Bill Pearce, 1926-2010: A Lifetime Green Shoots Award

It's hard to know where to begin to talk about Bill Pearce. He was so many things to so many people for so many years.  Every person he touched, whether in person, in concert, or over the radio, was a better person for having been in his presence.

OS will just have to make a list:

1.  First, he was a marvelous musician. This mp3 gives you a taste of his artistry on the trombone. Listen from the beginning to the end, and you're in for the real surprise after he finishes playing. A lot of people attempt to play the instrument, and very very few do it well, because it is a wicked hard thing to do.  He always played with a liquid, singing tone, drawing the audience in, only to interject some astounding bit of virtuosity along the way. There was an amazing precision to his playing as well--flawless intonation, impeccable taste. (He also had a world-class baritone voice, which he employed to great effect, both as a singer and radio broadcaster.)

2. Second, he was wonderful radio broadcaster, spending his career at Moody Radio, a religious broadcasting outfit in Chicago, from the late 1940's until health no longer allowed him to continue--well over fifty years.

3. Third, he was a fabulous, sweet, humble gentleman. Anyone who could play like that, sing like that, and talk like that had every reason to sport a real ego.  And, he could have made a truckload of money along the way, had he chosen to. He always saw his gifts as something he could offer gratefully to God, and in the service of others.

His health began to fail in 1995, as Parkinson's disease took hold. He retired from his concert work, and, in the march of time, events and cultural dissolution, faded from view.  But he kept soldiering on as best he could, as long as he could, doing what he could for the people around him.

Douglas Yeo, bass trombonist with the Boston Symphony, published an extensive interview with Bill in 1998. It is a fascinating, inspiring story, well worth the time taken to read and absorb.  Look at all the influences and events that came together in this extraordinary life--family, teachers, work ethic, a Marine bandmaster who heard something special about him, mentors, colleagues. It's an account of a life well spent, that added value to every life around him.

From the 1960's onward, Bill hosted a late-night radio show, Nightsounds, which played quiet music and offered encouragement to troubled souls.  The website for the show is here, and includes an official obituary here.  There are a number of Bill's performances to enjoy at the website.

OS took the time to use the PayPal link to make a modest donation to keep the show going from its archives, and hopes his readers will consider doing the same.

Green Shoots Award to Bill Pearce, hands down.

(Here's hoping OS will find a seat warm next to him in the heavenly band one fine day.)