Biography
Willy Porter shares a defining trait with Greg Brown, John Hammond, Leo Kottke, Stephen Fearing, Richard Shindell, Kelly Joe Phelps, and countless peers in reaching peak form when appearing alone. Though he still joins a band for occasional dates, the economics of recent touring have steered him toward more frequent solo performances on guitar and mandolin. His abilities developed through street performances across Europe and countless nights in small coffeehouses and bars on either side of the Mississippi. This veteran presence guides listeners through each show, fostering an uncommon rapport that stems from his instinctive sense of audience dynamics.
Raised outside Milwaukee, Porter first reached larger crowds in theater venues there and in Madison. His regional roots surface as blues touches in his vocals, songwriting, and stage work, yet his core identity remains that of a contemporary singer-songwriter grounded in folk traditions. As a youth he studied viola, an instrument notorious for its demands, before concluding that classical discipline lay outside his reach. Discovery of Leo Kottke’s “6 & 12 String Guitar” during his teens proved decisive, revealing new possibilities that prompted him to set the viola aside and take up guitar.
The 1990s brought a stretch of rising visibility before Porter settled into independent status, issuing recordings on smaller labels and selling them directly at shows. Opening slots for Jeff Beck, Rickie Lee Jones, Tori Amos, Paul Simon, the Cranberries, and other major acts followed the Private Music/BMG re-release of Dog Eared Dream and the label’s marketing investment. Subsequent albums under his own name include contributions from Ian Anderson and Martin Barre of Jethro Tull, artists for whom he had opened during a European tour. After establishing a national profile in the early 1990s through relentless road work, his catalog grew to roughly eight albums: How to Rob a Bank (2009) and Available Light (2006) on Weasel Records; High Wire Live (2003) and Willy Porter (2002) on the San Francisco-based Six Degrees Records; and three earlier Six Degrees releases—Falling Forward (1999), Dog Eared Dream (1995), and The Trees Have Soul (1990).
Tour circumstances determine whether Porter appears solo or backed by veteran Wisconsin musicians. On How to Rob a Bank the supporting players are Dave Adler on keyboards, Steve Kleiber on bass, and Dave Schoepke on drums and percussion. In either setting his distinctive blend of blues, country, and traditional folk elements, paired with exceptional fingerpicking, positions him as a continuing presence in Americana and contemporary folk and folk-rock. Live at BoMa appeared in 2011 on Carpe Diem.
Raised outside Milwaukee, Porter first reached larger crowds in theater venues there and in Madison. His regional roots surface as blues touches in his vocals, songwriting, and stage work, yet his core identity remains that of a contemporary singer-songwriter grounded in folk traditions. As a youth he studied viola, an instrument notorious for its demands, before concluding that classical discipline lay outside his reach. Discovery of Leo Kottke’s “6 & 12 String Guitar” during his teens proved decisive, revealing new possibilities that prompted him to set the viola aside and take up guitar.
The 1990s brought a stretch of rising visibility before Porter settled into independent status, issuing recordings on smaller labels and selling them directly at shows. Opening slots for Jeff Beck, Rickie Lee Jones, Tori Amos, Paul Simon, the Cranberries, and other major acts followed the Private Music/BMG re-release of Dog Eared Dream and the label’s marketing investment. Subsequent albums under his own name include contributions from Ian Anderson and Martin Barre of Jethro Tull, artists for whom he had opened during a European tour. After establishing a national profile in the early 1990s through relentless road work, his catalog grew to roughly eight albums: How to Rob a Bank (2009) and Available Light (2006) on Weasel Records; High Wire Live (2003) and Willy Porter (2002) on the San Francisco-based Six Degrees Records; and three earlier Six Degrees releases—Falling Forward (1999), Dog Eared Dream (1995), and The Trees Have Soul (1990).
Tour circumstances determine whether Porter appears solo or backed by veteran Wisconsin musicians. On How to Rob a Bank the supporting players are Dave Adler on keyboards, Steve Kleiber on bass, and Dave Schoepke on drums and percussion. In either setting his distinctive blend of blues, country, and traditional folk elements, paired with exceptional fingerpicking, positions him as a continuing presence in Americana and contemporary folk and folk-rock. Live at BoMa appeared in 2011 on Carpe Diem.
Albums
Singles
Live
