Today we’d like to introduce you to Zane Williams.
Hi Zane, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I didn’t grow up in a particularly musical family, but I sang in church and took piano lessons from a young age. I got my first guitar at 17 and started writing songs for fun. I was a math major at Abilene Christian University in the ’90s made a couple of inexpensive albums just to get my songs out there. By the time I graduated in 1999, I knew I wanted to give music a shot so I packed up and moved to Nashville two days later.
After working odd jobs for a year in Nashville I found a booking agent who kept me busy on the college coffeehouse circuit. My wife and I traveled to 46 states over the next 7 years, and I played solo shows of original material at colleges all across the country. In the meantime, I talked to record labels but never found a good fit. In 2006 I made the first album I was ever really proud of, with my own money, and put it out myself.
Around that time, I signed with a publishing company as a staff songwriter and started focusing on writing songs instead of touring. However, after a couple of years, I hadn’t had much success and I missed playing live shows. My wife and I decided to move back to Texas in 2008, to be close to family and start a family. We picked her hometown of McKinney; TX and we’ve been here ever since.
I had heard about the Texas music scene but didn’t know much about it. I started playing out locally, and going to shows, and found that the music scene was a pretty good fit for my style. I signed with a Texas-focused indie record label that helped me put together a band and I started playing honky-tonks and dancehalls.
From 2008 to 2019 I released 6 albums and toured a lot, mostly in Texas. I built a pretty good following, especially in the DFW area. In 2019 I was inspired to start a totally new project. My vision was to assemble a band where each member was exceptionally talented and could sing as well as play. I reached out to some musicians I had met in the Texas music scene and eventually put together The Wilder Blue.
Our first album came out in 2020 and it did well despite the fact that most of our promotional plans were canceled due to COVID. Our second record came out in April 2022 and we’re currently touring nationally to a growing fan base.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I haven’t seen a smooth road yet and I’ve covered millions of miles. Ha.
I make a living playing and singing my own original music, which really is a dream come true, so when I talk about the hard parts it’s from a place of honesty and not complaining.
I guess the hardest part at my level is making everything work financially. Money is always tight so we can’t afford to pay other people to do certain tasks, we just have to do them ourselves.
On any given day I might be working on accounting, or getting oily working on the bus generator, or writing a song, or mailing out merchandise, or driving the bus through the snow at 3 AM, or teaching myself Photoshop and designing a shirt, or researching venues to play, or building a spreadsheet to track expenses, or practicing my guitar. And of course, I also have responsibilities to my wife and kids at the same time.
The good news is, I love the challenge and the variety. I haven’t been bored in decades.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I think of myself as a singer-songwriter. Singing and songwriting are the two things that come most naturally to me. However, I’ve worked hard to become an entertainer, musician, bandleader, and producer also.
The characteristics I’m most known for are authenticity, variety, story-telling songs that draw you in like a mini-movie, and a down-to-earth connection with fans.
I’m most proud of my body of work as a whole… there’s some good stuff in there, whether anyone ever hears it or not! And of (so far) successfully raising a family while maintaining a music career.
What makes you happy?
Good relationships with friends and family. Making music I love with people I enjoy being around. Making progress on solving difficult problems. Writing a new song, I’m excited about. Hearing people’s stories about how much one of my songs means to them or has helped them through a hard time. Helping people who need it.
Contact Info:
- Email: zanewilliamsmusic@me.com
- Website: www.zanewilliamsmusic.com & www.thewilderblue.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zanewilliams/ & https://www.instagram.com/thewilderblue/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zanewilliams/ & https://www.facebook.com/thewilderblue/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thewilder_blue
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/thewilderblue
Image Credits
Greg Roach
Richard Clark
