Bill Harley
Bill Harley (born William Harley, July 1, 1954 in Greenville, Ohio) is an American children's entertainer, musician, and author who has been called "the Mark Twain of contemporary children's music" by Entertainment Weekly. He uses a range of musical styles, and his audience includes both children and adults. Harley began singing and storytelling in 1975 while still a student at Hamilton College.
Bill Harley
Debbie Block · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Bill Harley
- Birth Name
- William Harley
- Born
- July 1, 1954
- Birthplace
- Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
- Education
- Hamilton College
- Occupation
- Musician, Storyteller, Author
- Nationality
- United States
- Honours
- Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q4909304 · wikipedia · Bill Harley
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Not stated by the sources cited: nationality
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Biography
Biography
Much of his material is autobiographical, focusing on vignettes from childhood.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Bill Harley • Birth Name — William Harley • Born — July 1, 1954 • Birthplace — Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. • Education — Hamilton College • Occupation — Musician, Storyteller, Author • Years Active — 1975–present • Website — www.billharley.com
Documentary record
Bill Harley (born 1 July 1954) is described as a musician, singer and writer in the authority records of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. The birth of Bill Harley is recorded on 1 July 1954.
Career
Career
Harley has released over 30 recordings. He received two Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word Album For Children (albums consisting of predominantly spoken word versus music or song) for his albums Blah Blah Blah: Stories About Clams, Swamp Monsters, Pirates & Dogs and Yes to Running! Bill Harley Live in 2007 and 2009, and five additional Grammy nominations. He has also won Parents' Choice awards, ALA (American Library Association) awards and the highest award from the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio for his concert DVD Yes to Running. Harley has also published numerous books. His first novel for elementary students, The Amazing Flight of Darius Frobisher, was chosen by Bank Street School of Education as one of the best children's books of the year. His second novel for children, Night of the Spadefoot Toads, was released in October 2008 and won a Green Earth Book Award. His picture books include Sitting Down To Eat, which was selected as an American Booksellers Association Pick of the List. A book from his most recent series, Charlie Bumpers vs. The Teacher of the Year, won the 2016 Beverly Cleary Children's Choice award and is part of the One School One Book programming from Read to Them. Harley has performed in more than 2500 schools over the years. In addition to children's music, he performs at storytelling festivals around the country, including appearances at the National Storytelling Festival. He tours nationwide as an author, performing artist and keynote speaker from his home in Seekonk, Massachusetts. His 1988 album You're in Trouble had a contributing bit by Rhode Island children's performer Salty Brine, who started one of Harley's songs like a weather report, and his trademark line "No school Foster-Glocester!"
Documentary record
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek records Seekonk <Mass.> as a place of activity.
Nominations
Nominations
• 1999 Grammy Award Best Spoken Word Album For Children; Weezie And The Moon Pies • 2000 Grammy Award Best Spoken Word Album for Children; The Battle of the Mad Scientists and Other Tales of Survival • 2008 Grammy Award Best Musical Album for Children; I Wanna Play • 2010 Grammy Award Best Spoken Word Album For Children; The Best Candy In The Whole World • 2012 Grammy Award Best Album For Children; High Dive and other things that could have happened…
Discography
• 1984: Monsters in the Bathroom • 1986: 50 Ways to Fool Your Mother • 1987: Dinosaurs Never Say Please • 1987: Cool In School: Tales from the 6th Grade • 1987: Coyote • 1988: You're in Trouble • 1989: In the Hospital (With Peter Alsop) • 1990: Grownups Are Strange • 1990: Come On Out and Play • 1990: I'm Gonna Let It Shine • 1994: Already Someplace Warm • 1995: Wacka Wacka Woo • 1995: From the Back of the Bus • 1995: Sitting On My Hands • 1996: Lunchroom Tales: A Natural History of the Cafetorium • 1996: Big Big World • 1996: Who Made This Mess? (Video/DVD) • 1997: There's A Pea On My Plate • 1998: Weezie and the Moonpies • 1999: The Battle of the Mad Scientists and Other Tales Of Survival • 1999: Play It Again • 2001: Down in the Backpack • 2002: Sandburg Out Loud (with Carol Birch, Angela Lloyd & David Holt) • 2002: Mistakes Were Made • 2003: The Town Around the Bend • 2004: cELLAbration! A Tribute to Ella Jenkins (with various artists, from Smithsonian Folkways) • 2004: The Teachers' Lounge • 2005: One More Time • 2005: Blah Blah Blah • 2007: I Wanna Play • 2008: Yes to Running! Bill Harley Live Double CD • 2008: Yes to Running! Bill Harley Live DVD • 2009: First Bird Call • 2009: "Wash Your Hands (Lavate las Manos)" (single) • 2010: Rock & Roll Playground (with various artists, from Putumayo) • 2010: The Best Candy in the Whole World • 2010: "Grimsley's Christmas Surprise" (single) • 2012: High Dive • 2012: "Puddy Wiot" (single) • 2013: It's Not Fair to Me (with Keith Munslow) • 2014: Nothing For Granted • 2017: "Hold Your Candle" (single) • 2017: "Well...I'm Sorry" (single) • 2018: Further Around the Bend: More News from the Town Around the Bend • 2018: John Muir's Stickeen • 2018: Same Moon: Bill Harley Live at Home • 2019: "The Emporer's New Clothes Talking Blues" (single) • 2020: Just Kidding (compilation) • 2020: Storytime (compilation) • 2020: Bill & Keith's Dollar Store, Vol. 1 (with Keith Munslow) • 2020: "Walking Each Other Home" (single) • 2020: "Elijah" (single) (with Peter Amidon) • 2020: "I Know an Old Lady (Who Swallowed a Fly)" (single) • 2020: "Little Things" (single) • 2020: "Same Rain (We Sing for Peace)" (single) • 2020: "Three Gilly Boats" (single) • 2022: Walking Each Other Home • 2022: No Problem: Stories of Accidental Mayhem • 2022: "Best. Song. Ever." (single) (with Keith Munslow) • 2024: “The Bogman” (single) • 2024: “Jericho Road” (single)
Awards
• 2001 National Storytelling Network's Circle of Excellence Award • 2006 Storytelling World Award; Joey, Chloe and the Swamp Monsters • 2007 Grammy Award Best Spoken Word Album For Children – Blah Blah Blah: Stories About Clams, Swamp Monsters, Pirates & Dogs • 2009 Grammy Award Best Spoken Word Album For Children – Yes to Running! • 2009 Green Earth Book Award Children's Fiction – Night of the Spadefoot Toads • 2010 Rhode Island Humanities Council Lifetime Achievement Award
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Bill Harley, revision 1372374391 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 29 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
44,023 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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