Prog

Books Of Wonder

With two new albums released in recent months and plenty in progress, it’s safe to say Bill Nelson remains, at 75, as inspired and prolific as ever. One reason for this may be that he came from a devotedly musical family.

“The day I was born, December 18, 1948, my mum was starting to go into labour, but knew my dad had a gig at the town hall in Wakefield for the Lord Mayor’s Christmas Ball,” he chuckles. “So she didn’t tell my dad she’d started – it was an important gig for him and she knew he’d not go. She packed him off to the gig, and only then called the midwife!”

“I don’t perform live any more because of health issues, but recording I can still manage to do despite failing eyesight. It keeps me sane, in a way.”

His dad was a saxophonist who had a Big Band in the 50s “when I was a kid. So music was always around for me. My mother was in a tap-dancing troupe, that’s how they met. I had a cousin who was a jazz trumpeter, another who was a

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Prog

Prog5 min read
The Division Bell
Jane Getter is a jazz guitarist at heart. For the New Yorker, who’s been playing guitar since she was eight years old, that means long, winding compositions rich with improvised solos come as second nature. Yet, on her latest album with her Premoniti
Prog3 min read
“We Didn’t Force A Connection, It Just Happened.”
By the middle of 1971, Jethro Tull had made real inroads in North America, headlining to several thousand people every night. On June 24 of that year, they began a month-long tour of the US and Canada. Supporting them was none other than Yes – then o
Prog1 min read
Eye Looks Away From Mwwb With Debut Album
Eye – the new project from Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard (MWWB) singer-songwriter and musician Jessica Ball – have announced the release of their debut album Dark Light on April 23 via New Heavy Sounds. The band was put together when Ball relocated fro

Related Books & Audiobooks