Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Nile came from a musical family—his grandfather was a vaudeville pianist who played with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Eddie Cantor; his uncles played boogie-woogie. His listened to the music of Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, and Fats Domino, brought home by his older brothers. Nile himself began playing piano at age eight and took classical music lessons until he was a teenager, when he taught himself his first rock & roll song. He soon began to compose short songs and continued the habit into his college years, when during the summers he made trips into New York City to frequent hootenanny clubs like Folk City and the Gaslight.
Nile studied philosophy at the University at Buffalo where he received a BA in 1971, before heading for Greenwich Village. After graduation, Nile took an apartment in the heart of Greenwich Village; however, during his first winter in New York, he contracted pneumonia, which put him out of commission for about a year. He continued writing songs while recuperating, determined to make a name for himself as a latter-day troubadour. That he did throughout the ’70s, becoming a fixture in the Village folk and rock scenes and getting tabbed as the next big thing to come out of that long-thriving artistic community.
He began hanging out at clubs like CBGB's, where he would see bands like Patti Smith, Television, the Ramones and Talking Heads.
EARLY CAREER
Establishing residency at the Village club Kenny's Castaways on Bleecker St., Nile began drawing ever-growing crowds, which in turn led to his first record deal. In a glowing review in The New York Times, rock critic Robert Palmer wrote of Nile; "Every once in awhile the times seems to produce an artist who is at once an iconoclast and near-perfect expression of contemporary currents. He is one of the best singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in a long time."
Following a flurry of critical acclaim, he found himself courted by representatives from close to a dozen record companies; he chose Arista Records, and went into the studio with a band that included Jay Dee Daugherty from the Patti Smith Group. More rave reviews compared the singer to Bob Dylan and Buddy Holly, and called him "a one-man Clash." The excitement surrounding his self-titled debut album, Willie Nile, prompted Pete Townshend to request Willie's presence on the Who 's summer tour. Nile and his band were soon on the road with The Who, only a few months after Willie's first experience playing with a band. After two acclaimed albums, the self-titled 1980 debut and 1981's Golden Down, Nile fell prey to protracted legal problems which derailed his career for a number of years.
RE-EMERGENCE
Although he continued to write, Nile did not perform live or record again until a 1987 performance in Oslo, Norway, with Eric Andersen. A videotape of Nile’s performance in Norway prompted a Columbia talent scout to sign him to the label in 1988, but production on his album didn't start for two more years. Issued in 1991, His Columbia Records CD Places I Have Never Been contained the songs "Everybody Needs A Hammer" and "Heaven Help The Lonely." Places I Have Never Been featured appearances by backing musicians including Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright III, Roger McGuinn, and members of the Hooters and the Roches. His 1992 EP release, Hard Times in America, became a favorite among some listeners in Europe.
Nile has recorded and performed with many musicians, including Ringo Starr, Tori Amos, Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, Ian Hunter, and Barenaked Ladies. A live Central Park concert album, Willie Nile-Archive Alive, was released on Archive Recordings, and Nile was one of the vocalists on the ensemble album Largo, along with Joan Osborne, Cyndi Lauper, Levon Helm, The Chieftains, Taj Mahal and Carole King. Another project found Nile writing and performing most of the songs for the soundtrack to the Kevin McLaughlin film Pinch Me!
In the fall of 2003, Nile was invited to share the stage at three concerts with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, including the two final Giants Stadium shows.
“Nile’s defining quality is his charismatic spirit. It’s a passion and enthusiasm that is infectious and earned Nile the admiration of fans and peers alike.” From Shea to the clubs and concert halls of Europe, "his live performances are legendary.
Studio albums
* 1980 - Willie Nile
* 1981 - Golden Down
* 1991 - Places I Have Never Been
* 1999 - Beautiful Wreck of the World
* 2006 - Streets of New York
* 2009 - House Of A Thousand Guitars
* 2010 - The Innocent Ones
Live albums
* 1997 - Live in Central Park - Archive Alive!
* 2007 - Live at Turning Point
* 2008 - Live From the Streets of New York
Gathering together his resources over time, he put out his first self-released album, Beautiful Wreck of the World, in 1999. It was chosen as one of the Top Ten Albums of the Year by critics at Billboard Magazine, The Village Voice and Stereo Review. Lucinda Williams called "On the Road to Calvary," Nile's song for Jeff Buckley, "One of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard." The album reached the finals of the Independent Music Awards for Best Rock Album of the Year.
In 2006, Nile released Streets of New York, which some consider to be his best work to date, due to quality production and clever songwriting. Former Time magazine music critic and Academy Award winning screenwriter Jay Cocks writes of Streets of New York, "The tunes he writes and plays with such blowtorch vibrancy get the myth and magic and danger and sadness and love in this town--of this town--truer, and righter, than anything I've heard since Dion. This record is a head-twister and heart-wrencher. It's rock and roll at its best. It's New York at its best. And there's nothing better than that."[citation needed]
House Of A Thousand Guitars was released on April 14, 2009.
On September 30, 2009, at his show at Giants Stadium in E. Rutherford, NJ, Bruce Springsteen invited Nile on stage to play with the E Street Band.
In addition, on November 22, 2009 Bruce Springsteen again invited him onstage to play the second last song of Springsteen's final concert of his tour, which was in Willie's hometown of Buffalo at HSBC Arena. Nile joined Springsteen and the E Street Band for the cover of Jackie Wilson's "Higher and Higher".
"One Guitar"
Willie Nile Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It could be uptown, downtown but I can feel the beat
There is a marchin′ drum there is a song unsung
It could be your dream, my dream it's not the only one
I′m a soldier marchin' in an army
Got no gun to shoot
But what I got is one guitar
I see the risin' smoke I hear a heartbreak joke
Hey all my brothers and sisters I thuink it′s time we spoke
I′ve only got six strings but like a bell they ring
Its like a jet plane, insane crashin' in my brain
I′m a soldier marchin' in an army
Got no gun to shoot
But what I got is one guitar
I got this one guitar
And it goes... na na na...
So if you get knocked down you gotta take a stand
For all the outcast, dead last who need a helping hand
So get your tambourines and turn your arms up loud
And raise your voices, voices up above this crowd
The song "One Guitar" by Willie Nile tells the story of a musician who, armed with only his guitar, takes to the streets to sing about the injustices of the world. He can feel the beat of the city, and sees the smoke rising from heartbreak and pain. Through his music, he hopes to speak out for those who are struggling and to bring their voices to the forefront. The guitar becomes his weapon, his tool for change, and he uses it to create harmony in a world that can often feel discordant.
Despite the obstacles he faces, the musician remains undaunted. He is a soldier marching in an army, and he is armed with one guitar. Even though he has no physical weapon, he knows that his music has the power to move mountains. As the song progresses, he calls on his brothers and sisters to join him. They may not have guns or swords, but they can use their voices and their tambourines to lift up their fellow humans.
Overall, "One Guitar" is a call to arms for musicians and music lovers everywhere. It's a reminder that we all have the power to effect change, even if we may not always see it. Through the simple act of picking up a guitar, we can communicate what words alone cannot express - and that, perhaps, is the truest form of strength.
Line by Line Meaning
It is the middle of the night right in the middle of the street
The setting is uncertain as the night covers the surrounding, but the excitement is palpable
It could be uptown, downtown but I can feel the beat
The location might be unknown but the rhythm is familiar and vibrating
There is a marchin′ drum there is a song unsung
A drumbeat can be heard, and it's urging for an unsung chorus to be voiced
It could be your dream, my dream it's not the only one
The dream that is about to be nursed is shared and not exclusive to just one person
I′m a soldier marchin' in an army
The artist is part of a group of people walking forward to a common goal
Got no gun to shoot
The singer has no weapon to fight his opposition
But what I got is one guitar
The only tool the singer has to continue the movement is his guitar
I got this one guitar
The artist emphasizes that the only equipment he can bring to the fight is his guitar
I see the risin' smoke I hear a heartbreak joke
The artist observes signs of unrest in the area and the discomfort is widespread
Hey all my brothers and sisters I thuink it′s time we spoke
The artist is calling on everyone to unite and speak about the problems they are facing
I′ve only got six strings but like a bell they ring
Even though the singer only possesses six guitar strings, they make a powerful sound
Its like a jet plane, insane crashin' in my brain
The sound of his guitar is so powerful that it's like a roaring jet plane in his head
So if you get knocked down you gotta take a stand
If you're oppressed, the singer encourages you to come forward and take a position against it
For all the outcast, dead last who need a helping hand
The singer addresses all those left behind and in need of assistance
So get your tambourines and turn your arms up loud
The singer is calling on people to join the fight and opposing oppression with a loud, symbolic gesture
And raise your voices, voices up above this crowd
The artist urges everyone to make their voices heard by shouting louder than everyone else
Writer(s): Willie Nile, Frank Joseph Lee
Contributed by Olivia M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.