Bill Meyers "Images"
December 11, 2016
Bill Myeres "IMAGES" is now available at Warrior records!!!!
Multi-faceted. If there were only one word that could be used to describe Bill Meyers, it would have to be multi-faceted. In addition to being an accomplished musician in his own right. Meyers has produced, arranged, composed and orchestrated platinum selling music for some of the most prolific artists of our time. His credits read like a who's who of American music; Justin Timberlake, Babyface, Whitney Houston, Neil Diamond, Michael Jackson, Donna Summers, Earth, Wind & Fire, Madonna, Rod Stewart, Brian McKnight and many more.
As if this weren't enough, he's also conducted, arranged or composed music for films such as DreamGirls, (starring Jamie Foxx & Beyonce Knowles), Armed & Dangerous (starring the late John Candy) and Dick Tracy (starring Madonna).
Meyers demonstrated a love for the arts at an early age, but it was his family's old Hammond organ that he found his true calling. A few years (and a few lessons) later, Meyers became an accomplished classical organist. While on scholarship at DePaul University, he discovered jazz and pop. "Chicago was a big blues town," he recalls, "I also got heavily into R&B while retaining my love for organized music. That's what led me into pop orchestration." While completing his schooling, Meyers began recording the music he was making. One of these demos found its way into the hands of Canadian pop star Gino Vanelli who invited him to join his band as their keyboardist.
Shortly after he began touring with artists such as George Duke, Boz Scaggs, Lou Rawls and Madonna. Maurice White of the groundbreaking super group Earth, Wind and Fire (EWF) also came across Meyers' music. Meyers and White began a long and fruitful association. Over the years, Bill has produced, arranged and played on a number of EWF albums including the quadruple-platinum "I Am," "Powerlight," "Touch The World," and "Heritage."
In 2006, Bill co-composed & orchestrated original music with Maurice for the Broadway play "Hott Feet." Upon moving to Los Angeles, Meyers joined the prestigious ranks of the industry's most requested studio musicians. His musical expertise graced the works of artists such as Natalie Cole, David Foster, Dionne Warwick, Jennifer Holiday, Olivia Newton-John, Sheila E., and Four Tops. While as a songwriter, his compositions were recorded by performers like Neil Diamond, Rufus, Donna Summer, the Emotions and others. As an arranger, Meyers topped the charts with his string arrangement for Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" as well as arrangements on her "Like a Prayer" and "I'm Breathless" albums. Additionally, Meyers arranged the horns on the classic EWF track "Let's Groove," the strings on the Bee Gee remake "Emotion" by Destiny's Child and orchestration on Brian McKnight's "Back at One."
Meyers' creativity was not limited exclusively to other artists. Somehow, in the midst of his extensive work with other artists, he managed to find the time to record three solo albums - the Grammy nominated, all-instrumental "Images" album, his first vocal LP, "The Color of Truth," and "All Things In Time." The greatest thrill of all for Bill is film work. "As a kid, I remember seeing Patton with Jerry Goldsmith's brilliant score and saying, "That's what I want to do,'" Meyers reminisces. In addition to the previously mentioned films, Meyers also composed the scores to 5 films (including cues & endtitle song to Starship Troopers Marauders); as well as music for the TV series Standoff (NBC), Life Is Wild (CW), The Maury Povich Show (CBS) and Inside the NBA (TNT).
Artist, producer, arranger, composer. Indeed, Bill Meyers is a modern day musical renaissance man. Regardless of the genre or the form of presentation, Meyers can produce. The holiday single, "Angels We Have Heard On High," marks Meyers' return to releasing music as a solo artist.