William Tell

Born and raised amid the environs of southern California, William Tell absorbed an early affinity for gospel music through his family, with his father—a minister—providing his initial guitar instruction. During his college years he focused on music business studies even as he continued composing original material and refining his instrumental technique. In 2001 he became a member of the Orange County alt-rock band Something Corporate. That October the group issued its first EP, Audioboxer, through Drive-Thru Records; the following May MCA delivered the band’s major-label debut, Leaving Through the Window, which climbed to number 101 on the Billboard 200. Their sophomore effort, North, arrived in October 2003 and entered the chart at number 24. Fronted by lead singer/pianist Andrew McMahon, the ensemble functioned chiefly as a showcase for his songwriting, leaving Tell in a supporting capacity on guitar and backing vocals. He departed amicably at the start of 2004 to pursue a solo career. His initial independent offering, the track “Just for You” co-written with Mike Greene, surfaced in May 2005 on the soundtrack to the film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. New Door Records, operating as an imprint of Universal Music, issued his first full-length solo album, You Can Hold Me Down, on March 13, 2007.