Mason Douglas Williams (born on August 24, 1938) is an American singer-songwriter, comedian, and poet who first rose to prominence in the late ‘60s with folk instrumental “Classical Gas.” Proficient in both classical guitar and banjo, Williams drew inspiration from both bluegrass and folk to create unique, lush soundscapes that evoked the vastness of the American territory. He’s also been extensively recognized for his comedy material and has written for television personalities such as Glen Campbell, Andy Williams, and Steve Martin. In 1968, while working as head writer for variety show The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Williams released The Mason Williams Phonograph Record, which featured the smash hit “Classical Gas.” Recorded with the help of members of The Wrecking Crew, the single climbed to the top of Billboard’s Easy Listening chart and earned Williams 3 Grammy Awards for Best Instrumental Composition, Best Instrumental Performance, and Best Instrumental Orchestra Arrangement. He followed up with The Mason Williams Ear Show (1968), Music (1969), Handmade (1970), and Sharepickers (1971), his last album for Warner Brothers. After a brief stint as head writer for Saturday Night Live in 1980, Williams returned to the music scene in 1984 with Of Time & Rivers Flowing and then teamed up with new-age outfit Mannheim Steamroller for the gold-winning album Classical Gas (1987), which included a rework of the guitarist’s classic single and received a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Instrumental Performance for “Country Idyll.” A Gift of Song, a collection of Christmas carols, saw the light in 1992 and was followed by the Grammy-nominated EP 2003: Music for the Epicurean Harkener (2003) over a decade later.
