If coffeehouse audiences gave gold watches to their favorite performers, Bill Staines would never have to ask the time. Bill has been singing his songs at coffeehouses, festivals, folk song societies, and concert halls since the 1960s (every year at the me&thee since 1970). A New England native, he emceed the Sunday hootenanny at the legendary Club 47 in Cambridge for a while when he was starting out. Bill continues to play over 200 concert dates per year and is one of the most popular folk singers on the circuit. His repertoire includes contemporary love songs as well as beautifully arranged traditional folk tunes. And sometimes, if you're lucky, he can even be cajoled into yodeling (let's not forget that the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas bestowed its highest yodeling honor on him). As for songwriting, Staines's songs have been covered by such artists as Nanci Griffith, Mason Williams, Priscilla Herdman, and Jerry Jeff Walker. Nanci Griffith has high praise for Bill, the man who helped her take her own music out of West Texas into the land beyond the Rio Grande. She says, "Bill carries on where Woody [Guthrie] left off — carrying on the tradition of stories and characters you wish you knew." He has recorded over 20 albums in his long musical career.
       The Boston Globe says: "There is no better writer of memorable singalong choruses in this genre of music!" The 65,000+ miles a year Bill logs traveling the country is testimony to the love affair he has with his fans as well as their love for him. His music is music to be cherished.