William Galison
William Galison is an American jazz musician, most famous as a harmonica pl… Read Full Bio ↴William Galison is an American jazz musician, most famous as a harmonica player but also known as a multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer.
Galison was born and raised in New York City, New York. As a child, he started to study piano, but at the age of eight decided to switch to guitar having been inspired by The Beatles. He developed a love of jazz in high school and subsequently attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He decided to change to the harmonica because "I was one of a million guitarists at Berklee" and it was easy to carry around. He became Berklee's only harmonica player. Among his role models at the time were Toots Thielemans and Stevie Wonder.
After Berklee, he studied further at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, then returned to New York in 1982. He swiftly developed a good reputation as a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.
He performed at various New York venues including The Village Gate, The Blue Note and the Lone Star Cafe with legendary jazz musicians Jaco Pastorius and Jaki Byard. He also played with his own group at Preacher's Cafe in Greenwich Village.
Galison has worked with a diverse range of artists including Carly Simon, Sting, Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee, Chaka Khan and Astrud Gilberto. He has performed Gordon Jacob's "Suite for Harmonica and Orchestra" and toured the USA in the Broadway musical, Big River. He has also recorded soundtracks for films, most notably Academy Award nominees The Untouchables and Bagdad Café. His harmonica is also heard on the Sesame Street theme ("a great honor") and countless commercials. Other television work includes Oz and Saturday Night Live
One of his major influences and role models, Toots Thielmans, once described him as "the most original and individual of the new generation of harmonica players".
Galison was born and raised in New York City, New York. As a child, he started to study piano, but at the age of eight decided to switch to guitar having been inspired by The Beatles. He developed a love of jazz in high school and subsequently attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He decided to change to the harmonica because "I was one of a million guitarists at Berklee" and it was easy to carry around. He became Berklee's only harmonica player. Among his role models at the time were Toots Thielemans and Stevie Wonder.
After Berklee, he studied further at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, then returned to New York in 1982. He swiftly developed a good reputation as a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.
He performed at various New York venues including The Village Gate, The Blue Note and the Lone Star Cafe with legendary jazz musicians Jaco Pastorius and Jaki Byard. He also played with his own group at Preacher's Cafe in Greenwich Village.
Galison has worked with a diverse range of artists including Carly Simon, Sting, Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee, Chaka Khan and Astrud Gilberto. He has performed Gordon Jacob's "Suite for Harmonica and Orchestra" and toured the USA in the Broadway musical, Big River. He has also recorded soundtracks for films, most notably Academy Award nominees The Untouchables and Bagdad Café. His harmonica is also heard on the Sesame Street theme ("a great honor") and countless commercials. Other television work includes Oz and Saturday Night Live
One of his major influences and role models, Toots Thielmans, once described him as "the most original and individual of the new generation of harmonica players".
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William Galison Lyrics
Back In Your Own Back Yard We leave home expecting to find a blue bird, Hoping ev'ry…
Back In Your Own Backyard We leave home expecting to find a blue bird, Hoping ev'ry…
Blues Harp A desert road from Vegas to nowhere Some place better than…
Blues-Harp A desert road from Vegas to nowhere Some place better than…
Got You On My Mind I've got you on my mind I'm feeling kind of sad…
Heaven Help Us All Heaven help the child who never had a home, Heaven help…
Heaven To Me (Billie Holiday) When I hear them say There's better living…
J'ai Deux Amours On dit qu'au delà des mers Là-bas sous le ciel…
J'ai Duex Amours On dit qu'au delà des mers Là-bas sous le ciel…
Jealous Guy I was dreaming of the past, And my heart was beating…
Playin' (Galison/Peyroux) Playin' Stuck on the corner of the aftern…
The Way You Look Tonight Some day When I'm awfully low When the world is cold I will…