More Info on Will OldhamSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Redirect3|Palace Music|For the racehorse, see Palace Music (horse) Infobox musical artist | name = Bonnie 'Prince' Billy| image = bonnie_prince_billy.jpg| caption = Will Oldham, June 6, 2009| image_size = | background = solo_singer| birth_name = William Oldham| alias = Bonnie 'Prince' Billy| birth_date = birth date and age|1970|1|15| birth_place =| origin = Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville , Kentucky , United States|U.S. | instrument =| genre = American folk music|Folk , alternative country , country music|country | occupation =| years_active = 1993–present| label = Drag City (record label)|Drag City , Domino Records|Domino , Spunk (record label)|Spunk | associated_acts =| website = URL| http://www.bonnieprincebilly.com| notable_instruments = Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970),Alan Licht (Ed.) (2012), ''Will Oldham on Bonnie 'Prince' Billy . Faber and Faber Ltd., London, pp. viii. ISBN 978-0-571-25814-7. better known by the stage name 'Bonnie 'Prince' Billy , is an United States|American singer-songwriter and actor . From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace''' name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music. After releasing material under his own name, he adopted the "Bonnie 'Prince' Billy" moniker for the majority of his output since 1998.
Music
Oldham is known for his "do-it-yourself punk aesthetic and blunt honesty,"cite web | publisher = Chico News & Review | date = March 28, 2002 | author=Baldwin, C. | title = The Wanderer | url= http://www.newsreview.com/chico/Content? oid=8724 | accessdate = 2007-05-08 and his music has been likened to Americana (music)|Americana , American folk music|folk , Traditional music|roots , country music|country , punk music|punk , and indie rock . He has been called an " Appalachia n post-punk solipsist ", with a voice that has been described as "a fragile sort-of warble frittering around haunted melodies in the American folk or country tradition."
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: cquote|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. Beginning in 1998, Oldham has primarily used the moniker Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, which draws inspiration from several sources: cquote|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.cite web |work = The Phoenix (newspaper)|The Phoenix | date = January 20, 2003 | author= Ashare, Matt | title = Mystery Man: Palace Brother Will Oldham becomes Bonnie 'Prince' Billy | url= http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/music/top/documents/02671921.htm | accessdate = 2007-05-09 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 performer that is valid and unbreakable."cite web | publisher = Foggy Notion | month = April | year = 2003 | author= | title = Bonnie 'Prince' Billy | url= http://www.dragcity.com/press/pimages/pressclips/dc233fn_art.pdf | accessdate = 2007-05-08 |format=PDF |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070710021351/ http://www.dragcity.com/press/pimages/pressclips/dc233fn_art.pdf |archivedate = 2007-07-10 In 2012, Oldham is reworking his I See a Darkness album for a summer a release on Dominio.
Discography
main|Will Oldham discography
Studio albums
There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You – Palace Brothers (1993)Knott, Alex. (2012-04-30) http://www.frostmagazine.com/2012/05/01/bonnie-prince-billy-announced-new-ep-book-reissue-of-6-lps-music-news/ Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy announced new EP, book + reissue of 6 LP’s | Music News. Frost Magazine. Retrieved on 2012-05-04.
Days in the Wake – Palace Brothers (1994)
Viva Last Blues – Palace Music (1995)
Arise Therefore – Palace Music (1996)
Joya (album)|Joya – Will Oldham (1997)
I See a Darkness – Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (1999)
Ease Down the Road – Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2001)
Master and Everyone – Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2003)
Sings Greatest Palace Music – Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2004)
Superwolf – Matt Sweeney & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2005)
The Brave and the Bold (album)|The Brave and the Bold – Tortoise (band)|Tortoise & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2006)
The Letting Go – Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2006)
Lie Down in the Light – Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2008)
Beware (Bonnie Prince Billy album)|Beware - Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2009)
The Wonder Show of the World - Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and the Emmett Kelly (musician)|Cairo Gang (2010)
Wolfroy Goes to Town - Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2011)
Response
Some of his albums, such as There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You (1993),cite book | last = Irvin | first = Jim | coauthors = Colin McLear | title = The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion | publisher = Canongate | date = 2003, 3rd ed. | page = 585 | isbn = 1-84195-438-1 Viva Last Blues (1995),cite web | publisher = Pitchfork Media | date = November 17, 2003 | author=LeMay, Matt | title = The Top 100 Albums of the 1990s | url= http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/36737-staff-list-top-100-albums-of-the-1990s/page_5 | accessdate = 2007-05-08 and I See a Darkness (1999),cite book | last = Irvin | first = Jim | coauthors = Colin McLear | title = The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion | publisher = Canongate | date = 2003, 3rd ed. | page = 651 | isbn = 1-84195-438-1 cite web | publisher = Pitchfork Media | date = November 17, 2003 | author=Bowers, William | title = The Top 100 Albums of the 1990s | url= http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/36737-staff-list-top-100-albums-of-the-1990s/page_10 | accessdate = 2007-05-08 cite book | last = Dimery | first = Robert | title = 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die | publisher = Universe | year = 2006 | page = 854 | isbn = 0-7893-1371-5 have appeared on greatest albums lists.
He is mentioned in the lyrics of the Biffy Clyro song " Saturday Superhouse " and is the main character in the song "Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror" by New York anti-folk artist Jeffrey Lewis .
Johnny Cash recorded a version of "I See a Darkness" on his American Recordings (US)|American Recordings disc, American III: Solitary Man (2000). Oldham provided backing vocals.
Steve Adey also covered "I See a Darkness" on his 2006 LP All Things Real .
Mark Kozelek recorded a version of Oldham's "New Partner" on his 2008 disc, The Finally LP .
Katatonia covered "Oh How I Enjoy the Light" on their 2001 EP '' Tonight's Music .
In 2009 Mark Lanegan and Soulsavers recorded a cover version of "You Will Miss Me When I Burn". The release is a split single, backed with the Lanegan penned "Sunrise" featuring vocals by Oldham.
In 2011, Deer Tick (band)|Deer Tick 's cover of Oldham's song "Death to Everyone" appeared in an episode of Hell on Wheels (TV series)|Hell On Wheels .
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 in the late 1980s,cite news|url= http://www.dallasobserver.com/2009-06-04/music/will-oldham-s-trouble-with-hollywood/|title=Will Oldham's Trouble with Hollywood|last=Roberts|first=Randall|date=June 3, 2009|publisher=Dallas Observer|accessdate=16 January 2010 and landed roles in a couple of films. However, he quickly became disillusioned with the film industry and quit in 1989.cite news | last = Byck | first = Peter | title = Oldham journeys back into acting | page = 5 | publisher = Scene | date = 2006-02-04 | url = http://www.dragcity.com/press/pimages/pressclips/sn11coujou.jpg | accessdate = 2007-05-08 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070710021356/ http://www.dragcity.com/press/pimages/pressclips/sn11coujou.jpg |archivedate = 2007-07-10 He has since had several minor roles in independent films, such as Julien Donkey-Boy (1999), Junebug (film)|Junebug (2005), and The Guatemalan Handshake (2006). Oldham took a lead role in Old Joy (film)|Old Joy , which was featured at SXSW|SXSW XX and opened at Film Forum|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. In 2009, he has been the narrator of "Madam and Little Boy", a documentary film about atomic weapons directed by Swedish artist Magnus Bärtås . In 2010, Oldham had a small part in Jackass 3D as a gorilla trainer. Oldham revealed that he had to write a theme song in the style of a Saturday morning cartoon show for filmmaker Lance Bangs ' life to get the role. http://www.buzzgrinder.com/2011/will-oldham-new-album-jackass-3d/ Will Oldham Discusses Jackass 3D, Working on ‘Blueprints’ for New Album. Buzzgrinder.com (2011-03-09). Retrieved on 2012-05-04.
Filmography
Matewan (1987), directed by John Sayles
''Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure (1989) (TV movie)
Julien Donkey-Boy (1999) (uncredited role), directed by Harmony Korine
Slitch (2003), directed by Dianne Bellino
Tripping with Caveh (2004), directed by Caveh Zahedi
Junebug (film)|Junebug (2005)
The Guatemalan Handshake (2006)
Old Joy (film)|Old Joy (2006)
Trapped in the Closet - Chapter 15 (2007)
Wendy and Lucy (2008)
Madam and Little Boy (2009)
Jackass 3D (2010)
Pioneer (2011)
Photography
Will Oldham shot the black-and-white cover photograph of Slint 's 1991 album Spiderland . The photo depicts members of the band treading water in the lake of an abandoned quarry.McCarthy, Shannon. " http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608004609/Slint.html Slint Lyrics and Biography" Musicianguide.com. Retrieved on 25 November 2007.
Oldham also featured as guest aesthetic designer for the North American literary magazine Zoetrope All Story (vol 11, no 1) in 2007. In a note contained in the issue, he jokes that it would be "really magnificent to imagine this issue as a cocktail party at which all of the contributors, word and image, are present. add a bowl of keys and some mushroom cookies and i am there. sic"
Will Oldham Persondata|NAME=Oldham, Will |ALTERNATIVE NAMES= |SHORT DESCRIPTION=American singer-songwriter and actor |DATE OF BIRTH=December 24, 1970 |PLACE OF BIRTH= |DATE OF DEATH= |PLACE OF DEATH=
DEFAULTSORT:Oldham, Will Category:1970 births Category:American alternative country singers Category:American country guitarists Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American folk guitarists Category:American folk singers Category:Brown University alumni Category:Drag City artists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Kentucky Category:People from Louisville, Kentucky
