May 11, 2005

MusicWorld, Hitmaker

Dan Williams

His name may not be familiar, but sometime, somewhere, you’ve found yourself humming or whistling a Dan Williams tune. In a recent routine, comedian Ellen DeGeneres says, “I was in yoga the other day. I’m in full-lotus position, my shakras are all aligned, my mind is clear of all chatter… It’s amazing what comes up when you sit in that silence — [she sings] ‘Mama keeps whites bright like the sunlight. Mama’s got the magic of Clorox 2.’ ”

If there were a Hall of Fame for commercial jingles, the work of Dan Williams would stand proudly alongside such classics as “I’m stuck on Band-Aid,” “You deserve a break today,” and “I’d love to be an Oscar Mayer wiener.” In addition to the unforgettable Clorox spot, Williams is the man who also gave the world “Red Lobster , for the seafood lover in you,” Taco Bell’s “Run for the border,” and Pillsbury’s “Rise and shine,” not to mention his songwriting success with Ronnie Milsap’s “Don’t You Know How Much I Love You” and the Pointer Sisters’ “Sexual Power.”

Hailing from East Texas, Williams cites his early love for rock, r&b, and country music as the jumpstart of his writing. As a performer, he had the good fortune to share the stage with such artists as Lightning Hopkins. After relocating to Nashville, Williams worked as a writer and producer on national ad campaigns for Busch beer and Kraft, which led to many more national commercial accounts.

“The process of writing a jingle is the same as writing a song,” says Williams, who has won numerous Clio and Telly awards. “I become inspired at some point in the process and build on the idea. The Red Lobster spot has been running since 1978 , and to me it’s just a 60-second song.”

In addition to commercial spots, Dan Williams Music provides original instrumental music tracks covering every mood and style from calypso to classical. Visit www.danwilliamsmusic.com and prepare to be dazzled at the range of work on audio display in the “Music Tracks” section. “That catalog of music got us through some bad times during a writer’s strike several years ago,” says Williams.

While ad agencies compete for our attention, Dan Williams Music goes diligently about its work of implanting product identities in our consciousness — and hopefully our sub-consciousness — and in the very fabric of pop culture.

Written by Danny Proctor

In this story: Seafood, Dan Williams

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