Music Interview with Bill Lloyd

by Richard Walton

Bill Lloyd is a Nashville-based singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer and session musician. He was in two well-respected groups: Foster & Lloyd (RCA/BMG) & The Sky Kings (Warner Brothers/Rhino). In 1987, Foster and Lloyd broke through with a number #1 smash “Crazy Over You”, followed by eight other charted singles. The Sky Kings, a supergroup of sorts, featured Poco’s Rusty Young, New Grass Revival’s John Cowan and initially The Doobie Brothers’ Pat Simmonds. As a songwriter, his songs have been covered by Marshall Crenshaw, Poco, Beth Neilsen Chapman, Hootie And The Blowfish, Guy Clark, Martina McBride, Al Anderson and others. As a solo artist, he has released 3 CDs “Feeling The Elephant” (‘86), “Set To Pop” (‘94) & “Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants”(‘99). He also has been featured on a number of tribute CDs including: Nillson, Badfinger, Jeff Lynne, Todd Rundgren, and Ray Davies.

RW: Who are some of your favorite songwriters?

BL: I love Lennon and McCartney, Brian Wilson, Burt Bacharach and guys like that for wonderful melodies and musical feels. I like Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell for their depth of lyric and for stretching the form. I love Hank Williams and Randy Newman because they have amazing lyrical economy without losing any depth or detail. All of the above are wonderful at both music AND words, but that’ s an off the top of my head list; I’m leaving out plenty.

RW: Besides the British invasion writers (Hollies, Kinks, Beatles, Zombies, etc.), some of my favorite writers happen to be Laura Nyro, Jimmy Webb, Smokey Robinson, Joni Mitchell, Todd Rundgren and Stevie Wonder. Did any of these tunesmiths influence you?

BL: Yes, all of them are great writers in my mind... and great recording artists too. Sometimes great writers don’t make great records. Sometimes great records aren’t necessarily incredibly well written songs. I love AC/DC for what they do but I wouldn’t list Angus as my favorite writer. But they consistently deliver what they do and I love it.

RW: After being in some cover bands, when did you decide to pursue songwriting for a living?

BL: I started making up songs and writing them down when I was 10 years old after noting the writer’s names on the back of my Beatles and Ricky Nelson albums. I learned guitar chords from songbooks and always noticed the writers’ names there as well. Jimmy Webb, Bacharach & David, etc. Even though I started playing music professionally in cover bands as a young teen, I was already writing songs. It was only later when people reacted to the songs I wrote that I thought I might have the skills to do it full time.

RW: Has it come naturally to you or did you attend music school to develop songwriting skills?

BL: I did take piano lessons really early... played cornet in the school band. I took music theory courses in college. I also took a few lessons on classical guitar at college when I got to know a teacher who agreed to just teach me stuff I wanted to know. I learned jazz chords from him. Strangely enough during my cover band club years, my main instrument was drums. Still, putting musicianship with song structure came easy for me and that came from having a song form in my head since I was really young.

RW: Besides being well-respected as a ‘smart, power-pop’ solo artist, I know you’ve done some co-writing with some of my favorite writers (Rusty Young, Beth Neilsen Chapman, Radney Foster, Marshall Crenshaw, etc.) Do you prefer to co-write?

BL: Co-writing is a good thing because you can always learn something from someone else despite whatever differences there are in approach, skills, etc. I co-wrote songs with friends in bands before I ever moved to Nashville. Here, co-writing is so commonplace. While I like writing by myself, I do a lot of co-writing because I like the interaction and there’s more people in the loop of finding a home for the song once it’s finished.

RW: With whom would you like to collaborate (that you haven’t)? How do you approach collaboration?

BL: I’ve always wanted to write a song with Joey Spampinato from NRBQ but I don’t think he does much co-writing. I’ve already written songs with Al Anderson who used to be in that band and that’s always fun. I try to approach collaboration with an open mind and a clear head if possible. If you’re hung up on your own approach and try to force someone else to write that way, you may not get results you’re happy with. It’s a wonderful thing when it works and the vibe is there.

RW: Have you or do you collaborate by the internet? If so, how do you approach that?

BL: Mostly, that’s a lyric revision thing after the song has form and melody, but I have put lyric to melody or vice versa long distance, and that works too.

RW: How has Nashville changed since you first got started there?

BL: It’s weird. Right now it’s more like it used to be before the country music biz had its post-Garth [Brooks] growth spurt. The economy is down all over. not just in music.. but the number of for sale signs on Music Row tells the tale. Despite that, I believe that the local music scene is fantastic and our writing community is the best in the world. The biggest change for me is personal. I’m older now, somewhat established in this community but also very aware of becoming a ‘veteran’.. they called Foster and Lloyd ‘young country’ at the time. Now I’m not so young and not so country.

RW: Did you like working at MTM Music as a staff songwriter?

BL: That was in 1985. It was my first real publishing deal where I wasn’t trading my song rights for studio time like I had with a previous publisher. I was a paid songwriter. It was fabulous. I met people there that I’m still friends with...Radney Foster and Beth Nielsen Chapman, to name a few.

RW: How did you land that?

BL: A combination of being able to fill local clubs with my band at the time, a few master quality demos and a music biz lawyer pal. Luck always helps.

RW: Are you currently a staff writer or just freelancing?

BL: Freelancing now, baby! Most writers I know that have been here as long as I have don’t mind the independent thing. When I DO get a cut, it’s worth it on the back end in royalties. It’s good not feeling like you’re an indentured servant to your publisher.

RW: Have you ever used a song plugger service?

BL: Yes, when I first went independent.

RW: Do you publish your own tunes and have them administered through a larger publisher? Have you been affiliated with BMI or ASCAP ?

BL: Bug Music is my administrator. I’ve been a member of BMI since the ‘70’s when I had a song on an indy single.

RW: Having a #1 with “Crazy Over You” must have been a gas. Did you know it would be successful when you and Radney wrote it?

BL: Nope. We knew it had kind of a cool retro vibe to it but that doesn’t always make for a hit. I liked the internal rhymes in the verses. For a song that did as well as it did, I don’t have a great deal of affection for it! Like most self-centered writer-types, wait until you hear my NEXT song…

RW: I recently saw the Thompson Brothers in concert. My wife & I thought they were hilarious! What was it like producing them? Were you hired by their management or the record company? Are you doing or seeking production projects?

BL: The Thompson’s were being looked over by RCA where I had been an artist and worked for as a talent scout for a couple of years for the N.Y. office. I like The Thompson Brothers a lot and I knew they were looking for a producer. I lobbied for the gig. I met with both the label and management but it’s the record company that pays the producers fee. I’m always on the lookout for good music and my home studio stays active with both my stuff and other projects.

RW: Have songwriting groups and critiques helpful to you? Or do you just go by public opinion from round robin audiences or wherever?

BL: I’ve never had my work critiqued in any way by a pro before I became a pro myself. I don’t know how I would react to that. I’ve been the pro-critic before and that’s not a job I’m nuts over either. Public opinion is okay but it doesn’t tell you everything. You may get a great reaction out of a song in a live setting and not know WHY they like it. It may be the way you hold your guitar your looks or personality or whatever.

RW: Do you use open tunings to write?

BL: Yes.

RW: Do you consider yourself to be a stronger lyricist or melody writer?

BL: Melody and chord progressions come naturally. If I get lucky, a good idea or a strong enough feeling will lead to a hook or title right away. I do believe that good lyric takes time to craft. That’s the way it is for me anyway so it does usually start with the music. Once I wrote a whole lyric on an airplane and put music to it later but that doesn’t happen nearly as often for me.

RW: What is a typical Bill Lloyd day in Music City?

BL: I talk on the phone a lot. I send emails. I push buttons on my recording console. I retune the guitar again. I drink too much coffee. Sound familiar? When my wife and son get home from school, I break and turn into a family guy until he goes to bed and I go back for another remix. Sometimes co-writers and singers are around during the day, which makes it more fun. I do go out for meetings and to co-write some of the time. I also like seeing music in clubs.

RW: What are you current projects?

BL: I just finished another solo album. Newly mastered, it’s now in the biz stage, waiting to see where it will land, label wise. It seems like I’m constantly working on song demos. Sometimes I produce demos and projects for young acts at the request of their publishers who like my work. I like doing the demos on the songs I co-write so I get a lot of my co-writers coming here to sing and play on our demos. Everyone from Guy Clark to Danny Wilde of The Rembrandts. I also work a lot with the First Amendment Center here in Nashville as a music director for their Freedom Sings program.

RW: When were you last in Baltimore? Was it at the 8 x 10 promoting the Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants CD?

BL: I was in the Baltimore airport early this month. We did a Freedom Sings show at Hampton University.

RW: Would you consider doing a songwriting seminar for BSA in the future?

BL: Perhaps (he said slyly)

RW: What would you like to say as a word of advice to the songwriters in BSA?

BL: Outside of starting young and identifying and focusing on your goals and learning the needed skills .. I’m not sure how to answer that. What did John Waters do? Be yourself I guess.