Paul Williams

Paul Williams is an Oscar-, Grammy-, and Golden Globe-winning Hall of Fame songwriter whose timeless tunes include "We've Only Just Begun," "Rainy Days and Mondays," "You and Me Against the World," "An Old Fashioned Love Song," "I Won't Last a Day Without You," and "Let Me Be the One."

Williams's songs have been recorded by such diverse music icons as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Willie Nelson, Ella Fitzgerald, David Bowie, Ray Charles, R.E.M., Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan, Johnny Mathis, Luther Vandross, and Kermit the Frog.

Bugsy Malone and Phantom of the Paradise are among his song scores. "The Rainbow Connection," from the children's classic The Muppet Movie, and "Evergreen" from A Star is Born are two songs of his that grace the American Film Institute's list of the "top 100 movie songs of all times."

Having created the music and lyrics for the Garry Marshall musical Happy Days, he has joined forces with the Henson Company to produce a new Christmas musical based on the perennial favorite Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas. Also this Christmas, NBC will offer A Muppet Christmas: Letter to Santa, an original Christmas special with both story and songs by Williams.

As a part of America's large recovering community, Paul Williams is also very active on the speaker circuit. Sharing stories of his own escape from addiction, he quips, "You know you're an alcoholic when you misplace a decade." Sober for over 20 years, his humorous observations on life, love, and creativity are augmented by the education and knowledge he gained through his studies and certification from UCLA as a certified drug rehabilitation counselor.