Dear Friends-

I hope the holidays were good for you. My family went to Germany to visit our oldest son, Noah, who has been studying in Bonn. We had a great time together. We drove to Berlin and spent four days there Ð we saw a lot of art (fell in love with Kathe Kollwitz’s work) and were very moved by the mark left on the city by World War II and the division of Germany afterwards. Interestingly, they have not tried to hide the past, and it is a reminder to all of us of what humans, under certain circumstances, will do. We walked along remnants of the Berlin Wall and, courtesy of our tour-guide son, saw the funky, artsy areas of the city. On our drive back, Debbie and I drove along the “fairy tale road” Ð the area of Germany where the Grimms Brothers collected their stories. It was great Ð below are pictures of what is said to be Rapunzel’s tower and Sleeping Beauty's Castle Ð it looks like it to me.

Now that we’re back (or some other transitional phrase) I’m working on rewrites of some books and getting ready for my spring touring. I have a couple of new stories Ð both for you and me!

  
Rapunzel's Tower
Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Grammy Awards

Being nominated for a Grammy is a huge honor in and of itself.  I was among wonderful and deserving company in both the Children’s Music and Spoken Word Categories – Richard Perlmutter of Beethoven's Wig, Trout Fishing in America and John McCutcheon among them and, Dan Zanes who won in the music category.  I was saying to myself that just being nominated for a Grammy is really an honor, and I’m really lucky. I was lucky just to be sitting at the awards ceremony.
Then they said “And the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Recording for Children goes to Blah, Blah, Blah: Stories about clams, swamp monsters, pirates and dogs by Bill Harley.
Omigosh.
I really didn’t expect it, and am still wandering around, unsure it happened. What has become clear to me over the past month is that there are a lot of people who appreciate what I do, and enough of them could vote in the Grammy’s.  I feel very lucky and very blessed.
I got to say thanks. I thanked my manager, my record company president, my friend and wife (all the same person, Debbie Block), and David Correia, the engineer I’ve worked with for twenty years, the other people who call themselves storytellers, and the million  of kids (and parents) I’ve seen over the past twenty-five years who have told me that what I do is worthwhile. That includes you – thanks for listening. 

I Wanna Play Ð new recording

My new recording of songs for families is out Ð I Wanna Play. I’m very happy with it. I can actually listen to it Ð always a good sign, since the sound of my own voice can drive me crazy. (Imagine). It has a lot of different styles on it, and includes some songs I’ve been singing for the past couple of years and new ones no one has heard yet. The musicians were great. The kids chorus was great. Great. Great Great. You can get it through billharley.com, by calling our office or by snail mail.

Vote for "I Wanna Play"

The song ÒI Wanna PlayÓ is a finalist in the International Songwriting Contest. While the judges will pick which songs will win in the various categories, there is a PeopleÕs Voice category where you can vote and weÕd love it if you would!

HereÕs how:

1. Visit www.songwritingcompetition.com/pvwelcome2006.htm
2. They will ask you for your birthdate and email address
3. Once you do they will send you a confirmation email. It comes from voting@sonicbids.com.
4. Click on the link so you can vote.
5. You can listen to any or all of the songs in the list, but you can only vote for one song within a 24 hour period. (BillÕs song is ÒI Wanna PlayÓ)
6. Tell every Bill Harley fan you know to vote.

The voting ends February 28 and the winners will be announced in March.
 

Plans this spring

On June 2 and 3rd, I will be shooting a concert video with Montana Public Television in Missoula. It's about time I did one, since it's how I spend most of my time. They hope to broadcast it on the PBS network, and we'll have it for sale, for those of you who need to see my mug and hear my voice. We're currently trying to figure out what material to include. It's just me, my mouth, and a guitar for an hour of songs and stories. Pretty terrifying. What do you think I should do? Those of you who are in that area and want to be part of the concert, e-mail us and we'll let you know the details.  We're hoping to open ticket sales to our fans in advance of general ticket sales Ð let us know and put the date on your calendar Ð it will be a blast!

  
 

Plans this summer

This summer, I’ll be a staffperson again at Storytelling Week for Families at Camp Ogontz in Northern New Hampshire. Camp Ogontz is a beautiful place Ð right by a mountain lake near Littleton, New Hampshire. My wife Debbie and I will be returning there with some good friends and great storytellers Ð Donald Davis, Len Cabral, Willy Claflin, Laurin Pershin, Susan Reed and other great musicians and dance callers. The camp is a time for everyone of all ages to be together, sharing songs, stories and group dancing (and the food is great!). Believe me Ð the only reason I’m going back is because I had such a good time Ð and you can too! You can check out their website at www.cdss.org/camp or email camp@cdss.org  or call (413-268-7426x3)

  
 

Performance workshop

This August 16-19 I will be offering a workshop in performance for a small group of performing artists. It will take place here in Seekonk, and we’re still hammering out the details of cost and logistics. I’m particularly interested in working with younger adults and people who are working to take their performance to the next level. There will be both group work and individual coaching.  Storytellers, singers, solos or duos are welcome. If you are interested, send an e-mail to info@billharley.com and we’ll let you know the details as soon as we get it together.

  
 

Keeping up with Bill Harley

Want to know where Bill is going to be and when? Check our online calendar.

Want the latest news about Bill? Check our News and Happenings section at the bottom of our home page.

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