An acclaimed musician with a reputation for writing from the heart, Bobby Wills (MDM Recordings Inc. / Universal Music Canada) is best know for two things; his signature cowboy hat and a diverse musical personality – combining a classic country sound with a toe-tapping, dynamic twist. A consecutive 2013 – 2014 Canadian Country Music Association® (CCMA®) Male Artist of the Year nominee, with the release of his third album Crazy Enough (street date June 23, 2014) Wills musically shifted gears, exploring a heavier country sound. The album features an array of tracks blending an intense mixture of rock-inspired country tracks featuring an attack of the senses with fuller percussion and a bevy of string instruments, complemented by his signature melodic harmonies and intimate lyrical story telling. As he spent countless hours in studio completing his new album over the last few years, Alberta native Wills simultaneously was the proud recipient of numerous additional accolades including winning the 2013 Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA®) awards Rising Star title, as well as successively taking home the Alberta Country Music Association (ACMA) Male Artist of the Year award (2012/2013). Kicking off this year with a bang, Wills signed with premiere Canadian country music label and distributor MDM Recordings Inc. in January 2014. Following the release of his new album, he toured throughout Canada this summer, including a performance during the Calgary Stampede. Fans can look forward to Bobby’s first national tour, as he opens for Chad Brownlee during the 2015 When The Lights Go Down Canadian tour in March of next year.
From the new 10-track album, the first single “Crazy Enough” (released to Canadian country music radio on January 27, 2014) locked in as the Mediabase #1 Most Added at Country [radio] the week ending Feb. 4, 2014, peaked at #13 on the Billboard chart and the video hit the Top 10 on CMT. Pushing the envelope the featured track is a departure from his previous sound, introducing an edgier angle with greater instrumentation and party-anthem lyrics, “I don’t back up and I don’t back down… I’ve never been a play it safe kinda guy, so if you’re thinking about calling my bluff, I ain’t all the way crazy, just crazy enough.” The single is an explosion blending acoustic and electric guitars paired with hefty drums.
Collaborating once again with Walt Aldridge and Mike Pyle, on an annual writing trip to Galiano Island, British Columbia in the summer of 2012, the new album was conceived with an ocean view. Shares Wills, “I feel it is important to step away and focus when writing, clarity comes from such solitude and committed concentration. My music, I guess like most artists, is a true extension of myself, and telling such stories with great mates takes time. Creatively this is my most diverse record to date.” The trio also collaborated on the second single, “Never Didn’t Love You” which peaked at #14 on the BDS chart. Bobby released his third single “Undressed” in October 2014. Co-written with Patricia Conroy, and produced by Michael Pyle, “Undressed” is a romantic ode to the sacred intimacy of enduring love and palpable passion. The video for the new single was shot in the California dessert.
In contrast to the first single, “Something There” is a lyrical memory reflecting on the invisible connection between lost lovers and the release of “what-if’s” haunted with warm memories. Showcasing Wills signature vocals, the track highlights his new sound layering deep instrumentation with electric guitar solos and chorus filled harmonies. Shares Wills, “We all have that person that remains in our heart and mind long after a relationship has ended, this song explores such memories.” A fusion of sound for fans old and new, tracks “That’s Why I Pray” (celebrating protective familial love and faith) and “The End Of The Day” (a tribute to his wife and commitment to his family) harken back to Wills’ earlier work, lyrically inspired by the love of his family echoed through his enchanting deep voice.
A committed philanthropist, Wills performed during the 2014 Golden Globe® Awards weekend in Los Angeles on the stunning Roof Garden of the exclusive The Peninsula Beverly Hills as part of the 2nd annual Oh Canada Cocktail Party to benefit the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Human rights activist/producer/director Kweku Mandela, a grandson of the late South African activist and former president Nelson Mandela, has joined actress/comedienne Catherine O’Hara and comedian/director David Steinberg on the host committee for the a brand new national museum scheduled to open September 2014 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Wills will donate all proceeds (50% of the proceeds to the Canadian Museum of Human Rights and 50% to the Shoah Foundation) from iTunes downloads worldwide (between January 2014 through December 2015) of his Canadian #1 hit single “Show Some Respect”.
Some people are born with a special talent, perhaps even a musical soul; adopted as a baby to a family in Calgary, AB, no one knew what an impact his biological DNA would have on his life path. “My dad was a huge country music fan,” he says of the man who raised him, “so that’s where I get my love of it from, but no one ever played music in my family when I was growing up.”
Following a spontaneous dare while traveling in Australia, and an unexpected phone call, the course of Wills’ life would literally change forever. “We were at an open mic night and my buddy bet me $20 that I wouldn’t get up and sing with the band, so I did,” Wills says of the Australian trip. “I sang “The Dance” by Garth Brooks and there was a reaction from the crowd that I didn’t anticipate. It was amazing. I’d always poked around music but I’d never put any real effort into it, so I started to learn to play guitar while I was over there.”
Returning from his world travels, he received a call from the adoption registry learning his biological mother had registered to request contact (as had he), quickly resulting in their first meeting. Wills could not have anticipated the artistic genealogy he was about to discover, including five siblings and a musical streak a mile wide that ran throughout his biological family. “The first night I visited my biological father, we sat up all night listening to records. We both shared an affinity for a great lyric, and it was then that I realized ‘this is real. This is in my blood. This isn’t just a crazy dream I had; this is part of who I am.’ It really crystallized for me then. This journey solidified my love of music and aspiring passion to pursue this love on a professional level.”
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