Bill Harley
BIOGRAPHY
Performance Formats: Solo
Photo: Tom Thurston
Bill Harley
songs and stories of wonder, irreverence, big trouble, and life's little moments
"Bill Harley takes his life and turns it into art. Sounds simple until you actually try to do it. That Harley's art seems so effortless only underscore his mastery."
— Nuvo Newsweekly
" … Harley's audiences are families, but it's hard to tell who enjoys him more — parents or children."
— Los Angeles Times
" … a champion yarn-spinner and tunesmith with a sense of wonder, whimsy and mischief … "
— The Washington Post
A Grammy Award-winning artist, Bill Harley is a musician, storyteller, author, and playwright who has carved out a reputation as one of the finest family performers in the United States. Equally comfortable with adult or family audiences, Harley's songs and stories are wise and witty, portraying contemporary American life with a slight off-center bent. For over 25 years Bill's work has spanned the generation gap, reminding us of our common humanity and challenging 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. Nominated four times for a Grammy, Harley won the award in 2007 for Best Spoken Word for Children. In 2001 he was inducted into the National Storytelling Network's Circle of Excellence and is a recipient of the Magic Penny Award from the Children's Music Network for his lifelong contributions towards bettering the lives of children through music.
As an artist, Bill has broad experience in education, having worked as an Artist in Residence with the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and the Massachusetts Arts Collaborative. His songs and stories have gained widespread use in classrooms throughout the country; Bill often keynotes at regional and national conferences speaking about school culture, writing, and the power of story and song at home and school. He maintains regular contact with teachers and students. Since the fall of 2003, Bill has been artist-in-residence at the Paul Cuffee School in Providence, RI, working with students and teachers on songwriting and storytelling. His work there has focused on the strengthening of community bonds and building the culture of the school. For three years Bill served as host for the RI Philharmonic Orchestra's Family Concert series. In Bill's writing, recording, performing and in his support of others, he has become a strong advocate for musical, literary, and cultural literacy for children and families.
Millions of adults know Bill's work from his regular commentaries on National Public Radio's news program, All Things Considered, which has aired his observations on topics ranging from family, education and parenting to hummingbirds, relativity, and rubber boots since 1991. Considered one of the premier storytellers in the country, Bill draws large audiences at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee and at many regional festivals across the country. Concerts are a subtle mix of humor, poignancy, and drama — universal life experiences.
As a recording artist, Harley stands out among his peers. Since 1984, Bill has been producing recordings for families that have become staples at home, in the classroom, the car and on mp3 players. Bill has the distinction of having won a national award for every one of his recordings. In addition to his Grammy nominations and award, he has received recognition from among others, the Parent's Choice Foundation, ALA (American Library Association), NAPPA (The National Parenting Publications Award) and AFIM (Association for Independent Music). His newest release, Yes To Running! Bill Harley Live, was recorded live in Missoula, MT in front of a packed audience and captures the essence of Bill's vibrant, hilarious, tender, and wise songwriting and storytelling in concert. The companion concert DVD was also featured as a PBS special.
Although, as Harley notes, "humor is my weapon," his material also has significant social content. In 2005 Harley was commissioned by the American Library Association to write a song for their national campaign, "@ Your Library," to encourage parents, children, and teachers to use their local libraries. In 1991 Harley produced an album of Freedom Songs from the civil rights movement, entitled, I'm Gonna Let it Shine, which was named one of the best recordings of the year by Entertainment Weekly.
In the last several years Bill has turned more of his energies towards the written page. He has twice been invited to the Sundance Institute's Playwright's Lab and written several plays and scripts for film. Recent theater projects of Bill's include a full-length play, My Sarajevo, set during the Bosnian war of the 1990's, and a retelling of a story from naturalist John Muir's life, Stickeen. A number of his stories and off-beat observations can be found in various anthologies and magazines. Among his picture books are Dirty Joe The Pirate: A True Story, Dear Santa, Sitting Down To Eat (which was selected as an ABA Pick of the list), and Sarah's Story (which received a Storytelling World Award). The Amazing Flight of Darius Frobisher, his first novel for elementary students, won several awards including Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year. He is currently working on a series of books featuring a lively fourth grade boy and his second novel, Night of the Spadefoot Toads, is due out in October of 2008.
Workshops, Master Classes, and Residency Activities
To Bill Harley, everything is educational, and his many workshops encourage participants to use their own lives as the foundation for expression in word and song. Bill is a captivating and knowledgeable workshop leader and is available to teach workshops on a wide variety of topics including Telling Personal Stories; Song and Story—A Natural Combination; Poems as Stories, Poems as Songs; and How to Think Like a Kid.
