Don Williams Still Taking It Slow and Easy

Don Williams, who performs at the Crazy Horse Steak House tonight, is considered one of country music’s great singers. At first, it can be difficult to put your finger on exactly why that is.

He doesn’t have the swooping, soaring pipes of a George Jones, he lacks the infectiously brash hillbilly twang of a Lefty Frizzell and he sure can’t yodel like a Jimmie Rodgers.

But Williams’ warm, simple baritone is as soothing and natural as a soft summer rain. There’s a calm dignity and wisdom that envelops the listener and carries them off to a simpler and more pleasant place. Don Williams heals.

Then there’s Williams the songwriter, who has few peers in contemporary country music. Creator of “Til the Rivers All Run Dry,” “Tulsa Time,” “Amanda,” “You’re My Best Friend” and “Good Ole Boys Like Me,” Williams has written songs that have been covered by Frizzell, Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Sonny James, Waylon Jennings and many others.

As a recording artist, Williams is best known for his 1980 crossover hit “I Believe in You.” It’s not one of his best pieces of writing, but it does offer a subtle summation of his appeal. This is a man with a face like a piece of beef jerky and a soul as soft as a marshmallow. He sings about love and life in the simplest terms and conveys a genuineness that’s nothing short of heartwarming.

Yet Williams, like so many other over-40 legends in country music, has been virtually abandoned by country radio and is relegated to recording for a tiny independent label--the small but industrious American Harvest Records.

“It’s amazing. I don’t know why country has to put the blinders on and narrow things down so much,” Williams said in a recent phone interview. “I’m really happy that country music has been enjoying the success it has, but I think it’s really unfortunate they get what they consider as the real representation down to such a narrow scope. You don’t even see that in rock. People like Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart are welcomed back very warmly as long as what they’re doing is good.”

Another problem that Williams, 55, has faced since even his earliest days as a performer is record-company demands for up-tempo material. Williams specializes in the sentimental ballad, which constitutes the bulk of the 17 No.-1 country hits he charted from 1974 to 1986. Expecting him to crank out the boogie is something akin to asking a koala to bark like a dog.

“To me, there’s all different ways of sending energy,” he said. “A lot of times, it really doesn’t have anything to do with how fast the beat is. I’ve always heard, ‘You’ve got to do some up-tempo things because radio doesn’t like ballads.’ It’s really ironic because some of the biggest all-time records have been ballads.”

But shed no tears for Don Williams. Since signing to American Harvest in 1994, he’s released a live album and an accompanying video of his greatest hits--something he always wanted to do but wasn’t allowed to by the majors--and in something of a turnaround, last year he released an album of cover tunes.

“Borrowed Tales” runs the gamut from Ray Price to Gordon Lightfoot to Cat Stevens to Clapton and Stewart to a surprisingly effective turn on the Peggy Lee version of “Fever.” While mostly adhering closely to the original arrangements, Williams’ characteristically laid-back vocal interpretations make each song a personal statement.

“A dear friend of mine some years back pushed me hard to do that, and I resisted,” Williams said. “I just always kind of had a thing about trying to do somebody else’s material, especially when they’re classics. But when I got together with R.J. Jones, who is the [American Harvest] label chief, he was interested in the same thing. I figured it was the second time it had come up and maybe I ought to make a run at it. We did it as best as I know how.”

Williams is working on a new album of originals to be released later this year. He won’t have the big-money backing he enjoyed in his “I Believe in You” glory days, but Williams is satisfied that the American Harvest crew does everything in its power to promote him--and, more importantly, one that allows him to make music as he feels it should be done.

“My experience has been that people get really excited and get behind something that they think they have all figured out,” he said. “I’ve always had a bit of a problem with that, because the minute someone figures they know everything about you, I don’t see how much of a creative artist you really can be.”

* Don Williams plays tonight at the Crazy Horse Steak House, 1580 Brookhollow Drive, Santa Ana. 7 and 10 p.m. $34.50. (714) 549-1512.