CONTEST RESULTS OVER THE YEARS:

WildFlower! Festival Songwriter contest finalist 2003 & 2006 (VOTED AUDIENCE FAVORITE 2003!)
3 years chosen as Regional Award Winner at the Kerrville Folk Festival
2002 BW Stevenson finalist at Poor David's Pub, Dallas, TX
2002 IAMA Park Cities, UT Cheryl Wheeler Workshop award winner
2002 Northern California Songwriter's Association honorable mention
Rose Garden Coffeehouse Songwriter contest finalist in 2000 Mansfield, MA

"Imaginative songwriting and polished guitar ability, writes story songs (ala Harry Chapin), with a lyric/poetic emphasis on the struggles / tribulations / jubilations of life on earth."

- Linda Silas

"... Bill's songs of life and relationships and the journey into one's own soul will stick in your head and have you singing bits of them after the evening is over."

- Uncle Calvin's Coffeehouse

Bill Nash has been a musician all his life. He was a 5-year-old boy soprano, a 4th grade french hornist (played horn all through college), a 15-year-old beginning guitarist and then an 18-year-old guitar teacher, and a graduate of Bradley University's School of Music, majoring in composition studying under the tutelage of Professor Dean Howard, and an almost master's degree from time at the University of Colorado (just one semester short!). Bill began writing music and lyrics in his early teens and his roots are firmly embedded in what is now known as the singer/songwriter acoustic music genre. He has performed styles as diverse as rock 'n roll, fusion, country, polka, folk, and even old-time western music, ala the Sons of the Pioneers.

Bill has 2 albums currently available, Mostly True Stories (1996) and Runs With Scissors (1998), containing mostly original songs and a few cover tunes from some of his favorite songwriters. His songs range from love songs to heartbreak songs, from true stories to completely imaginative fabrications, from protest songs to environmental songs, and he even wrote a tribute song for Uncle Calvin's Coffeehouse in Dallas ("... the best coffee and hugs in town!"), where he has been a volunteer almost every Friday night since 1993. By the way, don't forget to listen to both CDs all the way to the end, there is a message from Putsie the cat on each!

On "Runs With Scissors", Bill was delighted to be joined by the likes of Dana Cooper (harmonica), Chris Gage (honky tonk piano), Marsha Webb (classical piano), Denny Allen (bass guitar and recording engineer), and Don Conoscenti (practically everything, from wailing guitars to drum set to flute to dumbeck to metal chair!), and a very special group of 6 lady singers he affectionately calls "The RollAides" (referenced from his song, "She Rolls", for which they sang beautiful backup harmonies).

Bill has been invited to sing background harmony on mainstage at the Kerrville Folk Festival many times, with fine musicians from Anne Hills to Michael McNevin to Tom Prasada-Rao to Jana Stanfield to Albert & Gage to Josh White Jr, and was 1 of 4 invited singer/songwriters at the Dallas Campfire show hosted by Emilie Aronson on the Threadgill Theater stage at Kerrville in 1996.

Discography
Mostly True Stories (1996)

Bill's first acoustic folk project, this album presents stories about his life that are all true... well, mostly. As mentioned in "James Dean's Genes," he had never driven a motorcycle - so the cover photo is an outright lie! :) Sparsely produced with only a few side musicians, these songs are all original and all very personal.

Song list: Open Book, Gentle Winds, Expectations, House of Rhapsody, Melissa and Michael, Snow Day, James Dean's Genes, Along This Road, Carry On, The Folly of it All, The Time is Too Short and Question (and hidden track of Putsie talking up a storm!)

Runs With Scissors (1998)

This album starts out rocking and takes the listener on a journey through joyful and tragic stories, and defines and redefines "home". In addition to Bill's 12 original tunes (2 of them instrumentals), he has included 3 songs by 3 of his favorite writer friends. Joined by many fine musicians, Bill shows his composer's ear and impressive talent for harmonies.

Song list: Runs With Scissors, Colorado, Erosion, I'm Not Drinking Today (Steve Fisher), She Rolls, I Choose, Come Home, Perfect Love's all in Your Head, Runs With Scissors II, Hoping to the Sky, Another Casualty of War, I Ain't Had a Good Day (George McAllister), Rain Song, A Touch of Gina, and I Count You My Friend (Buddy Mondlock) (and another small hidden track of Putsie!)

To be released soon: "Carpe Piscum" or "Seize the Fish" (NAME UNDER NEGOTIATION NOW!), containing 15 or 16 songs gleaned mostly from childhood and full of more true (or close to true ;^) stories!!

By the way, before I get in trouble with the loved ones... I GOT MARRIED SEPTEMBER 2, 2003! My wife's name is Patty and she has three lovely girls (one 22 and twin 16 year olds), and my house is full of estrogen! :) We met at an MS support group that I currently lead in Plano and we hit it off immediately... it's pretty nice! Hope you get to meet Patty soon...

Venues - from Texas to Arkansas to Massachusetts to Colorado!!

Acoustic Sounds Coffeehouse - Little Rock, AR
ACT House Concerts, at the Gentle Arms of Eden, Home for Wayward Women, Musician's Rest and Wildlife Retreat! - Wylie, TX
Alexander's Hideaway - Dallas, TX
Anderson Fair - Houston, TX
The Balcony Club - atop the Lakewood Theater, Dallas, TX
Beanstock Festival - Tom Bean, TX
Camp Can Do - MS retreat/campout, near Brenham, TX
Camp NashBill, Quiet Valley Ranch, TX
Cottonwood Art Festival - Richardson, TX
Dan's Bar - Denton, TX
First United Methodist Church - Lucas, TX
Flowers in the Desert - Brenham, TX
Folk Alliance Showcases at each of the Folk Alliances - Albuquerque, NM - Vancouver, BC - Jacksonville, FL - Nashville, TN - Austin, TX - Kerrville, TX
Gloria Dei Nights! Coffeehouse - Garland, TX
Infusions - McKinney, TX
Jefferson Freedom Cafe - Ft Worth, TX
Kerrville Folk Festival - Kerrville, TX
Kerrville College Songwriter's Contest 2003 (featured performer), UNT campus, Denton, TX
Live Oak Coffeehouse - Austin, TX
Main Street Coffee Haus - Garland, TX
Malvina's Coffeehouse - Carrollton, TX
Margaret's Occasional Salon - Dallas, TX
Millbend Coffeehouse - The Woodlands, TX
Mom and Dad's House Concert! - Joliet, IL
Old Church Coffeehouse - Clarksville, TX
Open Door Coffeehouse - Arlington, TX
Poor David's Pub - Deep Ellum, TX
Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Main Stage - Lyons, CO
Roland's Next Door - Jacksonville, TX
Rose Garden Coffeehouse - Mansfield, MA
Seville Stage - Harrison, AR
Uncle Calvin's Coffeehouse - Dallas, TX
Walden Coffeehouse - San Antonio, TX
WildFlower! Festival - Richardson, TX
Wildwood Coffeehouse - Tyler, TX


Shared stage with/opened for:

Adler and Hearne, Ann Armstrong, Albert and Gage, Emilie Aronson, the Banded Geckos, Annie Benjamin, Ken Bonfield, Jenny Bruce, Adam Carroll, Don Conoscenti, Stephanie Corby, Anni Clark, Cary Cooper, Dana Cooper, Damaris, Joe Ebel, Michael Elwood and Beth Galiger, Janet Feld, Eric Folkerth, Annie Gallup, LaDonna Goetz, Wayne Greene, Bill Haymes, Anne Hills, Todd Hoke, Bill Kahler, Karen Mal, Michael McNevin, Tracie Merchant, Lu Mitchell, Hunter Moore, Heidi Muller, Bill and Mary Muse, Megan Peters, Tom Prasada-Rao, Chuck Pyle, Alton Rex, David Roth, Eric Schwartz, Tom Noe & Linda Silas, Small Potatoes, Christopher Smith, Michael Smith, Johnsmith, Jana Stanfield, Jeff Talmadge, Bill Ward, Josh White Jr, Beth Wood

Email address: bill@putsieNOSPAMcat.com (take out the NOSPAM to send)

Mailing address:

B i l l N a s h
5 1 0 9 C a l u m e t D r
P l a n o, T X 7 5 0 2 3
Home phone: ( 9 7 2 ) 6 1 2 - 0 1 9 4
Cell phone: ( 9 7 2 ) 9 7 9 - 8 2 6 4

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