William Kates thought that maybe instead of the normal bio, the reader might be interested in a musical history. Not counting "How Much is That Doggie in the Window," his first record was Meet the Beatles, given him by his mom when it first came out (this'll date him for sure). At a very young age, he was both amazed and delighted to discover that you could actually buy the songs you heard on the radio, which then were 45-rpm vinyl singles. His first single was "Silhouettes" by Herman's Hermits. His first concerts were the Beatles in 1966, Cream in 1968 and Blind Faith in 1969, all pre-driver's license.

Thus began a lifelong fascination with live and recorded music, albums, singles, reel-to-reels, 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs, dat tapes, videotapes, laserdiscs, DVDs and mp3s. That fascination gradually grew to include all types of music and all forms of media and included a six-year radio career during and after college before being lured by his dad to join the family business (no, not "waste management"). During his radio days, he briefly wrote a music column for the Lancaster (Pa.) Independent Press, for whom he had the pleasurable assignment of attending several Yes tour rehearsals at the Millersville College gymnasium -- and no, he didn't know Tom Knapp back then.

In the '60s, the Beatles ruled, of course. In the '70s, Emerson Lake & Palmer gave way to Yes, Genesis and Jackson Browne, later to be supplanted by Bruce Springsteen. He remembers being at a Springsteen concert (the River Tour) at the Philadelphia Spectrum the night John Lennon was shot. In the '80s, Bruce gave way to Chris Rea. In the '90s, Dougie MacLean took over the top spot, and was later joined by Del Amitri, Texas and the Average White Band, completing a foursome from Scotland that are still going strong. He also has a soft spot for way too many additional artists to list here. Being somewhat of an exception among folks in his age bracket, he still tries to get out to hear live music whenever possible, generally preferring small clubs to large concert halls. He can be reached via e-mail at this address, and you can read more at his music blog.

Reviews by William include:

Asleep at the Wheel
Live at Billy Bob's Texas

Brian Auger's Oblivion Express
Voices of Other Times

Patti Austin
For Ella

Aly Bain & Phil Cunningham
The Ruby

Robin Bullock, Al Petteway & Amy White
A Midnight Clear

Solomon Burke
Soul Alive!

Craig Chaquico
Midnight Noon

Donna Dean & the Amazing Rhythm Aces
Money

Deuter
Buddha Nature

Finn MacCool
Sherdhana's Hand

Julia Fordham
Concrete Love
That's Life

Vance Gilbert
Unfamiliar Moon

Michele Greene
Ojo de Tiburon

Andrea Griminelli
Cinema Italiano: A New Interpretation of Italian Film Music

Juliana Hatfield
Gold Stars 1992-2002: The Juliana Hatfield Collection
In Exile Deo

Haynes, Haque & Randolph
Urban Knights Presents The Chicago Project

Warren Hill
Love Songs

James Newton Howard
The Village

Sonny Landreth
Grant Street

Christine Lavin
Girl Uninterrupted

Ramsey Lewis Trio
Time Flies

Ramsey Lewis & Nancy Wilson
Meant to Be/Simple Pleasures

Dougie MacLean
Who Am I

The Peter Malick Group
Chance & Circumstance

Kathy Mattea
Roses

Megon McDonough
American Girl

Roger McGuinn
Limited Edition

Nellie McKay
Get Away From Me

Shannon McNally
Jukebox Sparrows

Marcus Miller
The Ozell Tapes: The Official Bootleg

Allison Moorer
The Duel

Airto Moreira
Life After That

Nerissa & Katryna Nields
Love & China

Judith Owen
Lost & Found

Ellis Paul & Vance Gilbert
Side of the Road

Pieces of a Dream
Love's Silhouette

Flora Purim
Sings Milton Nascimento

Eddi Reader
Live: Edinburgh, Leeds, London, Newcastle

Leon Redbone
Whistling in the Wind

Phil Rosenthal
A Folk Song Christmas

Tom Russell
Modern Art

Sara Tavares
Balance

Urban Knights
V

various artists
Because of Winn-Dixie
ParkinSong, Vol. 1: 38 Songs of Hope

John Williams
Catch Me If You Can

Yellowjackets
Altered State
Peace Round: A Christmas Celebration
Time Squared


Julia Fordham

Nellie McKay


The Bourne Supremacy

Cake

Flightplan

Garden State

I, Robot

Me & You & Everyone We Know

Paycheck

Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow

Walk the Line

Win a Date With Tad Hamilton

Zathura