Bill & Pam

Artist Information

Biography

Bill Furney, guitarist, composer and improviser is co-chairman of RISA (Rhode Island Songwriters Association). Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Bill's early musical life began with the British Invasion in the early sixties and was greatly influenced by the Lennon-McCartney melodies. He was determined to duplicate that sound on a $20.00 guitar he purchased from Jordan Marsh in Boston in 1963. However, that didn't quite come about for a few years. After a stint in the Marines, Bill joined up with some other guys and formed a garage band that went on to perform at local high school hops, graduation parties, then on to nightclubs and eventually some outdoor concerts. After Bill married in 1972 he put his musical career on hold. About 1985 he rejoined his old friends and the garage band was reborn, that led to more nightclubs, parties and a couple of festival gigs. Bill met Pam at the Jersey Shore in 1998 where he was playing guitar and she came to live with him in Rhode Island in 2000. In 2001 Bill quit the band scene. He and Pam began doing acoustic music in parks and local coffee houses where they often became the crowd favorites playing the great melodies from the sixties and seventies. He soon became immersed in writing his own songs and creating melodies from his early influences, shortly after that Bill and Pam joined RISA (Rhode Island Songwriters Association). Since then Bill and Pam have been performing throughout Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts. In 2003 Pam and Bill were featured on WSAR radio in Fall River, MA, featured on RI Channel 13 "Center Stage" and were interviewed by the Providence Journal.

Instrumentation

Bill Furney : Guitar and Vocals
Pam Leffler : Percussion and Vocals

Discography

I wrote "Nuthing" Left To Lose in November 2001 and I wrote "I Never Knew Love Before" in May 2002.....

Audio

Lyrics

• Nuthin Left To Lose
• I Never Knew Love Before

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• The Providence Journal [+ Show ]
  

  01/23/2003 Your Life "This is one from The Mamas & the Papas . . . this is called 'Dream A L...01/23/2003 Your Life
  
  "This is one from The Mamas & the Papas . . . this is called 'Dream A Little Dream of Me,' " says Bill Furney.
  
  Bill Furney & Pam Leffler, of Warwick, break out in a whistle to end the song.
  
  "Thank you very much. We're Bill and Pam," Furney tells the audience.
  
  The open-mike night "is a way to show what you write, see what reactions you get out of the crowd," Furney says later.
  
  Bill and Pam perform at open-mike nights at the Oak Hill Tavern in North Kingstown, and at the Rhode Island Songwriters Association's open mike at the Brooklyn Coffee Tea House. He loves the Beatles. She loves The Mamas & The Papas and Stevie Nicks.
  
  "It's a good way to get out there and express yourself," Furney says.
  
  An open-mike night is the place where live musicians play real songs, where you'll learn about love and longing, about hope and happiness.
  
  

Setlist

This duo performs a 1 hour to a 4 hour set...
Multiple sets are 45 minutes long with 15 minute breaks consisting of a mix of covers and originals.

A typical 1 hour set:

Dream A Little Dream-Mamas and Papas
Norweigian Wood-The Beatles
Tequila Sunrise-The Eagles
California Dreaming-Mamas and Papas
A Kind Of Hush-Herman's Hermits
Here Comes The Sun-The Beatles
Land Slide-Stevie Nicks
I Never Knew Love Before-Bill Furney
I Got You Babe-Sonny and Cher
City Of New Orleans-Arlo Guthrie
Take My Heart With You-Bill Furney
Promises-Eric Clapton
Lonley People-America
Desperado-The Eagles
Nothin Left To Lose-Bill Furney
In My Life-The Beatles
Rhiannon-Stevie Nicks
Angel From Montgomery-John Prine

Basic Requirements

Calendar