"Welcome to the whimsical world of Wellington: singer, folklorist, and firm believer in letting kids-be-kids"  Parents Magazine

Biography

Bill Wellington is a storyteller, folk musician, songwriter, and dance caller who has entertained audiences throughout America for over twenty five years. Born in Massachusetts on Christmas Day, 1950, Bill spent most of his early youth clad in the Superman outfit his mom made for him. Later on, after he realized he couldn't really fly, Bill took up bicycling, skiing, and skating to attain satisfactory acceleration. While attending college in Vermont Bill determined that playing music was his ultimate goal in life. He discovered fiddle music, old time square dancing, and the joy these traditions have brought people for generations and he was hooked.

Bill In 1955

Fiddling in 1983

After graduation in 1974 a friend gave Bill a tape of Southern Appalachian string band music, and he was blown away by the sound of the banjo. In 1976 Bill left his "day-job" with a sign on his desk that read: "Gone to banjo heaven!" Within a year he was artist-in-residence in a small West Virginia community where he recorded fiddlers, banjo players, and ballad singers. These recordings are now in the archives of West Virginia University. He also presented community concerts, square dances, and school programs featuring these local musicians. Between 1982 and 1987 Wellington toured with the traditional dance band Caledonia, playing at community dances throughout the Eastern US. In 1983 he published a collection of original tunes including jigs, reels, and waltzes entitled Belknap's March, named for a War of 1812 fifer from Bill's hometown of Framingham, Massachusetts.

Since 1988 Bill Wellington has toured as a solo performer. In 1990 Bill created Radio WOOF as a vehicle to spread his love of folk music, storytelling, and folklore. Since then he has shared the message of WOOF with many thousands through his recordings and live performances. Bill lives in Staunton, Virginia, with his wife, Lynne Mackey and their daughter, Sophie.

Skating with Sophie in 2003