Atención Music Spotlight: Bill Kavanagh: From The Heart Of A Music Man

By Felecia Ford

For more than six decades, Bill Kavanagh has lived and breathed music, from his early days on the Chicago scene to his latest creative chapter in San Miguel. A multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and longtime recording studio owner, collaboration runs through every note of Bill’s life.

FF: You started playing music at just nine years old. What first pulled you toward music?

BK: Music was my first love, my enduring passion. My mother always had music going in the house, mostly swing and crooners. I remember my parents coming home one night and my mother recounting how she had shaken hands with Gene Krupa. She said she was never going to wash that hand again. It kind of stuck with me that music is important.

FF: So we can give your mom the credit for you becoming a musician! I have to admit, you’re one of my favorite songwriters. Let’s talk about your songwriting. When did you first start?

BK: I began writing songs in 2014 when I started waking up with couplets in my head. After a week or so, I began writing them down and then adding to them. Then I thought maybe I should put them to music. Pretty soon, I had a bunch of songs that I thought were pretty good.

FF: I loved your first album, Bill Kavanagh & Friends. Great tunes and talent on there! You have another album about to be released this month, Paradise Beyond the Razor Wire. Tell us about it.

BK: I wrote all these songs during the five-month COVID lockdown here in San Miguel de Allende. Like my last (first) album, I surrounded myself with some of the best musicians in town and tried to let them do what they do best—be creative. I have a daily battle, really more of a scuffle, with myself about whether to keep playing, writing, and recording or just hang it all up because of arthritis and actually retire. Could I live without playing and singing? We’ll see, I guess.

FF: I believe doing what you love keeps you young, so my vote is to never stop—at least not singing, por favor. Tell us where we can hear you next.

BK: At my album release concert on November 17^th at Sunset Theatre, with all the musicians who were on the album, plus special guests.

FF: I’m so looking forward to that show, and I hope everyone will visit Bill Kavanagh Music on Facebook for more details. Tell us what drew you to San Miguel de Allende and how living here has influenced your creativity and outlook on life.

BK: Visiting here for two weeks in 2019 was all it took for us to decide this was where we wanted to spend the next phase of our lives together. We moved here six months later and haven’t looked back. The weather has changed my daily awakening routine of saying, “Thanks for another day,” to “Thanks for another day in paradise.” It’s much easier to maintain that attitude of gratitude. And living among creative types in all the arts and beyond is incredibly invigorating and inspiring.

FF: It truly is—thanks to you and so many others! Before we finish, I’m curious if you have a favorite quote.

BK: I do. It’s from a song written by a former bandmate in the early 1980s: “I was wrong. And I’ll be wrong again.” When I was young, I thought I had to know everything and do everything perfectly. Now I revel in being human—allowed to make mistakes and, hopefully, learn from them.

FF: That’s beautiful. I’m saving the best for last—you’ve been married to your wife and best friend, María, for over 50 years. What’s your secret to a good marriage?

BK: Our usual answer is, “Don’t get divorced and don’t die.” Sticking around to work through the tough times. As with music, listening is, to me, the most important part of a relationship.

Bill’s stories remind us that through every verse and vow, both love and music are lifelong rehearsals—and Bill sings about them straight from the heart of a music man. Never stop, Bill!

See Bill Kavanagh live on November 17^th at the Sunset Theatre. And follow him for more information:

www.facebook.com/BobDogStudios

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