The Folksinger

A biography of The Folksinger

Bill was born and raised in the Midwestern United States. Except for one teen-age year in Denver, his childhood homes were Chicago (Il), Patterson (NJ), and Grand Rapids (MI). He picked up piano playing at an early age, and sang in local church, school and college choirs. During the 60’s, along with degrees in literature and the English language, he picked up the guitar and the 5-string banjo, and began blending the teaching of English with occasional public performances of a mixture of folk music and his own compositions.

In 1965 Bill and his wife, Nelle, and two sons, left the US for Nigeria, where they worked as teachers, translators, and musicians until 1980. Returning to the US for a three-year stay, now with four sons, Bill worked as a writer and editor for a textbook company and also traveled the North American continent, performing folksong concerts in hundreds of American and Canadian schools. In 1984, Bill and Nelle went back to Nigeria, where for several years Bill would be involved in directing a recording studio which assisted young Nigerian musicians in starting their performing and recording careers.

In 1992, Bill and Nelle left Nigeria for Cairo, Egypt, where they reside today. They have spent many years there as English language teachers, first for the Fulbright Commission, then for the American International School in Egypt, and still later for the Modern English School in Cairo. In 2003, Bill retired from the teaching of English, and spent time developing his own songs in his studio in Heliopolis, the suburb of Cairo in which Bill and Nelle llive. By September of 2005, however, he had become an adjunct professor of music in the department of Performing and Visual Arts at The American University in Cairo. There he now teaches courses in popular American music genres and in playing the guitar and piano by ear. Nelle keeps involved in music instruction too: she leads a weekly well-attended Scottish Country Dance group every Monday night in downtown Cairo.

Bill is primarily a folk singer, focusing on the wide range of old songs that came to the Americas from many traditions. But his tastes sometimes range beyond folk, and a concert might include 40’s jazz, blues, and romantic popular music as well. Bill performs occasional concerts in Cairo, Egypt, (see the gig page) and continues to create music in his studio. He and his wife plan to continue on as active retirees in Cairo, but at present that retirement looks a bit more like a full-time fun occupation. So if you are in Cairo keep your eye out for him in the future. Or contact him through this site.