Bill Staines
b. 6 February 1947, Medford, Massachusetts, USA. This singer/songwriter's early influences were Gordon Lightfoot, the Weavers, Woody Guthrie, Ian And Sylvia Tyson, and Peter La Farge. Bill grew up in the Boston area absorbing and listening to the music of the early '60s, and started playing professionally in 1965. Although largely playing guitar in concert, Staines also uses autoharp and banjo for recording work. In 1975, Bill won a National Yodelling contest at the Kerrville Folk Festival, Texas. The contest was built around the fact that Jimmie Rodgers, the singing and yodelling brakeman, was from Kerrville. Staines has successfully blended traditional and contemporary themes into a style that is highly original. His songs have been recorded by other artists, including Nanci Griffith, who included Roseville Fair on her THE LAST OF THE TRUE BELIEVERS. In addition to touring regularly, Staines is currently working on a project to produce a complete book of all of his songs.