By Steve Peck
II got word late Saturday night that the great Bill Fay had passed away at the age of 81. Many will ask, “Bill who?” Suffice it to say, Bill Fay was a one-of-a-kind singer-songwriter whose wisdom and insight into the human experience were truly profound. Don’t expect grand proclamations or wordy exercises meant to impress—everything he did was subtle and unassuming, yet deeply meaningful. To me, he sounded like the humblest musician I’ve ever heard.
Fay was born in north London, where he lived most of his life. He first recorded a single in 1967 and released two beautiful albums in 1970 and 1971 that have become cult classics. However, Fay fell victim to the cutthroat music business and was dropped from his recording contract after his records failed sell. He felt he had been “deleted,” but never stopped making music and writing songs over the coming decades. Fay compiled a mountain of demos and songs, including a couple of unreleased albums. To Bill’s great surprise, his old albums were re-released in 1998, which set off a chain reaction that led him back to the studio in the 2010s. He had a champion in Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, who said “I can’t think of anyone whose records have meant more to me in my life.”
Fay’s comeback album, “Life Is People,” received wide-spread critical acclaim and earned a 5-star review from MOJO magazine—ranking at number 3 on their top ten albums of 2012 list. However, Bill was painfully shy and private and never returned to the stage—allowing only one public performance on the Jools Holland TV show in November of that year.
Fay’s last album, “Countless Branches,” from 2020, is one of my greatest musical treasures. I’ve never heard songwriting of such profound simplicity, with maybe the exception of Willie Nelson. It’s as if he distilled his art down to its very essence. Fay ponders the great mysteries of love, time, birth, existence, and family with great wonder—like a great sage peering through the wide eyes of a child. His melodies are ageless, and Bill’s voice carries the warmth of a kind grandfather.
Time alters us all
Body and soul
Nothing can change that
Nothing at all
Ain’t no sea-defenses
No seawall
We’re all in the hands of
Time changing us all
I don’t know now
But maybe one day I’ll know
If time has a plan
Has a goal
I don’t know now
But maybe one day I’ll know
If time is purposeful
Time’s goin’ somewhere
Somewhere, we’re sure
No reason to doubt it
No reason at all
Source: Hickory Notes blog