Bill Petterson

B I O

Bill Petterson brings to his songwriting and performances a rich and diverse musical background. His earliest endeavors across the United States and Canada led him to opening shows for David Bromberg, Bob Weir, Robin Trower, and Molly Hatchet. His first solo project, This Guy Walks Into a Bar, followed by Angell Road, brought with them such accolades as being voted Best Local Folk Act by readers and fans in the Providence Phoenix's 1997 Best Music Poll. In December 1996- Angell Road made the top five in Michael Caito's "Best Heard 'round Here" list of 1996 releases. Petterson's latest album, Parts & Labor, is currently in production.

A few of the artists that inspired Bill were The Beatles, Neil Young, Cat Stevens, Dire Straits, Dylan, Joe Jackson, and Elvis Costello. At age twenty, he went from college fraternity parties to touring New England and Canada, opening for acts like David Bromberg, Harry Chapin, and Leo Kottke. In 1980 Bill established his own band, Next Exit, and performed in New England, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area. In 1988, he returned home to his native Rhode Island and began work on his first solo album. This Guy Walks Into a Bar... was released in 1992. A song from this album, "If Your Heart Could Change Your Mind," was featured in the smoky bar room scene of the 1993 film In a Dark Corner.

Bill continued to perform regionally, opening for a variety of performers including Kathy Mattea, Emmylou Harris, Jim Lauderdale, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Paul Geremia. He then produced the all-acoustic Guess You Had to Be There, followed by his first full-length compact disc, Angell Road. In May 1997 Bill was voted "Best Local Folk Act" by readers of The Providence Phoenix.

Since then, Bill Petterson's tunes have sailed the airwaves across Europe, Australia and North America, while the single "Angell Road" was charted and spun in country dance clubs across the US. Performances at both intimate coffeehouses and larger concerts and festivals has found him sharing stages once again with artists such as the Tex-Mex folk queen Tish Hinojosa, Vance Gilbert, Al Stewart, Judy Collins, Anne Murray, Don McLean, and Jonathan Edwards. Bill's latest album, Parts and Labor is currently in production, and marks a return to his solo live acoustic sound.