor a Steinway artist, known as the “Roger Williams Limited Edition Gold Piano.” Designed in art deco style by Joseph Sidorowicz, the piano “beautifully reflects the spirit and genius of this celebrated pianist.” Lyrics to the first verse of Autumn Leaves decorate the piano’s stunning gold metallic finish perimeter and falling autumn leaves appear between each line of the verse. Inside is an exquisite custom-painted landscape reflecting brilliant colors and hues of autumn foliage.

Over five decades, Williams’ hits charted on Billboard, including Born Free, Impossible Dream, Maria, Lara’s Theme, Till, Near You, Almost Paradise, Two Different Worlds, Nadia’s Theme, and Somewhere in Time.

Over his career, Williams recorded over 100 albums, with 38 hit albums and 22 hit singles.

Roger Williams developed a blend of music inspired by the classics of Chopin, Gershwin, Duke Ellington, and contemporary composers. Music historian, Joseph Lanza recognized Williams for cultivating “a flair for making dramatic sweeps from classical to jazz to country to soft rock-and-roll” establishing him as “the greatest popular pianist in history”.

Roger Williams was born Louis Weertz on October 1, 1924, in Omaha, Nebraska. His family moved to Des Moines, Iowa when he was 1 year old. His father was a Lutheran minister and his mother was a music teacher. Williams began playing the piano when he was 3 years old. He played 13 instruments by age 8 and could play anything by ear. His father was a former professional boxer and taught Williams to box, believing his peers would taunt him as a preacher’s son and musician. As a teen, Williams played piano at Babe's restaurant in Des Moines for $6 a night and all the spaghetti he could eat.  He had his own radio show where he first met the future president, Ronald Reagan, the radio sports announcer then known as, “Dutch Reagan”. In the summers he worked as a guide and lumberjack in the lakes of Minnesota.

Williams enrolled in Drake University to study piano, but was expelled for practicing Smoke Gets In Your Eyes instead of classical music. So he joined the Navy ROTC amid WWII, was assigned officer training, and completed a degree in engineering at Idaho State University. While serving, he was the middleweight boxing champion (winning 22 straight and 14 knockouts), played concerts for the sailors, and was elected the Man-O’-Warsman by his peers which he considered his greatest honor! He re-enrolled at Drake University where he received his master’s degree in music. He studied at the Juilliard School of Music with jazz pianists Teddy Wilson and Lennie Tristano.

In 1951 Williams’ first big breaks came when he won the popular radio contest, “Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts” and in 1952, the television show, “Chance of a Lifetime” hosted by Dennis James, winning $1,000.  In 1954, Williams signed a recording contract with David Kapp of Kapp Records who insisted he take the stage name, Roger Williams (a name he derived from the founder of Rhode Island). Kapp asked Williams to prepare his arrangement of Autumn Leaves with only a weekend to prepare and record at the end of singer Jane Morgan's recording session on Monday. With only 20 minutes left in the session (Kapp didn’t want to pay overtime), they rehearsed the orchestra and only recorded twice. The song's first recording was over the “3-minute radio play limit” so Kapp asked Williams to play the thirds a little faster and the second recording hit the mark at 2:59. Autumn Leaves became a #1 hit for four weeks straight on the charts, selling over 2 million, and remained in the top 40 for over 6 months. Today it remains the greatest-selling piano instrumental recording of all time.

During his career, Williams performed with nearly every major symphony orchestra and at every major venue, including Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and the White House. The latter earned him the title "Pianist to the Presidents", having played for nine chief executives, from Truman to Bush. Williams’ last White House performance was a concert for Laura Bush and the wives of all our foreign ambassadors.

Williams’ accomplishments have been read into the Congressional Record. Doctorates and honors came in volumes and he was included in various Presidential Diaries. His public television specials raised millions for PBS with Pop Goes the Ivories and An Evening with Roger Williams. KOCE-TV filmed at the Nixon Library, officially renaming him the “Pianist to the Presidents”.

On his 75th birthday Williams began performing annual Piano Marathons, playing continually for 12+ hours. Williams could play over 10,000 melodies by ear and played improvised medleys of audience-requested songs. The venues included the Ronald Reagan Library, Richard Nixon Library, and Jimmy Carter Library (where he and President Carter celebrated their mutual 80th birthdays)., Steinway Halls in New York and Scottsdale, and the Musical Instrument Museum in Scottsdale. At his marathons, Williams promoted the return of music education to schools, earning him the “Champion of Youth Award” by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

On February 5, 2011, Williams performed at Ronald Reagan’s Centennial Concert at the Reagan Library. There Williams said he was “playing better than ever,” but a few weeks later he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Williams released his final two new recordings, Roger Williams, The Man They Call ‘Mr.Piano’ and Roger Williams Golden Inspirational Hymns, while on chemotherapy and he performed his last concert in Palm Desert, California, March 20, 2011. Only seven months after his diagnosis, on October 8, 2011, a week after his 87th birthday, Roger Williams succumbed to his illness.

Roger Williams was one of the most treasured American music legends. His nickname, "Mr. Piano," reflects his mastery and significant contributions to piano music. As one of the most beloved and respected figures in American music history, his timeless music will continue to be cherished for generations.