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

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, 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, bassist Patrick Norman and percussionist Liz Berlin. The band got its start as the house band playing a weekly gig in ...

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 is an 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 began in a burned-out th ...

, 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 the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

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

'' 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 an American record producer, based in New York City. Best known for his work with the alternative rock band Goo Goo Dolls, he has been nominated for a Grammy Award. Work Gregg Wattenberg has co-written and/or co-produced eigh ...

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

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 ...

’ 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 guita ...

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 (band), Wild Cherry during the 1970s and for his solo career beginning in the 1980s with his band, the Cruis ...

, The Clarks’ Scott Blasey,

Rachael Yamagata Rachael Amanda 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 album ...

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 G ...

.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, July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material. McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and relocated to Nashville, T ...

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 "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

and

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 30 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he had his ...

. 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. Early life Richey was born in Zanesville, Ohio, on December 1, 1956. She grew up in Kettering, Ohio, graduating from Fairmont East High school in 1973. Career Riche ...

. 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 musical ...

. 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 Mary Phillips Masterson (born April 1, 1980) is an American model, socialite, former actress and singer. The daughter of musicians John Phillips and Geneviève Waïte, she began her career as a model. Phillips made her singing debut wit ...

, Howard Jones,

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

and

Michael Stanley Michael Stanley (born Michael Stanley Gee; March 25, 1948 – March 5, 2021) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and radio and television personality. As a solo artist and with the Michael Stanley Band (MSB), and Michael Stanley and t ...

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

Jane Wiedlin Jane Wiedlin (born May 20, 1958) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actress, best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and backing vocalist of the new wave music, new wave band The Go-Go's. She voices Dusk, the drummer and ba ...

and Jamie Houston. In 2001, during a trip to Nashville, Deasy and

Larry Gottlieb Lawrence Bennett Gottlieb (born June 10, 1951, in Jackson Heights, New York, United States) is an American songwriter. Gottlieb has penned songs for Trisha Yearwood, Kim Richey and Kevin Montgomery, as well as penning Blue Öyster Cult's " Da ...

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 breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

'' 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 ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' ...

'' 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 Ransom Seaborn is the debut novel by singer-songwriter and recording artist Bill Deasy. The novel was published by Velluminous Press in 2006. Reception The Pittsburgh City Paper The ''Pittsburgh City Paper'' is Pittsburgh's leading alt ...

'', 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 () is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth and change of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood (coming of age). The term comes from the German words ('formation' or 'edu ...

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 his first wife, Vivian Cash. Although Cash is often classified as a country artist, her music draws f ...

Patty Griffin Patricia Jean Griffin (born March 16, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician.Griffin, Patricia 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 ...

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 music, new wave, blues, and country music, country. Hiatt has been nominated for nine Gramm ...

World Party World Party was a musical group, predominantly the solo project of its sole consistent member, the songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Karl Wallinger.

Norah Jones Norah Jones ( ; born Geethali Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She has won several awards for her music and, , has sold more than 53 million records worldwide. '' Billboard'' named her the top jazz artist of ...

and the late

Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer and songwriter. His most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money" and "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner". All t ...

Discography

References

External links

Bill Deasy official website

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