Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
An African-American country singer from University City sounds like a wild notion, but for Wild Bill Young, it's been a long time coming.
"People called me Wild Bill Young before I got into the music," Young says. "It was a nickname, a street name that's been there all my life. The music is something that just came about."
Becoming a country singer came naturally for Young, who grew up with a father who loved to sing country songs.
"He was much better than I could ever be," Young says of his father, who died last year. "He was never professional with it. He sang around the house and in the truck."
Picking up his father's lead, Young sang country tunes and enjoyed the fact that he was doing something unusual.
"This is the first time it's been done from out of here that I know of," he says of being a black country singer from St. Louis.
Young isn't the first black artist to do country music, though whenever one surfaces, it still raises eyebrows. Young cites harmonica player DeFord Bailey, an African-American whose music dates to the 1920s and who was the first solo star of radio's Grand Ole Opry broadcast in the late '20s. For Young, this makes Bailey country music's first star.
"Once I found that out, it was the glue," Young says.
Young also looks to Charley Pride as someone who helped pave the way in his genre. Former Hootie & the Blowfish lead singer Darius Rucker is one of today's big names in country music.
"I like Darius, but I don't want to be compared to him," Young says. "I tell a different story."
Young says the stories he tells are about the everyday situations that people face.
"I deliver street knowledge through country music, stories about the big city to people in rural areas," he says.
In addition to spreading his music locally, Young has been to Nashville, Tenn., stirring up interest, letting people know he's the real deal, not just someone coasting by on a gimmick.
"I do ride horses, wear the cowboy hats and boots, and I'm a country dude for real," he says. "You can't fake twang. You can't fake country music."
Helping Young with his music are producers such as MO Beatz and Steve Blast, though his main man is Willie Woods, who has worked with Nelly and Nappy Roots. One of their collaborations is Young's first original country single, "Next Train to Nashville."
Young has more than 200 songs under his belt — including "On My Way," "Ride" and "Hard Times" — to chose from as he preps his debut album.
Young is particularly excited about his gig Wednesday opening for Chuck Berry at Blueberry Hill. Young describes it as the kind of thing that comes along once every 50 years for an artist. And it's especially fitting for him because he says he has been compared with Berry.
"He created a new sound back then, the creator of rock 'n' roll, and I like to think I'm similar to being a baby Chuck Berry," Young says. "But I'm half his age, and I don't feel like I can do it like he does."
Wild Bill Young, opening for Chuck Berry
When 9 p.m. Wednesday • Where Blueberry Hill's Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Boulevard • How much Sold out • More info ticketmaster.com - St. Louis Post Dispatch
“While developing a new strategy for exposing Wild Bill Young to the masses, it was vital to enter this historic competition”, said Personal Manager, Keith Clinton. Young is excited about representing St. Louis and the surrounding areas in the state finals. He said he plans to return to Nashville to compete for the $100,000 Grand Prize. Young’s quest to become country music best is on the horizon and with great anticipation from fans around the country.
Past participants before they were famous: (Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks, Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Neal McCoy, and Sara Evans among others)
- The Lincoln County Journal
Discography
Next Train To Nashville
Knock Back
Ride
Helping Hand
Told Y'all
It's A B#tch When
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Wild Bill’s authentic country sound is rooted in his boyhood cross-country trips with his father, an over-the-road trucker. Riding through the south, he would often listen to the radio and sing along with such greats as Hank Williams Sr., Charlie Pride and George Jones. As he sang his father encouraged him to not just imitate the greats, but to find his own unique voice.
In his teen years, side-tracked by the temptations of street life, he gained the moniker, “Wild Bill.” Despite the cold realities that he experienced, Bill never lost his love for Country music and passion for singing.
One night, having hit rock bottom, Bill found himself in a cold basement staring at a black-and-white television when Grand Ole Opry appeared on the screen. “I felt delivered. I knew that it was time for me to start a new life,” he recalls. Knowing that it would be his way out, that very night Bill was inspired to write his first original country single, “Next Train To Nashville.” Since that fateful evening, he has written over additional songs, and captured the hearts of thousands of fans.
Throughout his recording career Bill, who writes all of his own original lyrics, has been blessed to work with several platinum-selling producers, including hit-makers Steve Blast and MO Beatz. The majority of Bill’s music, however, is born from his collaborations with St. Louis’ own Super Producer, Willie Woods, who also produced the Grammy nominated multi-platinum Nappy Roots hit, “Po Folks” and Nelly’s platinum single “Ride With Me.”
The duet of Young and Woods is now poised to take the Country Music world by storm with a sound that can only be described as completely original. Audiences will be wowed by Bill’s ability to authentically sing country classics and contemporary originals.
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