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Show Great pianist at VMH next weekend Roger Williams, great pianist pian-ist with more than a touch of ham in him, will be at Valley Music Hall, Oct. 7 and 8. He's proud of the title "Mr. Piano" which he won by playing play-ing concerts all over the world and selling over 10 million recordings re-cordings more than all other living pianists combined. His "Born Free" and "Theme from Dr. Zhivago" are currently at the top of the popularity polls. Smash his Steinway while moving it on stage in Washington Wash-ington D. C. and he'll wait for an ancient piano to be moved from the basement and tuned on stage, then play one of the finest concerts of his career. Rain him out in an open air concert and he'll move, piano and all, to the nearest shelter and play til midnight for anyone any-one who will stay to listen. He even played the piano at his own wedding! Actually, it's ' ten percent ham and 90 per cent determination. determi-nation. It's the same determination that drives him to practice eight hours a day, every day. The determination thaat saved his career when his hand was smashed in an accident during his World War II Navy career. A heavy cannon breech snapped snap-ped back as he was loading a shell and the Navy surgeon told him a finger would have to be amputated. He pleaded until the surgeon agreed to try to save it, then exercised and massaged his hand for months until it was restored to full use. His determination also carried car-ried him through the lean years when he and his wife shared a one room flat with a grand piano while he studied music at the Julliard School of Music in New York. "We stuffed the piano with blankets so my practicing wouldn't disturb our neighbors," neigh-bors," he recalls. |
