For over a decade
Bill Harley has been recognized as one of America's finest performers
for families.
All About Bill
| Bill's Rules of the
Universe | Bill's Philosophy of
Life | Little Known
Facts About Bill | Bill's
Favorite Books & Other Stuff | How
To Reach Bill | Scheduling
Performances
"Bill Harley has the uncanny ability to reaffirm life for listeners,
be they five or fifty. Humor, empathy, intelligence and reality
all radiate from his work and from him." - Penguin Books
A
Grammy award winning artist, Bill uses song and story to paint
a vibrant and hilarious picture of growing up, schooling and
family life. His work spans the generation gap, reminds us
of our common humanity and challenges us to be our very best
selves. A prolific author and recording artist, Bill is also
a regular commentator for NPR's "All Things Considered" and
featured on PBS. He joined the National Storytelling Network's
Circle of Excellence in 2001 and tours nationwide as an author
and performing artist.
Trying
to describe Bill is often as funny as attending one of his
concerts. One person will call him a singer/songwriter, another
a storyteller. People know Bill from his books, his theatrical
plays, his concerts, his workshops - or maybe even as a keynote
speaker at a conference. With twenty-five recordings of songs
and stories and six children's books to his credit, Bill's
humorous yet meaningful work chronicles the lives of children
at school and at home.
Bill
tours nationally as a solo artist as well as with his band, the
"Troublemakers"or with his pianist/co-conspirator, Keith Munslow.
Armed with his guitar, songs, stories and slightly off center
mind, Bill is the kind of performer you just have to see in person!
As a
storyteller, Bill has appeared numerous times at the prestigious
National Storytelling Festival, and at dozens of other regional
festivals from California to Florida. You'll find Bill's stories
and off-beat observations in numerous anthologies and magazines.
He also shows up on your car radio as a regular commentator for
National Public Radio's "All Things Considered". His commentaries
are filled with his trademark humor and wisdom on topics ranging
from T-ball game strategy to first jobs to dead groundhogs. As
Bill says "Anything is material to a desperate man."
In
the past several years, Bill has spent considerable time writing,
and presently has six published books to his credit. These include:
"Sitting Down To Eat" which was selected as an ABA Pick of the
list ; "Sarah's
Story" a Storytelling World Award Winner; and "The Amazing Flight
of Darius Frobisher" his first novel for elementary students. He
is currently working on another novel and has another picture book
slated for publication.
The
reasons for Harley's success are obvious - his songs are direct
and honest, his stories are filled with the details of daily
life, and everything he does has a refreshing dose of fantasy
mixed with a healthy breath of reality. Since 1984, Bill's
been producing recordings for kids and adults that have become
staples in the car cassette player and the home entertainment
system. Winner of a Grammy and numerous other
national awards including Parent's Choice, ALA (American Library
Association), NAPPA (The National Parenting Publications Award)
and AFIM (Association for Independent Music), Bill's recordings
are filled with joyous music and masterful stories. If you
ask a kid their favorite they'll show you their entire Bill
Harley collection, books, videos, Cd's, cassette tapes - they
are all winners!
How
Did All This Happen?
For over twenty years, Bill has been writing and performing for
kids and families. Somehow, he figured out how make a living singing
songs and telling stories. His father still can't believe it.
Neither can he. But there's a reason - He never grew up! (Well
not really, although some people think so.) 
Bill's
Rules of the Universe
- Everything takes longer than you think
It's always harder to put something back together than it
is to take it apart.
If you spend all your time cleaning your desk, you'll just
have clean desk. That's not enough.
Listen - you're missing something cool.
All children should be given a ukulele when they're born.
We're more alike than we are different.
If you're older than two, and can't sing a song and tell a
story, you're in trouble.
- Sometimes, a plate of spaghetti is the best thing in the world.
Bill's
Philosophy
(free advice, if you want it)
Everybody
worries about things being 'educational'' with kids. I believe everything
is educational, in that it says something about how one looks at
the world - it imparts a knowledge, or world-view. Children learn
more from context than they do from explicit lessons, so assume
they're working to understand something - they learn vocabulary
and language not from a dictionary or worksheet, but from conversation,
they learn songs not from reading music, but from singing with someone
who loves to sing, and they learn hope and kindness and cooperation
not from being told to have them, but by experiencing them.
Little
Known Facts About Bill
How did Bill Learn to Play an instrument?
Practice. Practice. Practice Yuk. Yuk. Yuk. Bill took piano lessons
starting when he was seven. Learning to read music was hard,
so he often played by ear. He can read music now, but still
plays by ear. He played trumpet in junior high school. He got
a guitar when he was twelve, but the strings were so high it
was almost impossible to play, so he quit. In high school, he
started to study jazz piano. He still plays piano a lot at home.
He got his second guitar (one that worked!) in college. His
friends taught him some chords. He still takes lessons, but
not as much as he'd like. He recently added a ukelele to his
collection of instruments (he says it's fun to play).
Bill's
advice to those of you who want to learn how to play? Find a good
teacher. It might take a while, but it's worth it. And play for
at least fifteen minutes every day. Every day is the key. As one
of his piano teachers said to Bill, "You have to learn to love
the feel of your fingers on the keys".
 What
was Bill's First Song?
It was so bad he has purposely forgotten it, and cannot answer
the question
OK,
What was Bill's Second Song?
See answer to question about the first song.
Some
of Bill's Favorite Books for Kids
BFG by Roald Dahl
Harry and the Terrible Whatzit by Dick Gackenbach
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christoper Paul Curtis
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinan Rawlings
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
 How
to Reach Bill
Bill Harley
301 Jacob Street
Seekonk, MA 02771
508-336-9703 voice
508-336-2254 fax
debbie@billharley.com
Scheduling
Performances
If you would like Bill to perform at your event, please call
us at 508-336-9703 Monday through Friday 9 - 5 pm EST or Click
here for more information. |
