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Willie Nile
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Willie Nile | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Robert Noonan | |
| Born | 1949 | |
| Origin |  Buffalo, NY, USA |
|
| Genre(s) | Folk, Alternative, Rock | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer/Songwriter | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Harmonica | |
| Years active | 1976-present | |
| Label(s) | Arista, Columbia, 02:59 | |
| Website | WillieNile.com | |
During the 1980’s, New York City-based singer-songwriter Willie Nile released two albums on Arista Records, "Willie Nile" and "Golden Down," and toured with The Who during one of their reunion tours across the U.S. Nile has recorded and performed with Roger McGuinn, Richard Thompson, Ringo Starr, Tori Amos, Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, and Barenaked Ladies. A live Central Park concert, "Willie Nile-Archive Alive," was released on Archive Recordings, and Willie was one of the vocalists on the ensemble album, "Largo," along with Joan Osborne, Cyndi Lauper, Levon Helm, The Chieftains, Taj Mahal and Carole King. Another recent project found Nile writing and performing most of the songs for the soundtrack to the memorable Kevin McLaughlin film, "Pinch Me!"
The New York Times rock critic Robert Palmer said "he is one of the... singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene..." His fans are known to liken him to "a one-man Clash" as well as "the next Bob Dylan." His Columbia Records CD "Places I Have Never Been," contained the songs "Everybody Needs A Hammer" and "Heaven Help The Lonely," and his "Hard Times In America" EP became a favorite among some listeners in Europe. His songs have been recorded by numerous artists in many languages and his live performances are enjoyed by his fans.
Born (1949) Robert Noonan in Buffalo, New York, Willie Nile studied philosophy at the University of Buffalo before heading for Greenwich Village, determined to make a name for himself as a latter-day troubadour. That he did throughout the ’70s, becoming a fixture in the Village folk and rock scenes and getting tabbed as the next big thing to come out of that long-thriving artistic community. Writing in The New York Times, the great rock critic Robert Palmer called him “one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in years.”
He made his recording debut in 1980 with his acclaimed self-titled LP on Arista Records, following it a year later with Golden Down. He also opened the Who’s North American tour at the personal request of the band. In 1982, he signed to Geffen Records but got caught in record-biz limbo and didn’t manage to release another record until 1991, when Columbia issued Places I Have Never Been. With the EP Hard Times in America in 1992, which became a cult favorite throughout Europe, Nile finally managed to jump off the major-label hamster wheel. Gathering together his resources over time, he managed to put out his first self-released album, Beautiful Wreck of the World in 1999. In 2006, Nile released Streets of New York, which some consider to be his best work to date, due to quality production and clever songwriting.
- Robert Palmer, New York Times, July 29, 1978
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nile, Willie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Noonan, Robert A. (birth name) |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Rock and folk musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 194 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Buffalo, New York |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |