Andy Williams Sings Rodgers and Hammerstein 1", which contains 17 of his studio albums and three compilations and was released on June 26, 2001. In AllMusic, William Ruhlmann wrote that Williams "wasn't really a rocker, even if he sometimes pretended to be one for commercial purposes at the behest of Cadence Records head Archie Bleyer" and that he "was allowed to show his true colors by recording a collection of Rodgers & Hammerstein songs from the musicals "Oklahoma!", "Carousel", "South Pacific", and "The King and I". The result was the birth of the Andy Williams his fans knew from then on." Ruhlmann felt that "Williams revealed
James Hammerstein Richard Rodgers. The first play he produced was "Blue Denim", by James Leo Herlihy and William Noble, and the first play he directed was the comedy "Absence of a Cello" in 1964. The "New York Times" wrote: "James Hammerstein has staged the piece with a great deal of verve." His other directing credits include "The Indian Wants the Bronx", "Wise Child" and "Butley". Hammerstein directed the New York City Opera production of "The Sound of Music" in 1990. He co-directed the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical "State Fair" in 1996. Among the other Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals he directed were