John’s father, Johnny Williams, was a jazz percussionist with the Raymond Scott Quintet, and later worked for Twentieth Century Fox. John’s brothers Donald and Jerry are also percussionists, while John’s son Joseph is the lead vocalist for rock band Toto, best known for their 1982 hit ‘Africa’.¹⁾

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, who also trained Henry Mancini, mentored Williams.²⁾

Williams went on to serve as a studio musician for Mancini.³⁾

All but three of Steven Spielberg's 31 films, including Jaws, E.T., and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, have been scored by Williams. What were the ones he overlooked? The Color Purple, Bridge of Spies, and Ready Player One are a few examples.⁴⁾

The tuba was used to play the two-note shark theme from Jaws, however the musician who performed it, Tommy Johnson, questioned why it wasn't played on the more appropriate French horn. Williams said that he wished it sounded “a bit more scary”.⁵⁾

Williams has received 51 Academy Award nominations, six Emmy nominations, 25 Golden Globe nominations, 67 Grammy nominations, and 15 Bafta nominations.⁶⁾

His first Oscar nomination came in 1967 for his score for Valley of the Dolls, and his first win came in 1971 for Fiddler on the Roof.⁷⁾