William Elliott Whitmore Explained

William Elliott Whitmore
Background:solo_singer
Birth Name:William Elliott Whitmore
Alias:W.E.W.
Will Whitmore
Birth Date:11 May 1978
Birth Place:Lee County, Iowa, U.S.
Instrument:Vocals
guitar
banjo
Genre:Alternative country
Blues
Folk music
Occupation:Singer-songwriter
Years Active:1999–present
Label:Bloodshot Records
ANTI-
Southern Records
Scenester Credentials
Associated Acts:Lost Cause
Middle Western

William Elliott Whitmore (born May 11, 1978) is an American blues, country, folk singer and musician.[1] [2] He plays roots-folk music that is often inspired by his life on his family farm in the hills of southeastern Iowa.[3] [4]

Early life and education

Whitmore grew up on a 160-acre horse farm in Lee County, Iowa, not far outside of Keokuk, Iowa. His parents, Elyse Whitmore (née Tweedy) and Harold Whitmore,[5] were farmers, and the farm had been in his family since his third great-grandfather, who was an immigrant from Ireland.[6] After his parents died, he converted the farm to row crops, which he leases to a neighboring farmer so he can be on the road to perform. He has an older brother and sister.[7]

While he was growing up, the family was musical, with his dad playing the guitar, his mother playing the accordion and piano, and both his paternal and maternal grandfathers playing the banjo.[8] Charley Pride and Willie Nelson were huge influences growing up. Whitmore sang from his earliest years, but when he was a teenager he began playing guitar, then eventually the banjo.

In addition to playing locally with a cousin, Whitmore, after a short stint in San Francisco, moved to Iowa City and got involved in the punk rock and the DIY scene, forming a band called Lost Cause.

In 1996, Whitmore graduated from Central Lee High School in Donnellson, Iowa.[9]

Career

When he was first starting out, Whitmore was a roadie for an Iowa City punk band called Ten Grand, but he eventually started performing as an opener for the band and toured extensively with Ten Grand.[10] This led to him getting signed to the Chicago-based office of Southern Records. Whitmore said he turned to songwriting as a way to deal with the deaths of his parents, who died within a few years of each other, and the deaths of his grandparents.[11]

Whitmore built a long-term relationship with Southern Records, releasing three records on the label. The three records on Southern, 2003's Hymns for the Hopeless, 2005's Ashes to Dust, and 2006's Song of the Blackbird, were a trilogy that were focused on death and his experience processing the deaths of those close to him.[12] He recorded the records with Mike Lust at Phantom Manor in Chicago.

In 2009, Whitmore signed with mini-major ANTI-, where he released three records. The first record for ANTI-, 2009's Animals in the Dark, was a concept album. It reached Number 50 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.

The song "Civilizations" off his 2015 record, Radium Death, is about how an oil pipeline running from South Dakota to Illinois was going to go through his grandmother's property on their farm.[13]

In 2016, Whitmore worked with gold-selling recording artist Esmé Patterson, whom he had toured with in 2015,[14] to create a record in which they each played a song written by the other on each side of a split 7" double-sided single, released by Bloodshot Records[15] in November, 2016 and acquired by Rough Trade Records as a limited edition printing.[16] Entitled Play Each Other's Songs, the A side features Whitmore covering Esmé Patterson's song "Elysium", and Patterson in turn covering Whitmore's "Not Feeling Any Pain" on the B side.[17] The record garnered favorable reviews by critics and a video shot in downtown Los Angeles featuring Patterson dancing to her cover of Whitmore's song.[18]

In April 2018, Whitmore signed with Bloodshot Records, with a new release expected in the fall of 2018.[19] [20]

The 2018 record is a covers record called Kilonova. Covers include songs by Bad Religion, Bill Withers, Captain Beefheart, Johnny Cash, The Magnetic Fields, and ZZ Top.[21]

Whitmore has toured with Chris Cornell, City and Colour, Murder by Death, Clutch, Lucero, Converge, Red Sparowes, Modern Life is War, Frontier Ruckus, Frank Turner, Esmé Patterson and The Low Anthem.

His live act features Whitmore's distinctive deep baritone voice,[22] and features Whitmore playing the banjo or guitar while singing, though on occasion he performs a cappella. He sometimes tours with a full band, but often plays roots-folk music as a solo act.

Whitmore has a long-term musical relationship with his cousin Luke Tweedy, head engineer and producer at Iowa City's Flat Black Studios.[23]

Middle Western

In 2016, Whitmore and musician and producer David Zollo formed the folk band Middle Western.[24] An upcoming record is planned.[25] Other members of Middle Western include Stephen Howard (guitar, bass), Stevie Doyle (guitar, bass), and Brian Cooper (drums).[26]

Personal life

Whitmore is married and lives on the farm where he grew up. His daughter was born in March 2020.[27] [28] [29]

Whitmore has stated that he is an atheist.

Discography

Albums

Middle Western

Singles/EPs

Compilations

Collaborations

Contributions

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Conan. Neal. Whitmore. William Elliott. William Elliott Whitmore's 'Field Songs' Celebrate Farmers. Talk of the Nation. NPR. July 25, 2011. Audio interview.
  2. News: Heigl. Alex. William Elliott Whitmore on Growing up on a Farm, Punk Rock, and Public Enemy. People. March 27, 2015.
  3. News: Sundermann. Eric. Being Regular and Normal with William Elliott Whitmore. Noisey. March 24, 2015.
  4. News: Dye. David. Whitmore. William Elliott. William Elliott Whitmore On 'World Cafe: Next'. World Cafe. WXPN via NPR. August 1, 2011. Includes audio performance.
  5. Web site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of Wealthy Elliott. Pam-Dixon Family Tree. April 25, 2018.
  6. News: Parker. Chris. William Elliott Whitmore vs. the modern world. Kansas City Pitch. February 7, 2012.
  7. News: Roberts. Michael. Q&A with William Elliott Whitmore. Westword. January 22, 2009.
  8. News: Wright. Levi. Music for folks from the heart of Iowa. The Daily Iowan. February 2, 2017.
  9. News: Lamm. Tracey. Love of the land and music inspires Whitmore. Daily Gate City. April 12, 2001.
  10. Spengler. Brendan L.. Ten years after the band's sudden end, a history of Iowa City hardcore legends Ten Grand. Little Village. September 4, 2013.
  11. News: Bullock. Dan. The smoke-stained howl of William Elliott Whitmore. OnMilwaukee. March 26, 2007.
  12. News: Tramontana. Gianluca. Whitmore. William Elliott. William Elliott Whitmore. Sitting with Gianluca: From Country-Bluegrass-Blues to CBGBs. 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20130426014256/http://www.sittingwith.com/fileadmin/archive/Sitting_With_William_E_Whitmore.mp3. April 26, 2013. Audio interview.
  13. News: Maurice. Raphael. William Elliott Whitmore: Gospel Music For Atheists. St. Louis Magazine. August 31, 2016.
  14. News: Davies . Mike . New Album: William Elliott Whitmore – Radium Death . 31 July 2023 . Folk Radio UK . Folk Radio UK . 26 February 2015.
  15. Web site: AllMusic™ . Album Credits - "Play Each Other's Songs" . AllMusic.com . AllMusic Netaktion, LLC . 31 July 2023.
  16. Web site: Rough Trade Records . Product - William Elliott Whitmore and Esmé Patterson - Play Each Other's Somgs . RoughTrade.com . Rough Trade Records . 31 July 2023.
  17. Web site: Discogs . Summary - Release Code r9413041 . Discogs.com . 31 July 2023.
  18. News: Matasci . Matt . WATCH: Esmé Patterson Releases New Video for "Not Feeling Any Pain" and Announces Split 7" with William Elliott Whitmore . 31 July 2023 . mxdwn.com . mxdwn.com . October 20, 2016.
  19. News: William Elliott Whitmore Joins the Bloodshot Records Roster. Bloodshot Records. April 24, 2018.
  20. News: Leimkuehler. Matthew. Iowa's own William Elliott Whitmore inks deal with celebrated Chicago label. Des Moines Register. April 24, 2018.
  21. News: Sacher. Andrew. William Elliott Whitmore releasing covers album (hear his Magnetic Fields cover). BrooklynVegan. July 10, 2018.
  22. News: Sundermann. Eric. Mission Creek Festival: The Anti-Bro Festival in Bro County, Iowa. Noisey. April 9, 2014.
  23. News: Whitmore. William Elliott. William Elliott Whitmore 'Radium Death' EPK (Extended Director's Cut). https://web.archive.org/web/20210717013523/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbJc3nm52cQ . 2021-07-17 . dead. ANTI-. February 23, 2015. Electronic press kit.
  24. News: Kieffer. Ben. Zollo. David. Whitmore. William Elliott. Java Blend: David Zollo and William Elliott Whitmore join forces. Iowa Public Radio. December 23, 2016. Includes audio interview and performance.
  25. News: Hancock. Amanda. Five acts at Daytrotter Downs to know before you go. Quad-City Times. March 1, 2017.
  26. News: Moon. Lindsey. Nebbe. Charity. Benson. Luke. Tweedy. Luke. First Listen: 'Help Me' by David Zollo & William Elliott Whitmore's new band 'Middle Western'. Iowa Public Radio. April 20, 2016. Audio interview.
  27. News: William Elliott Whitmore: Bio. April 25, 2018. William Elliott Whitmore.
  28. News: Tetzloff. Adam.
    1. 1 D.A.D.s
    . DowntownAtDawn.com. September 2013.
  29. Web site: William Elliott Whitmore doesn't need to write sad songs anymore. December 16, 2021. Columbus Alive. Downing. Andy.
  30. News: Petrusich. Amanda. William Elliott Whitmore: Hymns for the Hopeless Album Review. Pitchfork. October 15, 2003.
  31. Madsen. Peter. William Elliott Whitmore – This land is his land. No Depression. April 30, 2005. 57.
  32. Beaudoin. Jedd. William Elliott Whitmore – Song of the Blackbird. No Depression. December 31, 2006. 67.
  33. News: William Elliott Whitmore Set to Release Animals in the Dark February 17th, 2009. ANTI-. October 21, 2008. Press release.
  34. News: Petrusich. Amanda. William Elliott Whitmore: Field Songs Album Review . Pitchfork. August 2, 2011.
  35. News: William Elliott Whitmore To Release New Album. ANTI-. February 24, 2015. Press release.
  36. News: Thomas. Andy. Life Lessons From William Elliott Whitmore. Westword. May 12, 2015.
  37. Web site: ALBUM REVIEW: William Elliott Whitmore Dispenses Hard Wisdom on ‘Silently, The Mind Breaks’ . 2024-01-28 . No Depression . en-US.
  38. Roeder. Michael. Album Review: Middle Western – When Your Demons are Underground and You've Got to Dig Them Up. Little Village. March 20, 2018. 239.
  39. News: William Elliott Whitmore: William Elliott Whitmore (untitled) [Vinyl]]. Southern Records. 2005.
  40. News: William Elliot Whitmore Flaccid Trip split. Scenester Credentials. 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20080215210809/http://scenecred.com/records/sc004.html. February 15, 2008.
  41. Spengler. Brendan L.. Will Whitmore as the voice of the apocalypse. Little Village. August 7, 2013.
  42. Web site: Iowa City Song Project (2012, Vinyl) . .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "William Elliott Whitmore".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.