Forming one of Australia's first rock & roll bands in the tradition of Bill Haley and His Comets, former child soprano Warren Williams formed Warren Williams and the Squares in January 1958: by April they were playing to 600 people each Friday night at the Mascot Masonic Hall.
They made their TV debut in July 1959 on Six O'Clock Rock, a popular TV show hosted by Johnny O'Keefe, and soon became TV regulars on Bandstand and Teen Time. Williams released his debut single, "My Teenage Love," in December 1959 followed by "Kath-a-Leen" in April 1960, but by the end of the year had left the Squares. He released the single "My Little Girl" and was voted the sixth most popular artist on Six O'Clock Rock.
In 1961, Williams signed with the Leedon label and released several singles. A prolific songwriter, he formed his own publishing company Williams-Conde Music Pty Ltd with Franz Conde. In March 1964, Williams joined the Courtmen, who backed him on his track "It's Party Time" (later recorded in French by Petula Clark). By now, Williams' popularity had begun to wane with the rise of pop. As Beatlemania swept Australia, Williams took refuge performing in clubs and cabaret shows before resurfacing in the '70s and '80s on the nostalgia circuit. He released two singles, "Jimmy Brown the News Boy" (1978) and "I Was There" (1982), before forming the Williams Family Show with his three sons. ~ Brendan Swift, Rovi
