Bonnie Lou Williams (June 25, 1925 - March 4, 1986) was an American singer and actress who worked with various orchestras up through the middle of the decade before embarking on a mildly successful solo career that saw her on radio and recordings. She is best remembered for her portrayal of the lively Nellie Forbush in the original Los Angeles Civic Light Opera production of the acclaimed Rogers & Hammerstein musical "South Pacific." Williams continued singing into at least the late 1950s.
Born in Seattle, Williams initially grew up in Bellingham, Washington. The family had moved to Everett by 1935 and then to Los Angeles by 1940. Often described as “tall” or “leggy,” 16-year-old Williams was discovered by Johnny Mercer in mid-1942. Mercer took Williams under his wing and sent her, at his own expense, to a “Hollywood conservatory of music” for vocal studies, with the goal of grooming her for Bobby Sherwood’s orchestra, which Mercer had backed. Under the name “Bonnie Lou,” she sang with Sherwood’s band while it remained on the West Coast, leaving when it headed east.
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| Williams (left of Dorsey) with the Clark Sisters |
Williams gave birth to a son (musician Terry Williams) in June 1947 and took time off from singing. She had returned to activity by mid-1948 when she subbed for Patti Clayton on Your Hit Parade in August 1948. That same month, she joined Charlie Barnet’s orchestra only to see him quit right after her arrival, handing over leadership to Bob Dawes. She remained with Dawes through at least the end of the year.
During her career, she was an honorary member of Actors Equity, had been a vocal instructor for the Pasadena Playhouse, was a member of the Hollywood Republican Committee, was a regular parishioner of the Methodist church, presided as a chairwoman for her local charters of the American Red Cross and the Boys & Girls Clubs, had been the celebrity spokeswoman for Emerson Radio, had been a commercial model for the Forbes Agency.
In her later years, Williams worked as an administrative assistant at airline music programming service Music in the Air until her death in Tarzana, California, on March 4, 1986, age 60, from cancer. She was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles County, California.
(Edited from Bandchirps & Lowell Thurgood @ Findagrave)