Joseph Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded in collaboration with dozens of other musicians under variations of Palace (Palace, Palace Flophouse, Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music). After briefly publishing music under his own name, in 1998 he adopted Bonnie "Prince" Billy as the name for most of his work.

Early life and education

Oldham was born on January 15, 1970, in Louisville, Kentucky. His mother, Joanne Lei Will Tafel Oldham, was a teacher and artist. His father, Joseph Collins Oldham, was an attorney and photographer. Oldham graduated from the

J. Graham Brown School The J. Graham Brown School, usually called The Brown School, is a small magnet school located in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It has approximately 750 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, and attracts students from al ...

in 1988. He attended

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

sporadically while pursuing a career as an actor, and living between Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Bloomington, Indiana. He began making music during this time, initially as a project for his professor Jeff Todd Titon, an ethnomusicologist at Brown University.

Career

Oldham is known for his "

do-it-yourself "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi ...

punk aesthetic and blunt honesty", and his music has been likened to Americana, folk,

roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

, country, punk, and indie rock. He has been called an "

Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...

n post-punk

solipsist Solipsism (; ) is the philosophical idea that only one's mind is sure to exist. As an epistemological position, solipsism holds that knowledge of anything outside one's own mind is unsure; the external world and other minds cannot be known and ...

", with a voice that has been described as "a fragile sort-of warble frittering around haunted melodies in the American folk or country tradition." Oldham first performed and recorded under various permutations of the Palace name, including Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, Palace Music, and simply Palace. Regarding the name changes during this period (1993–1997), Oldham said: Will stated in a 1995 interview with

KCRW KCRW (89.9 MHz FM) is a National Public Radio member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to programm ...

that the name Palace Flophouse was inspired by reading

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...

's ''

Cannery Row Cannery Row is the waterfront street bordering the city of Pacific Grove, but officially in the New Monterey section of Monterey, California. It was the site of a number of now-defunct sardine canning factories. The last cannery closed in 19 ...

''. Beginning in 1998, Oldham has primarily used the moniker Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, which draws inspiration from several sources: He has explained that "the primary purpose of the pseudonym is to allow both the audience and the performer to have a relationship with the performer that is valid and unbreakable."

Critical reception

Some of his albums, such as ''

There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You ''There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You'' is the debut studio album by Will Oldham. It was released under the band name Palace Brothers on Drag City in 1993. Oldham is accompanied by several members of Louisville rock band Slint. Critical re ...

'' (1993), ''

Viva Last Blues ''Viva Last Blues'' is the third studio album by Will Oldham. It was released under the moniker Palace Music on Drag City in 1995. The album features Oldham on vocals and guitar, and was recorded by Steve Albini. Critical reception ''Pitchfork'' ...

'' (1995), and ''

I See a Darkness ''I See a Darkness'' is the sixth album by American musician Will Oldham, released on Palace Records on January 19, 1999 as the first album under the name Bonnie "Prince" Billy. The album features appearances from Bob Arellano, Colin Gagon, Paul ...

'' (1999), have appeared on greatest albums lists.

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

recorded a version of "I See a Darkness" on his American Recordings disc '' American III: Solitary Man'' (2000). Oldham provided backing vocals. Marianne Faithfull included Oldham's "A King at Night" on her 2003 ''Kissin Time'' tour.

Steve Adey Steve Adey (born in Great Barr, Birmingham) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. His music is characterised by slow tempos, minimalist arrangements, underpinned by piano and a rich baritone vocal. As of 2018 Adey has released three st ...

also covered "I See a Darkness" on his 2006 LP ''

All Things Real ''All Things Real'' is the debut album by English singer-songwriter Steve Adey. The album was released on 6 March 2006 through Grand Harmonium Records. The album comprises original compositions, plus covers of Bob Dylan's Shelter from the Storm ...

''.

Mark Kozelek Mark Edward Kozelek (born January 24, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and occasional actor. He is known as the vocalist and primary recording artist of the indie folk act Sun Kil Moon and founding member of ...

recorded a version of Oldham's "New Partner" on his 2008 disc, ''

The Finally LP ''The Finally LP'' is a compilation album by Mark Kozelek. The CD was released on December 9, 2008 via Caldo Verde Records. From the press release: The compilation includes a country-tinged version of "Lazy" by Low, "Bedtime Lullaby," which f ...

''. Katatonia covered "Oh How I Enjoy the Light" on their 2001 EP ''

Tonight's Music ''Tonight's Music'' is a song by Swedish heavy metal band Katatonia, released in 2001 as the only single from their fifth studio album ''Last Fair Deal Gone Down''. Track listing Note # "O How I Enjoy The Light" is cover version of Will Oldha ...

''. In 2009

Mark Lanegan Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the St ...

and Soulsavers recorded a cover version of "You Will Miss Me When I Burn". The release is a split single, backed with the Lanegan-penned "Sunrise" featuring vocals by Oldham. In 2011, Deer Tick's cover of Oldham's song "Death to Everyone" appeared in an episode of '' Hell On Wheels''.

Cadaverous Condition Cadaverous Condition are an extreme metal band from Austria, founded in 1990 by René Kramer and Wolfgang Weiss. Their style ranges from old school death metal to acoustic guitar songs with typical death metal growl vocals the band themselves de ...

covered "Black" on their ''To the Night Sky'' album (2006).

Acting

Film and television

Oldham's first film acting role was as the teen preacher in John Sayles's film '' Matewan'' (1987), a dramatization of the life of Appalachian mining community in the 1920s and the Battle of Matewan. Following this, he moved to Hollywood to pursue a career as an actor. He played the role of Chip McClure (father of Baby Jessica) in '' Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure'' (1989), and the role of Miles in the film ''

Thousand Pieces of Gold ''Thousand Pieces of Gold'' is a 1981 historical novel by Ruthanne Lum McCunn and based on the life of Polly Bemis, a 19th-century Chinese immigrant woman in the American Old West. In 1991, the novel was adapted into a film of the same name. P ...

'' (1991). Oldham also played minor roles in ''

Julien Donkey-Boy ''Julien Donkey-Boy'' is a 1999 American experimental drama film written and directed by Harmony Korine. The story concentrates on Julien, a man with schizophrenia, played by Scottish actor Ewen Bremner, and his dysfunctional family. The film als ...

'' (1999), '' Junebug'' (2005), and '' The Guatemalan Handshake'' (2006). In 2004, Oldham appeared as himself in the short documentary film ''Tripping With Caveh'', wherein he took psilocybin mushrooms with autobiographical filmmaker

Caveh Zahedi Caveh Zahedi (; born April 29, 1960) is an American film director and actor. Early years Zahedi was born in Washington, D.C., to Iranian immigrant parents. He studied philosophy at Yale University. Upon graduation, Zahedi moved to Paris, Fran ...

.'' New York Times'' article:
A Filmmaker Bared His Soul. It Ruined His Life
"Tripping With Caveh
on Caveh Zahedi's Vimeo page. The project was intended as the pilot episode of a reality/documentary series, with the concept being that Zahedi would take psychedelics in the company of a different celebrity in each episode. The project was never picked up by a television network, but the short with Oldham finally saw official release in the 2015 retrospective box set ''Digging My Own Grave: The Films of Caveh Zahedi''. Oldham played a lead role as Kurt in

Kelly Reichardt Kelly Reichardt (; born March 3, 1964) is an American film director and screenwriter. She is known for her minimalist films closely associated with slow cinema, many of which deal with working-class characters in small, rural communities. Reich ...

's film ''

Old Joy ''Old Joy'' is a 2006 American road movie written and directed by Kelly Reichardt and based on a short story by Jonathan Raymond. The original soundtrack for the film is by Yo La Tengo and included on the compilation soundtrack album '' They Shoo ...

'' (2006), and had a brief role in the director's next film '' Wendy and Lucy'' (2008). Oldham played Pastor Pigmeat in the "Horse Apples" episode of the second season of the

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

children's show Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early evenin ...

parody '' Wonder Showzen''. In 2007, he starred alongside

Zach Galifianakis Zachary Knight Galifianakis (born October 1, 1969) is an American actor and comedian. He appeared in ''Comedy Central Presents'' special and presented his show ''Late World with Zach'' on VH1. Galifianakis has starred in films including ''Th ...

in a music video for Kanye West's " Can't Tell Me Nothing". Also in 2010, Oldham appeared in ''

Jackass 3D ''Jackass 3D'' (known as ''Jackass 3'' on home media) is a 2010 American 3D reality comedy film directed by Jeff Tremaine. It is the third installment in the ''Jackass'' film series, and the sequel to ''Jackass Number Two'' (2006). The film sta ...

'' as a gorilla trainer. As part of an agreement to play that role, he wrote a theme song, in the style of a Saturday-morning cartoon show, for filmmaker

Lance Bangs Lance Bangs (born September 4, 1972) is an American filmmaker and music video director. He has created videos for Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Neutral Milk Hotel, Green Day, Arcade Fire, The Shins, The Thermals, Belle & Sebastian, Menomena, Yeah Yeah ...

. In 2017, Oldham appeared as "Prognosticator" in the feature film A Ghost Story, directed by David Lowery.

Voice work

In 2009, Oldham narrated ''Madam and Little Boy'', a documentary film about atomic weapons, directed by Swedish artist Magnus Bärtås. In 2010, Oldham narrated ''Music Makes a City'', a documentary about the formation of the Louisville Orchestra, directed by Owsley Brown III and Jerome Hiler. Oldham provided voice work and inspiration for the character "Will" in the video game ''

Kentucky Route Zero ''Kentucky Route Zero'' is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Cardboard Computer and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was first revealed in 2011 via the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter and is separated into five acts tha ...

'', released in 2013.

Personal life

He married the textile artist Elsa Hansen Oldham in 2016. They had a child together in 2018.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' – Palace Brothers (1993) * ''

Days in the Wake ''Days in the Wake'' is the second studio album by Will Oldham. It was released under the moniker Palace Brothers on Drag City in 1994. Original copies of the album were eponymous. Critical reception Mark Deming of AllMusic gave the album 4.5 ou ...

'' – Palace Brothers (1994) * ''

'' – Palace Music (1995) * ''

Arise Therefore ''Arise Therefore'' is the fourth studio album by Will Oldham. It was released in 1996 under the moniker Palace Music, although sometimes credited simply to "Palace". The album features David Grubbs, Ned Oldham, and a Mayatone drum machine credited ...

'' – Palace Music (1996) * '' Joya'' – Will Oldham (1997) * ''

'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (1999) * ''

Ease Down the Road ''Ease Down the Road'' is the seventh studio album by American musician Will Oldham, and the second under his moniker Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. It was released on Palace Records on March 19, 2001. Domino Recording Company also released a UK limited e ...

'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2001) * ''

Master and Everyone ''Master and Everyone'' is a 2003 studio album by Will Oldham, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. It was released on Drag City (record label), Drag City. Critical reception At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from main ...

'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2003) * ''

Sings Greatest Palace Music ''Bonnie 'Prince' Billy Sings Greatest Palace Music'' is a 2004 studio album by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. It features new recordings of songs from his Palace Music era (1993–1997), recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with a large group of country ...

'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2004) (reworkings of earlier songs) * ''

Superwolf ''Superwolf'' is a 2005 collaborative studio album by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Matt Sweeney. It was released on Drag City. Critical reception At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, ...

'' – Matt Sweeney & Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2005) * ''

The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by two mini-series in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing title in 2007. The focus of the series has varied ...

'' – Tortoise & Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2006) (covers album) * ''

The Letting Go ''The Letting Go'' is a 2006 studio album by Bonnie "Prince" Billy. It was released on Drag City. Production The album was recorded in Reykjavík, Iceland and produced by Valgeir Sigurðsson, who is known for his work with the Icelandic artist Bj ...

'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2006) * ''

Lie Down in the Light ''Lie Down in the Light'' is a studio album by Will Oldham. It was released under the moniker Bonnie "Prince" Billy on Drag City in 2008. Track listing Personnel Musicians * Will Oldham – music * Emmett Kelly Emmett Leo Kelly (December 9 ...

'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2008) * '' Beware'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2009) * ''

The Wonder Show of the World ''The Wonder Show of the World'' is a collaborative studio album by Bonnie "Prince" Billy & The Cairo Gang. It was released on Drag City in 2010. Production Will Oldham wrote the lyrics for the album, while Emmett Kelly wrote the music. Critic ...

'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy and the

Cairo Gang The Cairo Gang was a group of British intelligence agents who were sent to Dublin during the Irish War of Independence to conduct intelligence operations against prominent members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) with, according to Irish intel ...

(2010) * ''

Wolfroy Goes to Town ''Wolfroy Goes to Town'' is a studio album by Will Oldham. It was released under the name Bonnie "Prince" Billy on Drag City in 2011. Critical reception Critical response to ''Wolfroy Goes to Town'' was generally positive. At ''Metacritic'', wh ...

'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2011) * ''

Bonnie "Prince" Billy Joseph Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded in collaboration with dozens of other musicians under variations of Palace (Palace, Palace Flophouse, Palace Br ...

'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2013) (EP) * ''Singer's Grave – A Sea of Tongues'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2014) (reworkings of songs from ''Wolfroy Goes to Town'') * ''Epic Jammers and Fortunate Little Ditties'' –

Bitchin Bajas Bitchin' Bajas is a band operated as a side-project by Cooper Crain, who is also guitarist/organist of the band Cave. The other members are Dan Quinlivan and Rob Frye. Their first album, ''Tones & Zones'', was released in 2010. They have recor ...

and Bonnie Prince Billy (2016) * ''Best Troubador'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2017) (covers of Merle Haggard songs) * ''Wolf of the Cosmos'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2017) (cover of ''

Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos ''Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos'' (released August 20, 2007 in Oslo, Norway) is the third album by Susanna, also known as Susanna and the Magical Orchestra, released on the label Rune Grammofon (RCD 2066). Background This is the first album release ...

'' by Susanna) * ''Songs of Love and Horror'' – Will Oldham (2018) (reworkings of earlier songs) * '' I Made a Place'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2019) * ''Superwolves'' – Matt Sweeney & Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2021) * ''

Blind Date Party ''Blind Date Party'' is a collaborative studio album by Bill Callahan (musician), Bill Callahan and Bonnie "Prince" Billy, released on December 10, 2021, via Drag City (record label), Drag City. The project consists of Cover version, covers of oth ...

'' – Bill Callahan & Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2022)

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

Bonnie "Prince" Billy
official website * (includes links to alias profiles/discographies)
Will Oldham
at Drag City (record label)
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
at Domino Records (record label) * *

by

Colin Cheney Colin Cheney (born 1978 Boston, Massachusetts) is an American poet. His debut collection, ''Here Be Monsters'', was selected for the National Poetry Series in 2009. His work has appeared in many publications including ''American Poetry Review, Cr ...

, 2004
"The Pretender: Will Oldham transfigures American music"
by Kelefa Sanneh in '' The New Yorker'', 2009
Interview with Oldham
at Music Illuminati, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Oldham, Will 1970 births American alternative country singers American country guitarists American country singer-songwriters American folk guitarists American male singer-songwriters American male guitarists American folk singers Brown University alumni Drag City (record label) artists Domino Recording Company artists Gothic country musicians Living people Musicians from Louisville, Kentucky Country musicians from Kentucky Singer-songwriters from Kentucky Folk musicians from Kentucky J. Graham Brown School alumni Guitarists from Kentucky Silver Jews members Boxhead Ensemble members 21st-century American singers 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male singers Western Vinyl artists Record Collection artists