Bill Fay

A late rediscoverer, English singer-songwriter Bill Fay has benefited from this renewed appreciation to resume his career forty years after two major albums. Born in London on September 9, 1943, William Fay's first demo was accepted by the Deram label, which signed him in 1966 and released the single "Some Good Advice" the following year, followed by a first album of the same name with sumptuous arrangements, but which remained confidential on its release in 1970. A gifted composer working on the piano, Bill Fay co-produced his second album, the somber Time of the Last Persecution (1971), which was more rocking but with lyrics too pessimistic to appeal to the public. His contract returned by the label, the musician continued to record with a few musicians, notably a set of songs that appeared in 2005 under the title Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow, credited to the Bill Fay Group. That same year, the reissue of his first two albums by the Eclectic label aroused the enthusiasm of critics and a new public, who discovered this major, forgotten figure. In 2010, the Still Some Light compilation adds alternative versions, previously unreleased tracks and new compositions. Often cited by his peers as a role model, Bill Fay was tracked down by producer Joshua Harry, who convinced him to return to the studio to record a new album, Life Is Ocean (2012), released on the Dead Oceans label as were the following two, Who Is the Sender? (2015) and Countless Branches (2020). Stricken by Parkinson's disease, the cult musician delivers his final flashes here, before passing away on February 22, 2025 at the age of 81.

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