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 Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. 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 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 Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, and

Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Indiana, Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside ...

. He began making music during this time, initially as a project for his professor

Jeff Todd Titon Jeff Todd Titon (born 1943) is a professor emeritus of music at Brown University. He holds the B.A. (1965) from Amherst College; and the M.A. (in English, 1970) and the Ph.D. (in American Studies, 1971) from the University of Minnesota. He taught Am ...

, 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 Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

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 A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

, and

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

. 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 ...

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

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 ...

", 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 1973 ...

''. 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'' (1993), '' Viva Last Blues'' (1995), and '' I See a Darkness'' (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 Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...

included Oldham's "A King at Night" on her 2003 ''Kissin Time'' tour. Steve Adey also covered "I See a Darkness" on his 2006 LP '' All Things Real''.

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 Katatonia are a Swedish heavy metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström. The band started as a studio-only project for the duo, as an outlet for the band's love of death metal. Increasing popularity led them to ...

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 Soulsavers (also known as The Soulsavers Soundsystem) is an English-American production and remix team composed of Rich Machin and Ian Glover. The Soulsavers' downtempo electronica sound incorporates influences of rock, gospel, soul, and country. ...

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 Hell on Wheels was the itinerant collection of flimsily assembled gambling houses, dance halls, saloons, and brothels that followed the army of Union Pacific railroad workers westward as they constructed the First transcontinental railroad in 186 ...

''.

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 John Thomas Sayles (born September 28, 1950) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and novelist. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, for ''Passion Fish'' (1992) and ''L ...

's film ''

Matewan ''Matewan'' () is a 1987 American drama film written and directed by John Sayles, and starring Chris Cooper (in his film debut), James Earl Jones, Mary McDonnell and Will Oldham, with David Strathairn, Kevin Tighe and Gordon Clapp in suppor ...

'' (1987), a dramatization of the life of Appalachian mining community in the 1920s and the

Battle of Matewan The Battle of Matewan (also known as the Matewan massacre) was a shootout in the town of Matewan in Mingo County and the Pocahontas Coalfield mining district, in southern West Virginia. It occurred on May 19, 1920 between local coal miners and t ...

. 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. ...

'' (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 ''The Guatemalan Handshake'' is a 2006 comedy-drama film, written and directed by Todd Rohal. It is Rohal's feature film debut. The film premiered at the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize. Story In the confusion followi ...

'' (2006). In 2004, Oldham appeared as himself in the short documentary film ''Tripping With Caveh'', wherein he took

psilocybin mushrooms Psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms, are a polyphyletic informal group of fungi that contain psilocybin which turns into psilocin upon ingestion. Biological genera containing psilocybin mushrooms include ''Psilocybe'', ''Pan ...

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 ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' article:
A Filmmaker Bared His Soul. It Ruined His Life
"Tripping With Caveh
on Caveh Zahedi's

Vimeo Vimeo, Inc. () is an American video hosting, sharing, and services platform provider headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices. Vimeo's business model is through software as ...

page. The project was intended as the pilot episode of a reality/documentary series, with the concept being that Zahedi would take

psychedelics Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

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 ''Wendy and Lucy'' is a 2008 American drama film directed by Kelly Reichardt. Reichardt and Jon Raymond adapted the screenplay from his short story ''Train Choir''. The film stars Michelle Williams as Wendy, a homeless woman who searches for her ...

'' (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 ''Wonder Showzen'' is an American adult sketch comedy television series that aired between 2005 and 2006 on MTV2. It was created by Vernon Chatman and John Lee of PFFR. Described as a children's television series for adults, the show's format ...

''. 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 Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

's "

Can't Tell Me Nothing "Can't Tell Me Nothing" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his third studio album, ''Graduation'' (2007). The song contains additional vocals from Young Jeezy and Connie Mitchell. It was produced by West with DJ Toomp with West be ...

". Also in 2010, Oldham appeared in '' Jackass 3D'' 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 Ye ...

. 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 The Louisville Orchestra is the primary orchestra in Louisville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1937 by Robert Whitney (1904–1986) and Charles Farnsley, Mayor of Louisville. The Louisville Orchestra employs salaried musicians, and offers a wide ...

, directed by Owsley Brown III and

Jerome Hiler Jerome Hiler (born 1943) is an American experimental filmmaker, painter and stained glass artist. Biography Hiler began his filmmaking career alongside Robert Cowan, as a projectionist at The Filmmaker Cinematheque at 125 West 41st St. in New ...

. Oldham provided voice work and inspiration for the character "Will" in the video game '' Kentucky Route Zero'', 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

* '' There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You'' – Palace Brothers (1993) * '' Days in the Wake'' – Palace Brothers (1994) * '' Viva Last Blues'' – 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 Joya may refer to: * ''Joyà'', a Cirque du Soleil show in Riviera Maya, Mexico * ''Joya'' (album), a 1997 album by Will Oldham * Joya (drink), a Mexican fruit soda brand owned by The Coca-Cola Company * Joya (singer), a R&B singer * Joya, India, ...

'' – Will Oldham (1997) * '' I See a Darkness'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (1999) * '' Ease Down the Road'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2001) * '' Master and Everyone'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2003) * '' Sings Greatest Palace Music'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2004) (reworkings of earlier songs) * '' Superwolf'' –

Matt Sweeney Matt Sweeney (born July 2, 1969) is an American musician and record producer best known as a guitarist of Skunk, Chavez, and supergroup Zwan. Early life and education Sweeney was born in New Jersey. His father was John D. Sweeney, a professo ...

& 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 Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a turtle shell, shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, ...

& Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2006) (covers album) * '' The Letting Go'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2006) * '' Lie Down in the Light'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2008) * '' Beware'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2009) * '' The Wonder Show of the World'' – 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'' – 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 and Bonnie Prince Billy (2016) * ''Best Troubador'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2017) (covers of

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...

songs) * ''Wolf of the Cosmos'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2017) (cover of '' Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos'' by Susanna) * ''Songs of Love and Horror'' – Will Oldham (2018) (reworkings of earlier songs) * ''

I Made a Place ''I Made a Place'' is a 2019 album by Bonnie "Prince" Billy, the stage name of American indie folk musician Will Oldham. It was released to positive critical reception. Recording The songs that make up ''I Made a Place'' were recorded by Oldham wi ...

'' – Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2019) * ''Superwolves'' –

& Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2021) * '' Blind Date Party'' – 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, 2004
"The Pretender: Will Oldham transfigures American music"
by

Kelefa Sanneh Kelefa T. Sanneh (born 1976) is an American journalist and music critic. From 2000 to 2008, he wrote for ''The New York Times'', covering the rock and roll, hip-hop, and pop music scenes. Since 2008 he has been a staff writer for ''The New Yorke ...

in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', 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