Bill Stevenson (born 1947) is a Canadian

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

pianist, vocalist and songwriter, originally associated with the band Earth Opera, whose career in music has spanned over forty years.

Biography

Stevenson commenced his music career in Ottawa, Ontario, where he spent his childhood and adolescence. While still in his teens, he joined the band Earth Opera, originally based in Boston. Stevenson left the band in 1968, after the release of their first album. During Stevenson's time with Earth Opera, the band frequently opened for

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

, being fellow recording artists on

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

, as well as having

Jac Holzman Jac Holzman (born September 15, 1931) is an American record executive. He is the founder of the record labels Elektra Records and Nonesuch Records. Holzman helped commercially launch the CD and home video formats, as well as the pilot program wh ...

as producer. After leaving Earth Opera, Stevenson returned to Ottawa, where he continued to play locally for a number of years. One of his associations was as an early member of Heaven's Radio, considered to be one of the best bands to come out of Ottawa in the 1970s. As of the mid-1970s, Stevenson relocated to

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

, from which his career has been based since. During his career, Stevenson has worked with many notable artists, including

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues that he develo ...

Amos Garrett Amos Garrett (born November 26, 1941) is an American-Canadian blues and blues-rock musician, guitarist, singer, composer, and musical arranger. He has written instructional books about music and guitar. Garrett holds dual citizenship and was ra ...

and

Tom Rush Tom Rush (born February 8, 1941) is an American folk and blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter whose success helped launch the careers of other singer-songwriters in the 1960s and who has continued his own singing career for 60 years. Life ...

. Stevenson is the 2008 winner of the

East Coast Music Award The East Coast Music Association (ECMA) is a non-profit association purposed towards supporting the Music of Canada's Maritimes, music industry in the Canada, Canadian east coast, i.e., Atlantic Canada. The ECMA hosts the annual East Coast Music ...

for Jazz Album of The Year.Biography of Bill Stevenson
www.billstevensonmusic.ca With Tom Easley and Geoff Arsenault, he is also a 2009 East Coast Music Award nominee for Blues Album of The Year.

Discography

Earth Opera

*1968 '' Earth Opera'' ( Elektra)

Featured performer

*1994 ''Shall we call it a night'' (Independent, with Tom Easley) *2006 ''For The Record'' (Independent; with Tom Easley) *2009 ''Nine Steps'' (Super High; with Tom Easley and Geoff Arsenault)

Contributions to others

*1972 Tom Rush, ''

Merrimack County Merrimack County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 153,808, making it the third most populous county in New Hampshire. Its county seat is Concord, the state capital. The county was orga ...

'' ( Columbia) *2003 Hot Toddy, ''Salty Sessions, Vol. 1'' (Independent) *2004

Dutch Mason Dutch Mason, (19 February 1938 – 23 December 2006) was a Canadian musician born in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, with his local accent he received his nick name 'Dutch'. He was inducted into the Canadian Jazz and Blues Hall of Fame, and was induc ...

, ''Half Ain't Been Told'' (Pig Productions/

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

) *2004 Hot Toddy, ''Salty Sessions, Vol. 2'' (Independent) *2005 Soundtrack contributions, ''The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico'', starring

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a m ...

*2008 '' Dancing Alone: Songs of William Hawkins'' (

True North True north is the direction along Earth's surface towards the place where the imaginary rotational axis of the Earth intersects the surface of the Earth on its Northern Hemisphere, northern half, the True North Pole. True south is the direction ...

)A tribute album, on which Stevenson performs two of Hawkins' songs, including a version of Hawkins' best-known song, "Gnostic Serenade". Stevenson's version is described by one reviewer as a "stark, voice-and-piano confessional'
Review of ''Dancing Alone: Songs of William Hawkins''
The

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

, October 14, 2008. *2015 Joel Plaskett and the Park Avenue Sobriety Test

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson, Bill 1947 births Canadian blues pianists Canadian jazz pianists Living people Musicians from Halifax, Nova Scotia Singers from Ottawa 21st-century Canadian pianists Earth Opera members Singers from Nova Scotia