Bonnie "Prince" Billy
| Bonnie 'Prince' Billy | |
|---|---|
Will Oldham, June 6, 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Oldham |
| Also known as | Palace Brothers Palace Music Bonnie 'Prince' Billy |
| Born |
December 24, 1970 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Origin | Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | Drag City, Domino, Spunk |
| Associated acts | Dawn McCarthy, The Cairo Gang, Matt Sweeney, Mick Turner, Tortoise, Trembling Bells, Harem Scarem, The Picket Line, Alex Neilson, Björk |
| Website | www |
Will Oldham (born December 24, 1970), better known by the stage name Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music. After releasing material under his own name, he adopted the "Bonnie 'Prince' Billy" moniker for the majority of his output since 1998.
Oldham was born on December 24, 1970, in Louisville, Kentucky. He lived in Louisville until he graduated from the J. Graham Brown School in 1988, then briefly attended Brown University amidst his career in music and film. He is married to the artist Elsa Hansen
Oldham is known for his "do-it-yourself punk aesthetic and blunt honesty," and his music has been likened to Americana, folk, roots, country, punk, and indie rock. He has been called an "Appalachian post-punk solipsist", with a voice that has been described as "a fragile sort-of warble frittering around haunted melodies in the American folk or country tradition."
Oldham first performed and recorded under various permutations of the Palace name, including Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, Palace Music, and simply Palace. Regarding the name changes during this period (1993–1997), Oldham said:
Beginning in 1998, Oldham has primarily used the moniker Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, which draws inspiration from several sources:
He has explained that "the primary purpose of the pseudonym is to allow both the audience and the performer to have a relationship with the performer that is valid and unbreakable."
Some of his albums, such as There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You (1993),Viva Last Blues (1995), and I See a Darkness (1999), have appeared on greatest albums lists.
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