Bill Deasy is a singer-songwriter, recording artist and author born and raised in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, Pennsylvania. In the late 1980s, Deasy's musical start blossomed at open stages in and around Pittsburgh. Within a few years Deasy and his band, Shiloh, outscored

Rusted Root Rusted Root is an American worldbeat rock band formed in 1990 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by singer-guitarist Michael Glabicki (born January 21, 1971), bassist Patrick Norman and percussionist Liz Berlin. The band got its start as the house band ...

to win the 1991 Graffiti Rock Challenge, a local Pittsburgh competition.Hayes, John
Bill Deasy writes country tunes while still performing his own folk-rock songs.
''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', December 30, 2003. Retrieved December 2, 2008. By the mid-90s, with Shiloh defunct, a new group emerged and Deasy became the lead singer-songwriter of

The Gathering Field The Gathering Field are an United States, American rock quartet from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who recorded five albums from 1994 until 2001. They went on hiatus in 2002 and reunited in 2013. History Formation The Gathering Field legacy bega ...

, whose regional hit "Lost in America", from an album by the same name, led to a deal with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

in 1996. After parting ways with Atlantic, The Gathering Field released three more albums: ''Reliance'', the self-titled ''The Gathering Field'' and ''So Close To Home''. During that time Deasy also released a semi-acoustic solo album, '' Spring Lies Waiting''.Masley, Ed
The Buzz: Bill Deasy took a quiet approach in creating his solo album.
''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', December 8, 1999. Retrieved November 25, 2008.

did not record for several years during which time Deasy continued to record and perform as mostly a solo act.Zuchowski, Dave
Deasy bringing band to Uptown.
''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 17, 2005. Retrieved November 25, 2008. In 2014, The Gathering Field reunited for their release ''Wild Journey'' and in 2017 Deasy and Gathering Field band-mate Dave Brown released ''Glory Bound''.

Career

''Spring Lies Waiting'' was Deasy's first solo effort, made while The Gathering Field was still together and produced by the band's lead guitarist and producer, Dave Brown.
'' Good Day No Rain'' followed as Deasy's first official release as a solo artist on his own Bound To Be Records label. Four of the songs on the CD were produced by

Gregg Wattenberg Gregg Wattenberg is a Grammy Award nominated songwriter, music producer, and musician residing in New York City, New York. Work Gregg Wattenberg has co-written and/or co-produced eight No. 1 hit songs that reached the top of Billboard Hot AC, Adu ...

and the balance co-produced by Deasy and Dave McNair.Behe, Regis
Bill Deasy set to release 'happier' solo CD.
''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', March 25, 2003. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
'' Chasing Down a Spark'' was the follow-up to the 2003 release ''Good Day No Rain''. The CD was produced by Kevin Salem and mixed by Joe Blaney. The majority of the new CD was recorded in

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

and New York City and features guitar work from

The Clarks The Clarks are an American rock band from the Pittsburgh region, originating at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Over the course of thirty-plus years, they have produced eleven studio albums, two live albums, 2 compilation albums, an EP, and f ...

’ Rob James and producer Kevin Salem. Two members of Deasy's Pittsburgh-based band, Scott Tamulinas and Dave Throckmorton provide bass and drums, respectively. Other session players were Rob Arthur on keyboards, Oli Kraus on cello and

David Mansfield David Mansfield (born September 13, 1956) is an American musician and composer. Mansfield was raised in Leonia, New Jersey. His father, Newton Mansfield was a first violinist in the New York Philharmonic. David played guitar, pedal steel guitar ...

on pedal steel and violin. The CD also features guest appearances by

Donnie Iris Donnie Iris (born Dominic Ierace, February 28, 1943) is an American rock musician known for his work with the Jaggerz and Wild Cherry during the 1970s, and for his solo career beginning in the 1980s with his band, the Cruisers. He wrote the ...

, The Clarks’ Scott Blasey,

Rachael Yamagata Rachael Yamagata (born September 23, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist from Arlington, Virginia. She began her musical career with the band Bumpus before becoming a solo artist and releasing five EPs and four studio albums. Her ...

and

Maia Sharp Maia Sharp is an American singer and songwriter. In addition to her solo career, she has written songs for and collaborated with several country and pop musicians including Cher, Trisha Yearwood, Terri Clark, Bonnie Raitt, Edwin McCain, and Art ...

.Masley, Ed
Concert Preview: Bill Deasy hopes new record takes his career to next level.
''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', July 14, 2005. Retrieved Nov. 25. 2008.Behe, Regis

''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', July 16, 2005. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
''The Miles'' was Deasy's first self-produced recording, released in July 2007. Recorded in Pittsburgh, it features members of the Bill Deasy band and a guest appearance by Los Angeles singer-songwriter Renee Stahl.Behe, Regis

''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', September 6, 2007. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
''Drain Tapes, Volume 1'' is a 7-song EP containing acoustic demos of songs not previously recorded. Songs include "Better Than Never at All," "Somebody Else’s Town" and "The Light I See."Masley, Ed
Bill Deasy taps into archives with 'Drain Tapes'.
''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', November 26, 2004. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
In 2003 Deasy wrote "Learning to Fall" with Odie Blackmon, that was recorded by

Martina McBride Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, born July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material. McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and relocat ...

for her album Martina.
In September 2007 Deasy wrote and performed the promotional piece "Your Home" for

TV Station, KDKA.
In November 2008 Deasy released ''A Different Kind of Wild'', a collection of "heartfelt and earnest" songs that include him playing keyboards for the first time. The collection of ten songs is another "thoughtful and intimate"Mervis, Scott
Deasy gets to the heart of songs with new record.
''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', November 20, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2008. record on which Deasy penned nine of the ten songs without collaboration. One year later, Deasy released his sixth full-length solo CD ''Being Normal''. One review of the CD states: "The full-band instrumentation on ''Being Normal'' is flavorful without being overbearing." In 2013 Deasy released ''Start Again,'' a record that he says is a reflection of the musicians who first inspired him such as

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

and

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...

. Produced by Chris Parker, the album includes songs co-written with Odie Blackmon and

Kim Richey Kimberly Richey (born December 1, 1956) is an American singer and songwriter. Career Kim Richey came onto the music scene in the 1990s and entered her first recording contract at the age of 37. Kim signed with Mercury Nashville. She spent the n ...

. Once again

is a guest vocalist.Mervis, Scott
Singer-songwriter Bill Deasy recommits to his roots on 'Start Again'.
''The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 25, 2013.

Collaborations

Although Deasy pens the majority of his own material by himself, some collaborations do appear on the full-length CDs cited in this discography and the Gathering Field's ''Reliance'' album. Among the co-writers represented are Odie Blackmon,

Paul Brady Paul Joseph Brady (born 19 May 1947) is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician from Strabane, Northern Ireland. His work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age. Initially popular for playing ...

, Molly Bancroft and

Teitur Teitur () is a male given name. In Old Norse the word means ''happy''. In Modern Faroese, it is archaic but used as a male given name. People * Teitur Gestsson (born 1992), Faroese football player and goalkeeper *Teitur Lassen (born 1977), a music ...

. However, Deasy collaborates more frequently when he is writing for artists other than himself. Some of these songs have appeared on albums by

Bijou Phillips Bijou Lilly Phillips Masterson (born April 1, 1980) is an American actress, model and singer. The daughter of musician John Phillips and Geneviève Waïte, she began her career as a model. Phillips made her singing debut with '' I'd Rather Ea ...

, Howard Jones,

Billy Ray Cyrus Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and ...

and

Michael Stanley Michael Stanley (born Michael Stanley Gee; March 25, 1948 – March 5, 2021) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, radio and television personality. Both as a solo artist and with the Michael Stanley Band (MSB), his brand of heartland r ...

. He has written with songwriters such as Mark Hudson, Darrell Brown, Richie Supa, Stephen Bishop,

Jane Wiedlin Jane Marie Genevieve Wiedlin (born May 20, 1958) is an American musician and singer, best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist of the new wave music, new wave band The The Go-Go's, Go-Go's. She has also had a successful ...

and Jamie Houston. In 2001, during a trip to Nashville, Deasy and Larry Gottlieb wrote a song called "Good Things are Happening". A demo of the song was submitted to the television show ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...

'' and was selected to appear as part of a promotional campaign. The 10-week campaign was extended for four years and the song became known as the Good Morning America theme song. Behe, Regis
'Good Things are Happening' for Gathering Field's Deasy.
''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', September 15, 2002. Retrieved November 26, 2008. In early 2007 Deasy joined creative forces with Rick Jacques, formerly a guitarist in the Pittsburgh band Brownie Mary. Within a few months Deasy and Jacques had co-written a handful of songs. Continuing their collaboration, the result was a "shimmering studio product"Behe, Regis

''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', May 8, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2008. titled ''The Invisible Ocean'' released in early 2008. The duo chose to release the CD under the name ''Thomas Jefferson's Aeroplane'' which, Deasy says, was sparked by a discussion about the book '' The Disappearance of the Universe'' which stated that Thomas Jefferson had his own version of the bible.Mervis, Scott.
Music Preview: Bill Deasy and Rich Jacques pilot Thomas Jefferson's Aeroplane Ready for takeoff.
''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', May 8, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2008.

Published works

Deasy's debut novel, '' Ransom Seaborn'', was published to in August 2006 by Velluminous Press. The novel was the recipient of the 2006 Needle Award. One reviewer said, "There's no shortage of

coming-of-age novel In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood ( coming of age), in which character change is imp ...

s, so any addition to the genre best have something unique about it. Bill Deasy's debut, ''Ransom Seaborn'', has an original premise, one amazingly eccentric character and some solid writing to recommend." Velluminous published Deasy's second novel, ''Traveling Clothes,'' in October 2009. The third novel in the trilogy – ''Ghost Tree'' – was published in 2010.Amazon.com
Bill Deasy: Ghost Tree.
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Interesting facts

– The song "Levi" was inspired by getting his hair washed before a haircut in New York City. The salon was located on the second floor, hence the beginning line: "I was baptized by Levi in a second floor sink". He finished composing the bulk of the song on a subway back downtown. – Deasy tours across the country as a headlining act but has also opened up for artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan,

Rosanne Cash Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash and Vivian Liberto Cash Distin, Johnny Cash's first wife. Although she is often classified as a country art ...

Patty Griffin Patricia Jean Griffin (born March 16, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician.Griffin, Patrici She is a vocalist and plays guitar and piano. She is known for her stripped-down songwriting style in the folk music genre. Her songs ha ...

John Hiatt John Robert Hiatt (born August 20, 1952) is an American singer-songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including new wave, blues, and country. Hiatt has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards and has been awarded ...

World Party World Party were a British musical group, which was essentially the solo project of its sole member, Karl Wallinger. He started the band in 1986 in London after leaving the Waterboys. Career After a stint as musical director of a West End pe ...

Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...

and the late

Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (; January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician. Zevon's most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money", and " Roland the Headless Tho ...

Discography

References

External links

Bill Deasy official website

Bill Deasy on MySpace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deasy, Bill 1966 births Living people Writers from Pittsburgh Musicians from Pittsburgh Singer-songwriters from Pennsylvania Central Catholic High School (Pittsburgh) alumni