- Bill Berry
Infobox musical artist 2
Name = Bill Berry
Img_capt =
Background = khaki
Birth_name = William Thomas Berry
Born = birth date and age|1958|7|31
Duluth,Minnesota , U.S.
Genre =Alternative rock
Occupation =Musician ,Songwriter ,Farmer
Years_active = 1980–1997
Instrument = Drums,percussion , vocals,piano , acoustic guitar,electric guitar , bass
Associated_acts =R.E.M.
Hindu Love GodsWilliam "Bill" Thomas Berry (born
July 31 ,1958 ) is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist, best known as thedrummer inalternative rock bandR.E.M. for 17 years, before retiring from the group and becoming afarmer . Apart from his drumming duties, he played many other instruments including guitar, bass guitar, mandolin and piano, both for songwriting and on R.E.M. records. After his retirement from the band he has maintained a low profile, making sporadic reunions with R.E.M. and appearing on other artists' records.Early years
Berry was born in
Duluth, Minnesota , to Don and Anna - their fifth child. At three years old, Berry moved with his family toWauwatosa, Wisconsin , a suburb ofMilwaukee , where they would remain for the next seven years. In 1968, they were on the move again, this time toSandusky, Ohio , on the banks ofLake Erie .In 1972, the Berry family made their final move, to
Macon, Georgia , literally just in time to start high school. It was there that he met bassistMike Mills , and they played together in several different bands. Their first attempt at a career in music was short-lived. "I graduated high school in 1976 and put down my sticks and sold my drums," he explained Fact|date=February 2007. He and Mills decided to make money the way most other people do - by getting a day job. They rented an apartment on Arlington Street in Macon and Bill landed a job at the Paragon booking agency next door.Berry and Mills moved to Athens, Georgia in 1978, where they met
Michael Stipe andPeter Buck .R.E.M. years (1980-1997)
R.E.M. was thus formed in 1980.
In addition to his duties as a drummer, Berry contributed occasional guitar, bass, mandolin, vocals, keyboards and piano on studio tracks. In concert, he sometimes performed on bass, and supplied regular backing vocals. Berry also made notable songwriting contributions, particularly for "
Everybody Hurts " and "Man on the Moon", both from "Automatic for the People ". Other Berry songs included "Perfect Circle", "Driver 8 ", "Cant Get There from Here " and "I Took Your Name". Fittingly, the song "Leave" from R.E.M.'s 1996 album "New Adventures in Hi-Fi " was also written by Berry, which was his last album with the band.Berry was also responsible for toning down the lyrics of the song "Welcome to the Occupation." Stipe's original lyric was "Hang your freedom fighter" which, given the Reagan administration's active support for the contra "freedom fighters" in Nicaragua, sounded very violent and militant. Berry's objection led the line to be changed to "hang your freedom higher."
During 1984 Berry also was drummer for the impromptu Hindu Love Gods, which featured his R.E.M. bandmates Mike Mills and Peter Buck and rocker
Warren Zevon .Berry married his girlfriend of two years, Mari, on March 22, 1986. They divorced eleven years later. They had no children.
In 1995, at the Patinoire Auditorium in
Lausanne ,Switzerland , Berry collapsed on stage during an R.E.M. show from a brain aneurysm. He recovered and rejoined the band, but left in October 1997, saying that he no longer had the drive or enjoyment level to be in the band, and that he wanted a career change. In anMTV interview, he explained:I didn't wake up one day and decide, 'I just can't stand these guys anymore' or anything. I feel like I'm ready for a life change. I'm still young enough that I can do something else. I've been pounding the tubs since I was nine years old ... I'm ready to do something else. I'm at a point in my life where some of my priorities have shifted. I loved my seventeen years with R.E.M., but I’m ready to reflect, assess, and move on to a different phase of my life. The four of us will continue our close friendship, and I look forward to hearing their future efforts as the world’s biggest R.E.M. fan.
Acquiescing to Berry's wishes, and relieving him from the guilt of triggering a breakup, R.E.M. announced that it would continue as a three-piece outfit.
Retirement
Berry thus left the music business and became a
farmer , working on hishay farm nearWatkinsville, Georgia .His musical activities after leaving R.E.M. have been very few, but did include recording for the
Tourette Syndrome Charity Album "Welcome Companions" in 2000. He is also an avid golfer. He is the father to a son, Owen, born 2003. [ [http://www.jimdero.com/News2004/Oct24REMfeature.htm R.E.M. comes 'Around' full circle] ] [http://www.onlineathens.com/rem-hall/stories/berry.shtml R.E.M.: The Hall: Frenzy of fame contributes to former drummer's shyness] ]Berry has had several brief reunions with his former bandmates, including one song in an October 2003 concert in
Raleigh, North Carolina , several songs at the October 2005 wedding of band roadie DeWitt Burton, and performances in September 2006 at the band's induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame (as well as an appearance at an R.E.M. tribute night at the 40 Watt Club in Athens a few days before the induction) and in March 2007 at the induction into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame . He also played drums and sang on R.E.M.'s cover of "#9 Dream", aJohn Lennon cover recorded to benefitDarfur . Nonetheless, Peter Buck and Michael Stipe said that Berry remained firm on his decision to retire from the group.Prior to the group's induction into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , Berry granted his first interview in several years, discussing life after retirement. "It's a great chance to get back together and perform with R.E.M., which I always loved doing," he said. "This opportunity also does not require me to climb onto (a) bus or plane to do it again and again for several consecutive months." [http://www.onlineathens.com/rem-hall/stories/berry.shtml R.E.M.: The Hall: Frenzy of fame contributes to former drummer's shyness] ]ide projects
Without members of R.E.M.
Reunions with R.E.M.
Performances of the three-piece R.E.M. reunited with their original drummer.
Notes
*Source for discography: Marcus Gray - It Crawled from the South ISBN 0-306-80751-3
External links
* [http://www.thei.aust.com/music2/nov4rem.html iZine's interview with Berry from 1994]
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