Willie Nile | |
|---|---|
 Nile performing in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Robert Anthony Noonan |
| Born | (1948-06-07)June 7, 1948 (age 76) Buffalo, New York |
| Origin | Buffalo, New York |
| Genres |
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| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1976–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | Official website |
Willie Nile (bornRobert Anthony Noonan; June 7, 1948)[1] is an American singer-songwriter.
In 1980, Nile released his self-titled debut album. His early career was interrupted by various problems, but he eventually returned to recording and performing in the US and Europe, establishing himself as a singer-songwriter.[2]
Born inBuffalo, New York,[3] into what he called "a gregariousIrish Catholic family".[4] He grew up with two older brothers who played piano, and a mother who "used to always have music in the house. Whether it was classical orbig band or popular hits of the times, something was always playing." His grandfather ran an orchestra in Buffalo and was a vaudeville pianist who played withBill "Bojangles" Robinson andEddie Cantor.[4]
Nile studied philosophy at theUniversity at Buffalo and lived inGreenwich Village while beginning his music career. He contractedpneumonia and wrote songs while he spent a year recuperating. Afterward, he began frequenting such clubs asCBGB, where he saw performers includingPatti Smith,Television, theRamones, andTalking Heads.[1]
Nile established residency at Kenny's Castaways, a Greenwich Village club, where he was discovered byNew York Times music criticRobert Palmer who described Nile as "the most gifted songwriter to emerge from the New York folk scene in some while".[5] This led to a meeting withClive Davis and a record deal withArista Records.[6] He went into the studio with a band that includedJay Dee Daugherty from the Patti Smith Group andFred Smith fromTelevision. He was described by Stephen Holden of theNew York Times as a "live wire" in concerts.[7]
Following the release of his debut album,Willie Nile, he joinedThe Who's 1980 summer tour.[8][9][10]
After his second album 1981'sGolden Down, Nile became involved with protracted legal problems which curtailed his career for a number of years.[11]
Although he continued to write, Nile did not perform live or record again until a 1987 performance inOslo, Norway, withEric Andersen. A videotape of Nile's performance in Norway prompted aColumbia talent scout to sign him to the label in 1988. For reasons that are unclear, production on his album did not start for two more years. It was another significant delay in thetroubadour's career. Issued in 1991, hisColumbia Records CD,Places I Have Never Been, contained the songs "Everybody Needs A Hammer" and "Heaven Help The Lonely".Places I Have Never Been featured appearances by backing musicians includingRichard Thompson,Loudon Wainwright III,Roger McGuinn, and members ofThe Hooters andThe Roches.[1] On June 11, 1991, Nile was the guest musician on theLate Night with David Letterman show.
Nile has recorded and performed with several musicians, includingRingo Starr,Tori Amos,Elvis Costello,Lucinda Williams,Ian Hunter, andBarenaked Ladies. A liveCentral Park concert album,Willie Nile-Archive Alive, was released on Archive Recordings, and Nile was one of the vocalists on the 1998 ensemble albumLargo, along withJoan Osborne,Cyndi Lauper,Levon Helm,The Chieftains,Taj Mahal andCarole King. Another project found Nile writing and performing most of the songs for the soundtrack to the Kevin McLaughlin filmPinch Me!.[12]
Gathering together his resources over time, he put out his first self-released album,Beautiful Wreck of the World, in 1999. It was chosen as one of the Top Ten Albums of the Year by critics atBillboard magazine,The Village Voice andStereo Review.[citation needed]
Lucinda Williams called "On the Road to Calvary", Nile's song forJeff Buckley, "One of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard". The album reached the finals of the Independent Music Awards for Best Rock Album of the Year.[13]
In late 2003, Nile was invited to share the stage at three concerts with theE Street Band, including the two finalGiants Stadium shows as well as the two last shows of that particular tour at Shea Stadium.[14][15]
In 2006, Nile releasedStreets of New York to good reviews. FormerTime magazine music critic, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter,Jay Cocks writes ofStreets of New York, "The tunes he writes and plays with such blowtorch vibrancy get the myth and magic and danger and sadness and love in this town—of this town—truer, and righter, than anything I've heard sinceDion. This record is a head-twister and heart-wrencher. It's rock and roll at its best. It's New York at its best. And there's nothing better than that."[citation needed]
House of a Thousand Guitars was released to positive reviews on April 14, 2009.
On November 22, 2009, Nile joined the E Street Band for the cover ofJackie Wilson's "Higher and Higher".[16]
On April 23, 2013, at a ceremony inLeeds, England, Nile was named Legacy Ambassador for the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation.[17]
On June 25, 2013, Nile released his eighth studio album,American Ride through Loud & Proud Records.[18] Nile originally had planned on self-distributing through money raised on PledgeMusic.com. The decision to sign onto a record label occurred after he was approached by Tom Lipsky, president of Loud & Proud Records.[19]The New Yorker said "One of the most brilliant (and most confounding) singer-songwriters of the last thirty years... he reappeared this year with "American Ride", another stellar album of tough, insightful rock and roll.[20]
On November 11, 2014, Nile releasedIf I Was a River, a 10-track all piano album, composed by Nile with assistance from his long-time collaborator Frankie Lee.[21]
At a surprise appearance at the 2015 Light of Day Benefit inAsbury Park, New Jersey,Bruce Springsteen joined Nile on stage to perform Nile's "One Guitar".[22][23][24] On May 28, 2015, at the Best Buy Theatre in New York City, Nile joined Springsteen,Joan Jett,Roger Daltrey andBilly Idol at the 11th annualMusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert to honorPete Townshend, for his commitment to helping other musicians with addictions.[25]
On July 27, 2018, Nile released the albumChildren of Paradise. The album was well received and given excellent reviews. Associated Press' Kiley Armstrong says it is "his best album to date".[26]In a July 2018 review of the album Audiophilie says "Willie Nile has a lot to say and clearly some great songs in his back pocket. You just need to listen. If you have even a bit of conscience remaining, you should listen to Willie's albums of the last 10 years or so. You might just get inspired by his 21st century renaissance".[27]
On March 15, 2020, Nile released his 13th studio album,New York at Night. Nile described it as "throwing another log on the fire", defining his passion for his music.[citation needed] Along with the title track, the album included the previously released "Run Free", "New York is Rockin'" which he co-wrote withCurtis Stigers for Stigers' 1995 albumTime Was, "Surrender the Moon", a song he started with his brother John, who died years ago, and reflections on love; "A Little Bit of Love", "The Last Time We Made Love", and "Downtown Girl".[28]American Songwriter magazine rated the album 3½ of 5 stars and said that Nile belongs in a class of New York songwriters withDion.Lou Reed,Patti Smith,Garland Jeffreys,The Ramones,New York Dolls and others.[29] Giving the album an 88/100 rating,Elmore Magazine says "Jersey has Bruce Springsteen, but New York has Willie Nile".[30]
In 2022, Nile's 2006 albumStreets of New York was chosen "Classic American Album" by David Jarman ofAmericana-UK.[13]
Nile embarked on a Caribbean cruise in December of 2024, known as "The Willie Nile Caribbean Adventure." This event featured meet and greets, Q&A's, and two private concerts with Nile and his band. <https://fanclubcruises.com/event/willie-nile-band-caribbean-adventure> This trip led privileged guests on a quest through Orlando, Mexico and The Bahamas. Nile took to social media platforms, among Instagram and Facebook, expressing his immense joy at the success of the cruise.
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1980 | Willie Nile |
| 1981 | Golden Down |
| 1991 | Places I Have Never Been |
| 1999 | Beautiful Wreck of the World |
| 2006 | Streets of New York |
| 2009 | House of a Thousand Guitars |
| 2010 | The Innocent Ones |
| 2013 | American Ride |
| 2014 | If I Was a River |
| 2016 | World War Willie |
| 2017 | Positively Bob: Willie Nile Sings Bob Dylan |
| 2018 | Children of Paradise |
| 2020 | New York at Night |
| 2021 | The Day the Earth Stood Still |
| Year | Title | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Hard Times in America | EP |
| 1997 | Live in Central Park – Archive Alive! | Live CD |
| 2007 | Live at Turning Point | Live CD |
| 2008 | Live From the Streets of New York | Live CD & DVD |
| 2011 | Live Hard Times in the UK | Live CD |
| 2015 | The Bottom Line Archive Live (1980 and 2000) | Live CD |
| Year | Album | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Acoustic Christmas | "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" |
| 1991 | Stages: The Lost Album | Electric Guitar, various songs |
| 1995 | Troubadours of Folk, Vol. 5 | "Behind the Cathedral" |
| 1998 | Largo | "Medallion" |
| 2003 | Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen | "I'm On Fire" |
| 2007 | The Sandinista! Project | "Police on My Back"[31] |
| 2007 | The Dream Jam Band | Composer, performer |
| 2012 | Music is Love: A Singer-Songwriters' Tribute to The Music of CSN&Y | "Rockin' in The Free World" |
| 2020 | Blue Rose Collection 13 | "Trouble Down in Diamond Town" |
But, soon after his 1981 album, 'Golden Down,' Nile's career was put on hold, due to music business legal issues that derailed his career for a decade.
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