Album Notes

The early years were spent in Chicago and suburban folk clubs. The coffeehouse circuit in college towns and on university campuses came next. It was in these places he met some like minded musicians and formed a band called Poker Flatts. That band turned out one of the first, if not the first, independently produced albums (we’re talking vinyl here) of all original, progressive country music in Illinois. In addition to the club scene, the band was featured at festivals like Steamboat Days in Burlington, Iowa, the Fort Madison Iowa Rodeo, the Heart of Illinois Fair and Chicagofest. Through the band’s touring and various means of distribution, that record was played on radio stations in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and far flung places like California, Arizona, Montana, Canada and even Europe. The band survived three incarnations before the final demise in 1984. That year brought a move to Petersburg, Illinois. More solo jobs and various stints as a guitar player in local country bands led to a job in the house band at Nashville North USA in Taylorville, Illinois. At that opry, Bill played over 300 shows as the opening act for country music’s new comers and all time greats. That band also played county fairs, town homecomings, the Decatur Celebration and the Summer Start Festival in Decatur. The end of that weekly grind gave time for charting a new course. The future is the past and the acoustic music roots that have always been there have begun to grow, again.