Biography
Bill Popp ranks among the overlooked figures in power pop despite his gifts as a singer and songwriter from New York. His chief influence remains the tuneful British Invasion style of the 1960s, yet repeated performances in Manhattan venues on the Lower East Side gradually incorporated elements of punk and new wave into his work. So strongly does his material evoke British rock that listeners unaware of his Queens origins might easily mistake him for a native of the United Kingdom.
Popp entered the world in Queens on June 5, 1953, and spent his childhood in the working-class neighborhood of College Point, home to a substantial German-American community. As a preteen he developed a deep attachment to the Beatles, his central touchstone, while the Zombies, the Yardbirds, and the Kinks further shaped his approach. During his teenage years and early adulthood he performed with several local groups in Queens, one of which featured guitarist Keith Streng, later known for his work with the Fleshtones. In the late 1970s he appeared regularly in Manhattan clubs alongside the cover ensemble Triangle, whose members included pop vocalist Mary Ann Christopher, and in 1981 he assembled the initial lineup of his own band, the Tapes.
Popp issued his debut single, “Love and Lust,” on the 121st Street label he founded in 1982; two years later came the eccentric follow-up “Too Many Stars.” Over time the Tapes lineup shifted frequently, with singer and bassist Anne Husick among those who passed through before joining the alternative rock group Band of Susans. Material honed during countless club appearances in Manhattan supplied the bulk of his first album with the Tapes, Popp This, which appeared in 1989. Bill Popp & the Tapes delivered their next effort, Insides, in 1996. Following a wide-ranging national tour the musicians returned to the studio, resulting in the May 2001 release of their third album, Blind Love Sees Tears.
In 2006 Popp learned he had heart disease and underwent quadruple bypass surgery. Once recovered, he completed a fourth album with the Tapes—now featuring guitarist Gerry Barnas, bassist Mary Noecker, and drummer Roger Foster—titled My Lonely Mind and issued on June 10, 2008.
Popp entered the world in Queens on June 5, 1953, and spent his childhood in the working-class neighborhood of College Point, home to a substantial German-American community. As a preteen he developed a deep attachment to the Beatles, his central touchstone, while the Zombies, the Yardbirds, and the Kinks further shaped his approach. During his teenage years and early adulthood he performed with several local groups in Queens, one of which featured guitarist Keith Streng, later known for his work with the Fleshtones. In the late 1970s he appeared regularly in Manhattan clubs alongside the cover ensemble Triangle, whose members included pop vocalist Mary Ann Christopher, and in 1981 he assembled the initial lineup of his own band, the Tapes.
Popp issued his debut single, “Love and Lust,” on the 121st Street label he founded in 1982; two years later came the eccentric follow-up “Too Many Stars.” Over time the Tapes lineup shifted frequently, with singer and bassist Anne Husick among those who passed through before joining the alternative rock group Band of Susans. Material honed during countless club appearances in Manhattan supplied the bulk of his first album with the Tapes, Popp This, which appeared in 1989. Bill Popp & the Tapes delivered their next effort, Insides, in 1996. Following a wide-ranging national tour the musicians returned to the studio, resulting in the May 2001 release of their third album, Blind Love Sees Tears.
In 2006 Popp learned he had heart disease and underwent quadruple bypass surgery. Once recovered, he completed a fourth album with the Tapes—now featuring guitarist Gerry Barnas, bassist Mary Noecker, and drummer Roger Foster—titled My Lonely Mind and issued on June 10, 2008.
Albums
