Will Oldham

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Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

Background information
Birth name William Oldham
Also known as Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
Born December 24, 1970 (1970-12-24) (age 37)
Origin Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Genre(s) Singer-songwriter, folk, country
Years active 1993–present
Label(s) Drag City, Domino
Website www.bonnieprincebilly.com

Will Oldham, a.k.a. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (born 24 December 1970 in Louisville, Kentucky), is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Prior to adopting his current moniker, he performed and recorded under various permutations of the Palace name, including Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music (1993-1997).

Contents

[edit] Music

Will Oldham is known for his "do-it-yourself punk aesthetic and blunt honesty,"[1] and his music has been likened to Americana, folk, roots, country, punk, and indie rock, although Oldham is dissatisfied with these labels: "I don’t think it’s roots music, though it’s definitely influenced by Western popular music."[2] He has been called an "Appalachian post-punk solipsist"[1] and is notable for "his unique voice--a fragile sort-of warble frittering around haunted melodies in the American folk or country tradition."[1]

Producer Steve Albini commented on Oldham's approach to recording:

“ He doesn't rehearse. ... He chooses the people he's going to play with shortly before the session, so everyone is playing by the seat of their pants, and the music is at constant risk, subject to the weaknesses of whoever's in the room. But he gets absolutely spontaneous moments of greatness you couldn't rehearse.[1] ”

Will Oldham first performed and recorded under various permutations of the Palace name, including Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, Palace Music, and simply Palace. Regarding the name changes during this period (1993-1997), Oldham said:

“ Well, I guess the idea is that when you have a name of a group or an artist, then you expect that the next record, if it has the same name, should be the same group of people playing on it. And I just thought we were making a different kind of record each time, with different people, and different themes, and different sounds. So I thought it was important to call it something different so that people would be aware of the differences. I mean, I don’t want people buying my records and being disappointed that it doesn’t sound like the last one... Within my own tiny little world, the first full-length Palace record is with one kind of musician and it was recorded in a certain type of way, while the second one was completely different-sounding and there was a fifth of the amount of people involved. The songs to me also seemed really different. And then the third record was another completely different recording environment and I had different kinds of musicians involved. So those things seemed different enough for me to alter the name. I’ll admit that that’s just me in the process of moving forward without any benefit of perspective, distance, or time whatsoever.[2] ”

Beginning in 1998, Oldham has primarily used the moniker Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, which draws inspiration from several sources:

“ Yeah, the name has so many different references that it could almost have a life of its own. Bonnie Prince Charlie has such a beautiful ring to it, and I was very conscious of appropriating that mellifluous sound. And I was also thinking about the name Nat King Cole. But it wasn’t until later, and this may have been subconscious, that I remembered that Billy the Kid was William Bonney or Billy Bonney.[2] ”

Oldham has explained that "the primary purpose of the pseudonym is to allow both the audience and the performer to have a relationship with the performed that is valid and unbreakable."[3]

[edit] Discography

Main article: Will Oldham discography

[edit] Response

Much of Will Oldham's music has received considerable critical praise. Some of his albums, such as There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You (1993),[4] Viva Last Blues (1995),[5] and I See a Darkness (1999).[6][7][8], have appeared on greatest albums lists.

[edit] Collaborations

Will Oldham has often collaborated with other musicians on various recording projects; for example, The Continental Op with David Pajo, and the Amalgamated Sons of Rest with Alasdair Roberts and Jason Molina.[9] He also regularly works with his brothers Ned and Paul Oldham.

Superwolf was released in 2005, which was a collaborative album featuring Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (lyrics) and Matt Sweeney (music). The following year, Oldham recorded a cover album with post-rock band Tortoise entitled The Brave and the Bold.

Johnny Cash's American III: Solitary Man (2000) included a recording of Will Oldham's "I See A Darkness" (from the album of the same name), for which Oldham provided background vocals.

Credited as Will Oldham, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy provided his vocals for the song "Gratitude" included in the soundtrack composed by Björk for the movie Drawing Restraint 9, directed by Matthew Barney. The song was written by Björk and Barney, and played by Zeena Parkins on harp, Jónas Sen on celeste, and Oldham on vocals.

In 2007, he appeared in the new, alternative video for Kanye West's song "Can't Tell Me Nothing", released on West's Web site, made by (and featuring) Zach Galifianakis.

He collaborated with Sage Francis on Sage's song :"Sea Lion"

Oldham appears on the current Sun Kil Moon record "April". He guests on two tracks: "Unlit Hallway" and "Like The River".[10]

He provided vocals for one version of "Idumæa" on Current 93's "Black Ships Ate The Sky".

He appears in four songs on Scout Nibletts album This Fool Can Die Now from 2007.

[edit] Tributes

[edit] Film

Will Oldham began his acting career at the age of 17, when he portrayed a teen preacher in John Sayles's film about an Appalachian mining community, Matewan (1987). Oldham moved to Hollywood to pursue acting, and was well received, landing roles in a couple of films. However, he quickly became disillusioned with the film industry and quit in 1989.[12] He has since had several minor roles in independent films, such as Julien Donkey-Boy (1999), Junebug (2005), and The Guatemalan Handshake (2006). Oldham took a lead role in Old Joy, which was featured at SXSW XX and opened at New York's Film Forum on September 20, 2006. Will Oldham also played the role of a preacher in the Horse Apples special of Wondershowzen in series 2 of the show.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Photography

Will Oldham shot the black-and-white cover photograph for Slint's critically acclaimed 1991 album Spiderland. The photo depicts members of the band treading water in the lake of an abandoned quarry.[13]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Baldwin, C. (March 28, 2002). The Wanderer. Chico News & Review. Retrieved on 2007-05-08.
  2. ^ a b c Ashare, Matt (January 20 2003). Mystery Man: Palace Brother Will Oldham becomes Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. The Phoenix. Retrieved on 2007-05-09.
  3. ^ Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. Foggy Notion (April 2003). Retrieved on 2007-05-08.
  4. ^ Irvin, Jim; Colin McLear (2003, 3rd ed.). The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion. Canongate, 585. ISBN 1841954381. 
  5. ^ LeMay, Matt (November 17, 2003). The Top 100 Albums of the 1990s. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2007-05-08.
  6. ^ Irvin, Jim; Colin McLear (2003, 3rd ed.). The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion. Canongate, 651. ISBN 1841954381. 
  7. ^ Bowers, William (November 17, 2003). The Top 100 Albums of the 1990s. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2007-05-08.
  8. ^ Dimery, Robert (2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Universe, 854. ISBN 0789313715. 
  9. ^ Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. Foggy Notion (April 2003). Retrieved on 2007-05-08.
  10. ^ Sun Kil Moon Looks Toward 'April'
  11. ^ Vespertine song information. Bjork.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-08.
  12. ^ Byck, Peter. "Oldham journeys back into acting", Scene, 2006-02-04, pp. 5. Retrieved on 2007-05-08. 
  13. ^ McCarthy, Shannon. "Slint Lyrics and Biography" Musicianguide.com. Retrieved on 25 November 2007.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Will Oldham / Palace Music / Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
Studio albums:
There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You (1993)  · Days in the Wake (1994)  · Viva Last Blues (1995)  · Arise Therefore (1996)  · Joya (1997)  · I See a Darkness (1999)  · Ease Down the Road (2001)  · Master and Everyone (2003)  · Sings Greatest Palace Music (2004)  · Superwolf (2005)  · The Brave and the Bold (2006)  · The Letting Go (2006)  · Wai Notes (2007)  · Lie Down in the Light (2008)
Live albums:
Get the Fuck on Jolly Live (2001)  · Summer in the Southeast (2005)  · Wilding in the West (2008)
EPs:
Goat Songs (1993)  · An Arrow Through the Bitch (1994)  · Hope (1994)  · The Mountain (1995)  · Songs Put Together For (The Broken Giant) (1996)  · Western Music (1997)  · Black/Rich Music (1998)  · Blue Lotus Feet (1998)  · Dream of a Drunk Black Southern Eagle (1999)  · Ode Music (2000)  · More Revery (live version) (2000)  · All Most Heaven (2000)  · Get on Jolly (2000)  · More Revery (studio version) (2001)  · Amalgamated Sons of Rest (2002)  · Slitch Music (2002)  · Seafarers Music (2004)  · Pebbles and Ripples (2004)  · I Gave You (2005)  · Strange Form of Life (2007)  · Ask Forgiveness (2007)
Compilations:
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