BILL SOLLY has been writing songs, musicals and plays for over 50 years.
He has released five CDs of his songs: The World’s in Rhyme, Sing Me, Let Me Give You a Lift and I Could Fall in Love (otherwise known as Bill Solly’s Greatest hits, Volume 1,2,3 & 4 respectively), and Gay Friendly, a collection of gay-related songs, two of which will appear in the new 2006 movie, Dorm Daze 2.
In Canada he contributed to My Fur Lady, Jubilee, Spring Thaw, Clap Hands, and many CBC radio and TV shows including Maple Sauce with Robert Goulet. In England he wrote for Maurice Chevalier, Petula Clark, June Whitfield, Libby Morris, Dusty Springfield, Annie Ross, Danny La Rue, Marty Feldman, Matt Monro, Ronnie Corbett, Brigitte Bardot, Max Bygraves, Charles Aznavour and George Burns, and had five productions in the West End: Sweet William, Ad Lib, Queen Passionella and the Sleeping Beauty, Danny La Rue at the Palace and The Great American Backstage Musical. The latter (book co-authored by Donald Ward) originated in Los Angeles, has since been produced in theatres across the US including Goodspeed Opera House, and is available through Samuel French. With co-author Ward he has had six other musicals in New York including the 1975 Off Broadway hit Boy Meets Boy, recently revived in South Africa, San Francisco, Boyse, Houston, Sacramento, and in New York by the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus and Doric Wilson’s Tosos II. (Productions of Boy Meets Boy are handled by the Bret Adams Agency, 448 West 44 Street, New York, NY 10036.) Solly & Ward’s other musicals include Come North Come Home (produced Off Broadway in 1974 under the title 100 Miles From Nowhere), a newly revised Sweet William, Mrs Moses, Stars ‘n Stripes and The Snow Queen. On his own Solly has written many musicals for children of which the best-known is The Cat in the Castle (available through Bakers Plays in Boston), and in New York he runs BSCT (the Bill Solly Children’s Theatre). His other theatre credits include a revue of his songs, Solly’s Follies, three plays, The Ruby Slippers (co-authored by Neil Kennedy), The Patchwork Prince and Fall Colors, and a new musical based on the songs on the CD Gay Friendly.
He has also written two novels, The Presence of Rain and Metro-Goldwyn-Murder. Bill Solly is a member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild.
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