"Be
A Doctor! Be A Doctor!” was the first song Bill heard as his
Jewish mother rocked him to bed. Inspired by the deeply profound musical
experience, Bill Shafton was destined to share his music with the world.
Bill took an unorthodox route to his music career. He started out
attending U.C. Santa Barbara with the intention of following in his
father’s footsteps and becoming a lawyer (actually, his father’s,
grandfathers’, sister’s, uncle's and cousins’ footsteps). But,
after a few reggae concerts in Santa Barbara, his musical path came
calling.
"I would take my guitar down to the beach at night and strum my
heart out. I’d always carry an extra G string in my back pocket for
when I got a bit carried away. Those were my first experiences of really
connecting with my music.” He left the prescribed path and Santa
Barbara behind as he returned to his native Los Angeles to study music
full time.
“I was in heaven…exploring the intricacies of guitar playing and
music theory.” He carried on his collegiate studies at Oberlin College
where he studied jazz and classical guitar along with psychology and
religion “with a focus on psychological perspectives of the religious
experience. "I’m a firm believer that each religion carries a
thread of truth, and music, at its best, is a mystical/religious
experience."
After
graduating from Oberlin in 1993, Bill debuted his talents with an album
of singer songwriter and solo guitar material for Andromeda
International Records. Since that time, he has worked as a session
guitarist, songwriter and producer on tracks for artists such as Dolly
Parton, Carly Simon and Zsa Zsa Gabor to name a few. He also
formed a personalized children’s music company. Through it all,
it was the guitar that kept calling him to record again: “With the
guitar in my hands, I can communicate in ways that are beyond words.
Music gives us the freedom to say what we truly feel.” What Bill
has to say is speaking volumes to those who have heard his music.
Jerry
Jordan (engineer for Madonna, Roger Waters, Rod Stewart and co-producer
of the album) comments: "There is a great diversity of music for
this album, with elements of jazz, smooth jazz, world music, classical,
new age. Bill’s playing and the voice of his guitar shine through each
of the songs."
In
order to finance this self-produced album that would be on par with the
scope of his musical vision, Bill went to work as a judgment collector
for a law office in Los Angeles.
“There was something liberating about being able to focus all of my
creative energy on the album, being able to bring in some of the best
musicians in the world, build my own state of the art recording studio,
and still be able to pay rent and eat something other than mac and
cheese.”
The results of Shafton's labor are clearly reflected in the music. With
compelling smooth jazz grooves, stellar guitar playing, world music
stylings and heartfelt songs, Shafton takes the listener on a musical
journey from start to finish.
The
album closes with a musical tribute to his late father. "One of my
most treasured memories is the two of us playing piano/guitar duets. He
gave me such a solid foundation as a musician and, of course, as a man.
Now it’s my honor to pass along his legacy that I hold… In My Hands.
