William Elliott Whitmore (born May 11, 1978) is an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

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, whi ...

, folk singer and musician. He plays roots-folk music that is often inspired by his life on his family farm in the hills of southeastern Iowa.

Early life and education

Whitmore grew up on a 160-acre horse farm in Lee County, Iowa, not far outside of Keokuk, Iowa. His parents, Elyse Whitmore (née Tweedy) and Harold Whitmore, were farmers, and the farm had been in his family since his third great grandfather, who was an immigrant from Ireland. After his parents died, he converted the farm to row crops, which he leases to a neighboring farmer so he can be on the road to perform. He has an older brother and sister. While he was growing up, the family was musical, with his dad playing the guitar, his mother playing the accordion and piano, and both his paternal and maternal grandfathers playing the banjo.

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American singer, guitarist, and professional baseball player. His greatest musical success came in the early to mid-1970s, when he was the best-selling performer for RCA Rec ...

and

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and ''Stardust'' (1978 ...

were huge influences growing up. Whitmore sang from his earliest years, but when he was a teenager he began playing guitar, then eventually the banjo. In addition to playing locally with a cousin, Whitmore, after a short stint in San Francisco, moved to

Iowa City Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...

and got involved in the punk rock and the DIY scene, forming a band called Lost Cause. In 1996, Whitmore graduated from

Central Lee High School Central Lee High School is a rural public high school located in Donnellson, Iowa, in Lee County. It is part of the Central Lee Community School District. Central Lee's mascots are the Hawks and Lady Hawks. Central Lee High School draws s ...

in Donnellson, Iowa.

Career

When he was first starting out, Whitmore was a roadie for an

punk band called Ten Grand, but he eventually started performing as an opener for the band and toured extensively with Ten Grand. This led to him getting signed to the Chicago-based office of

Southern Records Founded 1992 by John Loder, Southern Records is an independent record label (Loder also ran the recording facility Southern Studios). It is based in London and until 2008 had offices in the United States, France and Berlin. The label is close ...

. Whitmore said he turned to songwriting as a way to deal with the deaths of his parents, who died within a few years of each other, and the deaths of his grandparents. Whitmore built a long-term relationship with

, releasing three records on the label. The three records on Southern, 2003's ''Hymns for the Hopeless,'' 2005's ''Ashes to Dust,'' and 2006's ''Song of the Blackbird,'' were a trilogy that were focused on death and his experience processing the deaths of those close to him. He recorded the records with Mike Lust at Phantom Manor in Chicago. In 2009, Whitmore signed with mini-major

ANTI- Anti- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label to Epitaph Records. While Epitaph's focus has mostly been on punk rock, Anti-'s roster includes gospel (Mavis Staples), country (Merle Haggard), hip hop (Sage Francis, The Cou ...

, where he released three records. The first record for ANTI-, 2009's ''Animals in the Dark,'' was a concept album. It reached Number 50 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' Heatseekers

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent ...

. The song, "Civilizations" off his 2015 record, ''Radium Death,'' is about how an

oil pipeline Pipeline transport is the long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas through a system of pipes—a pipeline—typically to a market area for consumption. The latest data from 2014 gives a total of slightly less than of pipeline in 120 count ...

running from South Dakota to Illinois was going to go through his grandmother's property on their farm. In April 2018, Whitmore signed with

Bloodshot Records Bloodshot Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, which specializes in alternative country. History Bloodshot Records was founded in 1994 by Nan Warshaw, Rob Miller, and Eric Babcock, who knew each other from jobs i ...

, with a new release expected in the fall of 2018. The 2018 record is a covers record called ''Kilonova.'' Covers include songs by

Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He had several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including " Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), " Grandma's Hands" (1971), " Use Me" (197 ...

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...

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 c ...

The Magnetic Fields The Magnetic Fields (named after the André Breton/Philippe Soupault novel '' Les Champs Magnétiques'') are an American band founded and led by Stephin Merritt. Merritt is the group's primary songwriter, producer, and vocalist, as well as fr ...

, and

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sou ...

. Whitmore has toured with

Chris Cornell Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American singer and musician best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist and songwriter for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave ...

City and Colour Dallas Michael John Albert Green (born September 29, 1980) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who records under the name City and Colour. He is also known for his contributions as a singer, rhythm guitarist and songwr ...

Murder by Death ''Murder by Death'' is a 1976 American comedy mystery film directed by Robert Moore and written by Neil Simon. The film stars Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Elsa Lanchester, David Niven, Peter Sellers, M ...

Clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...

, Lucero,

Converge Converge may refer to: * Converge (band), American hardcore punk band * Converge (Baptist denomination), American national evangelical Baptist body * Limit (mathematics) * Converge ICT, internet service provider in the Philippines *CONVERGE CFD s ...

, Red Sparowes,

Modern Life is War Modern Life Is War is an American hardcore punk band formed in Marshalltown, Iowa in 2002. During Modern Life Is War's six-year original run, the band released three full-length albums and one self-titled 7" EP. Despite a growing profile on the ...

Frontier Ruckus Frontier Ruckus is an American band from Michigan. The project is centered on the lyrically intensive songs of Matthew Milia, and was formed by Milia and banjo player David Winston Jones while growing up in Metro Detroit. In 2008, the band release ...

, Frank Turner, Esmé Patterson and

The Low Anthem The Low Anthem is a band from Providence, Rhode Island formed in 2006 by friends Ben Knox Miller and Jeff Prystowsky. The current lineup consists of Knox Miller (vocals, guitars, trumpets, saws), Prystowsky (vocals, drums, double basses, synths), ...

. His live act features Whitmore's distinctive deep

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...

voice, and features Whitmore playing the banjo or guitar while singing, though on occasion he performs

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

. He sometimes tours with a full band, but often plays roots-folk music as a solo act. Whitmore has a long-term musical relationship with his cousin Luke Tweedy, head engineer and producer at Iowa City's Flat Black Studios.

Middle Western

In 2016, Whitmore and musician and producer David Zollo formed the folk band Middle Western. An upcoming record is planned. Other members of Middle Western include Stephen Howard (guitar, bass), Stevie Doyle (guitar, bass), and Brian Cooper (drums).

Personal life

Whitmore is married and lives on the farm where he grew up. His daughter was born in March 2020. Whitmore has stated that he is an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

Discography

Albums

* 1999: ''The Jarrett Mitchell Demo Album'' (self-released) * 2001: ''Calendar Club of Danger and Fun'' (self-released) * 2003: ''Hymns for the Hopeless'' (

) * 2005: '' Ashes to Dust'' (

) * 2006: ''Song of the Blackbird'' (

) * 2009: ''Animals in the Dark'' (

) * 2011: ''

Field Songs ''Field Songs'' is the fifth solo album by Mark Lanegan, released in 2001 on the Beggars Banquet label. Recording The two largest instrumental contributors are Mike Johnson and Ben Shepherd, the latter co-writing "Blues for D" with the singer. ...

'' (

) * 2015: ''Radium Death'' (

) * 2018: ''Kilonova'' (

) * 2020: ''I'm With You'' (

) Middle Western * 2018: ''When Your Demons are Underground and You’ve Got to Dig Them Up'' (Long Play Records)

Singles/EPs

* 2004: ''The Day The End Finally Came........'' 7" (

) – A: "The Day The End Finally Came / B1: "Does Me No Good," B2: "The Buzzard Won't Cry" * 2005: ''Latitudes: WEW'' EP (

) – Latitudes session recordings series

Compilations

* 2013: ''Early Years'' (Long Play Records) – 3 LP set of re-recorded and re-mastered versions of Whitmore's first three albums

Collaborations

* 2002: ''After The Gold Rush'' ( CCAC Wattis Institute) – music and book collaboration with artist

Jeremy Deller Jeremy Deller (born 30 March 1966) is an English conceptual, video and installation artist. Much of Deller's work is collaborative; it has a strong political aspect, in the subjects dealt with and also the devaluation of artistic ego through th ...

* 2004: ''Flaccid Trip / William E. Whitmore'' split (Scenester Credentials) – William Elliott Whitmore, "Somebody's Been Usin' That Thang" / FT (The Shadow Government), "Clique Track" * 2006: ''Hallways of Always'' EP (

) – with Jenny Hoyston of

Erase Errata Erase Errata was a band from San Francisco, California. The group favored improvisation as a compositional tool and each of their performances were a unique manifestation of established songs. History Erase Errata formed in Oakland, California ...

* 2010: ''Murder by Death & William Elliott Whitmore'' split ( Tent Show Records) –

, "One Man's Shame" / William Elliott Whitmore "Dynamite Mine" * 2011: ''William Elliott Whitmore / P.O.S. with Big Cats'' 7" vinyl split ( Init Records) – William Elliott Whitmore, "Country Blues" / POS with

Big Cats The term "big cat" is typically used to refer to any of the five living members of the genus '' Panthera'', namely the tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard, and snow leopard. Despite enormous differences in size, various cat species are quite similar ...

"Crack A Window" * 2015: ''No Eminent Domain'' 7" vinyl split (Long Play Records) – William Elliott Whitmore, "Civilizations" (Full Band Version)" / Hallways Of Always, "You Never Even Called Me by My Name" * 2016: ''Play Each Other's Songs'' 7" split (

) – William Elliott Whitmore, "Elysium" / Esmé Patterson, "Not Feeling Any Pain"

Contributions

* 2004: ''No Laws: Keep the Fuzz Off My Buzz'' 12" compilation (Modern Radio Records) – with Paradise Island, Let's Be Active, and FT (The Shadow Government); tracks: "I'm Building Me A Home" and "Farther Along" * 2005: ''When the Cat Returns the Mice Are Fucked'' compilation (

) – Various artists; track: "Midnight" * 2009: ''Hiram and Huddie – Vol. 1 & 2'' (Hillgrass Bluebilly Records) – 2-CD tribute to

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

and

Lead Belly Huddie William Ledbetter (; January 20, 1888 – December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk music, folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, Virtuoso, virtuosity on the twelve-string guita ...

; tracks: " Mother Is Gone" and " The Gallis (Gallows) Pole" * 2010: ''

Red Dead Redemption ''Red Dead Redemption'' is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. A spiritual successor to 2004's ''Red Dead Revolver'', it is the second game in the ''Red Dead'' series. ''Red Dead Redempt ...

'' video game soundtrack (Wax Poetics Records) – track: "Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie" * 2010: ''Germs of Perfection: A Tribute to Bad Religion'' (

MySpace Records MySpace Records was a record label founded in 2005 to sign artists who appeared on the social networking site Myspace. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Myspace, operating as a joint-venture between MySpace and Interscope Records. Distributio ...

in conjunction with ''Spin'' Magazine) – track: "Don't Pray on Me" * 2012: ''Iowa City Song Project'' (Maximum Ames Records) – track: "Run Johnny Run" * 2014: ''While No One Was Looking: Toasting 20 Years of Bloodshot Records'' (

) – track: “I Wish I Was the Moon” (

Neko Case Neko Richelle Case (; born September 8, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers. Case has a powerful, untrained contralto voice, which has been described by contemporaries and cri ...

cover)

References

External links

*
William Elliott Whitmore
at

William Elliott Whitmore
at

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitmore, William Elliott 1978 births American blues singers American blues guitarists American male guitarists American folk musicians Living people Singers from Iowa Guitarists from Iowa Bloodshot Records artists American banjoists 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American guitarists Anti- (record label) artists