| Name | Bill Berry |
|---|
| Landscape | Yes |
|---|
| Background | non_vocal_instrumentalist |
|---|
| Birth name | William Thomas Berry |
|---|
| Born | July 31, 1958, Duluth, Minnesota, United States |
|---|
| Genre | Alternative rock |
|---|
| Occupation | Musician, songwriter, farmer |
|---|
| Years active | 1980–1997 |
|---|
| Instrument | Drums, percussion, vocal, piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, synthesizer, |
|---|
| Associated acts | R.E.M., Hindu Love Gods |
|---|
William "Bill" Thomas Berry (born July 31, 1958, Duluth, Minnesota) is a retired American musician, multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. In addition to his drumming duties, Berry played many other instruments including guitar, bass guitar, and piano, both for songwriting and on R.E.M. records. After 17 years with the band, Berry retired to become a farmer, and has since maintained a low profile, making sporadic reunions with R.E.M. and appearing on other artists' records.
Early years
Berry was born in Duluth, the fifth child of Don and Anna. At three years old, Berry moved with his family to
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, a suburb of
Milwaukee, where they would remain for the next seven years. In 1968, they were on the move again, this time to
Sandusky, Ohio, on the banks of
Lake Erie.
In 1972, the Berry family made their final move, to Macon, Georgia, literally just in time to start high school at Mount de Sales Academy. It was there that he met bassist Mike Mills, and they played together in several different bands. Their first attempt at a career in music was short-lived. He and Mills decided to make money by getting day jobs. 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 and Peter Buck. Prior to dropping out, Berry studied pre-law at the University of Georgia.
R.E.M. years (1980–1997)
R.E.M. was 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". 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 fighters" which, given the Reagan administration's active support for the contra "freedom fighters" in Nicaragua, sounded very violent and militant, although Stipe himself countered that the line could be taken multiple ways ("hang" as in either "lynch" or "frame on a wall"). Berry's objection ultimately 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.
On-stage collapse and leaving R.E.M.
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 an
MTV 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, R.E.M. announced that it would continue as a three-piece outfit.
Retirement
Berry left the music business and became a
farmer, working on his
hay farm near
Watkinsville, Georgia.
His musical activities after leaving R.E.M. have been sporadic, but did include recording for the Tourette Syndrome Charity Album Welcome Companions in 2000. He is also an avid golfer.
Berry has had several brief reunions with his former bandmates, including one song on October 10, 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 the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also played drums and sang on R.E.M.'s cover of "#9 Dream", a John Lennon cover recorded to benefit Darfur. 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."
Discography
With members of R.E.M.
Without members of R.E.M.
{|class="sortable wikitable"
|-
!Artist
!Release
!Year
!Role
!Notes
|-
|13111
|My Bible Is the Latest TV Guide/Things I'd Like to Say
|1989
|Solo project
|Solo single released by
Jefferson Holt's
Dog Gone Records in 1989. The a-side is a Berry original credited to "Stashus Mute"; the b-side is a cover of the
New Colony Six song from the 1968 album
Revelations. "13111" is a translation of "Bill" into numerals.
|-
|Bill Berry
|n/a
|December 17, 1997
|Drums
|Berry drums with friends at a charity event for
Tourette's Syndrome at the Morton Theater. After the show, he auctions off his drum set.
|-
|Bill Berry
|Riviera Nap
|2000
|Co-writing, drums
|Berry and fellow Athenian Davis Causey contributed this song to the Tourette's Syndrome benefit compilation
Welcome Companions in the summer of 2000. He also drummed on three tracks by
Sherry Joyce.
|-
|
Rick Fowler
|
Back on My Good Foot
|2008
|Drums
|The two previously collaborated on the Tourette Syndrome Charity album.
|-
|
Love Tractor
|n/a
|1980
|Drums
|Bill joined the Tractor for five months and played with them at the same time as R.E.M. He ultimately chose the latter because they were willing to quit school to play music.
|-
|Love Tractor
|
Love Tractor
|1982
|Writing
|When the Tractor's self-titled debut album was released, it included the Berry composition Motorcade. The album was re-released two years later as
'Til the Cows Come Home.
|-
|Love Tractor
|
The Sky at Night
|2001
|Percussion
|Bill rejoined the line-up as a percussionist during their 2001 reunion album, playing on Bright.
|-
|
Michelle Malone
|
New Experience
|1988
|Drums
|Plays on Into the Night.
|-
|
Rana
|n/a
|July 2001
|Production
|Berry produced demos of this New Jersey band, including the songs Day She Went Away, [Love It] Automatic, Not So Mopso, Ring in the Sand, and So Long Edgewood.
|-
|
Widespread Panic
|n/a
|March 1, 2000 - Athens, United States
|Drums
|Bill sat in with this band for a benefit playing Ride Me High, Drums, Time Is Free, and Climb to Safety. Mike Mills joined the band the following night.
|-
|WUOGerz
|n/a
|1980
|Drums
|A band made up of fellow
University of Georgia students, named after the campus radio station WUOG.
|-
|}
With Peter Buck and Mike Mills
{|class="sortable wikitable"
|-
!Artist
!Release
!Year
!Role
!Notes
|-
|[Frat party band]
|n/a
|?
|Drums, guitar, bass
|Backing up a stripper for an hour at a frat party when the tape deck broke.
|-
|
Hindu Love Gods
|n/a
|February 14, 1984 - Athens, United States
|Drums, guitar, bass
|This
ad hoc band formed with local pianist and singer Bryan Cook of Time Toy on a break from R.E.M. Their first gig was at the 40 Watt Club. Set: Bangkok; With a Girl Like You; I'm Through with You; Walk, Don't Run; Personality Crisis; Narrator; Pipeline; Needles and Pins; California Sun; Government Center;
Hippy Hippy Shake;
(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone; Permanent Vacation; Jump; Color Me Impressed
|-
|Hindu Love Gods
|n/a
|February 29, 1984 - Athens, United States
|Drums, guitar, bass
|Another performance at the 40 Watt, with opening act Wheel O'Cheese (a pseudonym for Love Tractor.) This time the line-up was augmented by Michael Stipe and singer Warren Zevon. Michael played drums on Rebel Rebel and sang from Little America on. Bryan Cook only sang on Gonna Have a Good Time Tonight. Set: Up on the Cross; Boom Boom Mancini; Trouble Waiting to Happen;
Werewolves of London; Gonna Have a Good Time Tonight; Little America; Second Guessing;
Gloria;
Rebel Rebel;
Wild Thing
|-
|Hindu Love Gods
|n/a
|June 1, 1984 - Athens, United States
|Drums, guitar, bass
|Performance at the Bourbon Street Club. Set: Color Me Impressed; White Light, White Heat;
There She Goes Again; Government Center; Broken Whisky Glass; Little Willie; Authority Song; Personality Crisis; Hang on Sloopy; Gonna Have a Good Time Tonight
|-
|Hindu Love Gods
|Gonna Have a Good Time Tonight/Narrator
|1986
|Drums, guitar, bass
|The Hindus went to
John Keane Studio in 1984 to record this single. The a-side is an
Easybeats cover, the b-side is a Bill Berry original that pre-dates R.E.M. IRS released the material two years later with a cover painted by Bill.
|-
|Hindu Love Gods
|n/a
|January 20, 1986 - Athens, United States
|Drums, guitar, bass
|The band reformed for a benefit concert at the 40 Watt for recently-deceased
Minutemen guitarist
D. Boon. R.E.M. performed a set and were joined in their first encore by Cook; Stipe sat out Gonna Have a Good Time Tonight. Set: Strange; Gonna Have a Good Time Tonight; Pills
|-
|Hindu Love Gods
|
Hindu Love Gods
|1990
|Drums, guitar, bass
|While recording the sessions for Warren Zevon's
Sentimental Hygiene album, the guys also cut several blues covers and a Prince cover. The material was released as an album by Warren's label, Giant, in 1990. Tracks: Walking Blues;
Traveling Riverside Blues;
Raspberry Beret;
Crosscut Saw; Junko Partner;
Mannish Boy; Wang Dang Doodle; Battleship Chains; I'm a One Woman Man; Vigilante Man.
|-
|Hindu Love Gods
|Raspberry Beret/Wang Dang Doodle/Mannish Boy
|1990
|Drums, guitar, bass
|Single from the self-titled album. Some versions do not have the last track.
|-
|
Indigo Girls
|
Indigo Girls
|1990
|Drums, guitar, bass
|On the track Tried to Be True. Michael sings on Kid Fears.
|-
|Southern Gentlemen
|n/a
|May 11, 1988 - Athens, United States
|Drums, guitar, bass
|The instrumentalists from R.E.M. joined
Roger McGuinn of
The Byrds in the middle of his set at the Uptown Lounge. Set: "
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere"; "
Mr. Spaceman"; "
The Bells of Rhymney"; "
Mr. Tambourine Man"; "
Turn! Turn! Turn!"; "
Eight Miles High"; "
Knockin' on Heaven's Door"; "
I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better". McGuinn has guested at several R.E.M. shows as well.
|-
|
The Spongetones
|
Torn Apart
|1984
|Clapping
|On the track "Shock Therapy", with
Don Dixon and
Mitch Easter.
|-
|
Nikki Sudden
|
The Jewel Thief
|1991
|Drums, guitar, bass
|On the tracks "
I Belong to You", Alley of the Street, and Jigsaw Blues.
|-
|Nikki Sudden
|I Belong to You/Alley of the Street/Jigsaw Blues
|1991
|Drums, guitar, bass
|Single from the album.
|-
|
The Troggs
|Don't You Know/Nowhere Road
|February 2, 1992
|Drums, guitar, bass, co-writing
|Single from
Athens, Andover.
|-
|The Troggs
|
Athens, Andover
|March 23, 1992
|Drums, guitar, bass, co-writing
|The guys, along with
Peter Holsapple, act as a backing band to
Reg Presley on this album and co-wrote the track Nowhere Road. Recorded at John Keane Studio in August and September, 1991. Tracks: Crazy Annie; Together; Tuned into Love; Déjà Vu; Nowhere Road; Dust Bowl; I'm in Control; Don't You Know; What's Your Game; Suspicious; Hot Stuff. R.E.M. briefly considered recording an EP named "The Godlike Genius of the Troggs as Presented by R.E.M.".
|-
|The Troggs
|Together/Crazy Annie/Turned into Love
|1992
|Drums, guitar, bass
|Single from the album.
|-
|The Troggs
|
Athens and Beyond
|1999
|Drums, guitar, bass
|Re-release of
Athens, Andover with bonus tracks.
|-
|Warren Zevon
|
Sentimental Hygiene
|1987
|Drums, guitar, bass, co-writing
|The was touted as a comeback album for Zevon and featured several guest stars in addition to R.E.M., such as fellow Duluth native
Bob Dylan,
Flea from
Red Hot Chili Peppers, and
Neil Young. The entire band performs on the song Bad Karma, with Michael singing backup and playing shears as a musical instrument. All three members perform on
Boom Boom Mancini; Detox Mansion; Bad Karma; and Even a Dog Can Shake Hands; the latter of which they co-wrote. Peter and Bill play on Sentimental Hygiene and The Heartache.
|-
|Warren Zevon
|Sentimental Hygiene/The Factory/Leave My Monkey Alone
|August 1987
|Drums, guitar, bass
|Single from the album. Some versions do not have the last track.
|-
|Warren Zevon
|Bad Karma/Boom Boom Mancini/Leave My Monkey Alone
|November 1987
|Drums, guitar, bass
|Single from the album. Some versions do not have the last track.
|-
|Warren Zevon
|Reconsider Me/The Factory/Bad Karma
|February 1988
|Drums, guitar, bass
|Single from the album. Some versions do not have the last track.
|-
|Warren Zevon
|Splendid Isolation/Even a Dog Can Shake Hands/Bad Karma/Gridlock
|1989
|Drums, guitar, bass, co-writing
|Single from the album. Some versions do not have the last two tracks.
|-
|Warren Zevon
|Even a Dog Can Shake Hands
|1999
|Drums, guitar, bass, co-writing
|Used as the theme song to the television series
Action.
|}
With Peter Buck
{|class="sortable wikitable"
|-
!Artist
!Release
!Year
!Role
!Notes
|-
|Doubting Thomas
|Blue Angel
|1993
|Drums, guitar
|On one track.
|-
|
Tony Trischka
|
World Turning
|1993
|Bouzouki, percussion
|On Alfa Ya Ya and If Animals Could Talk.
|}
Reunions with R.E.M.
Performances of the three-piece R.E.M. reunited with their original drummer.
{|class="sortable wikitable"
|-
!Release
!Date
!Notes
|-
|n/a
|October 10, 2003 - Raleigh, United States
|After walking across the stage to shake
Joey Waronker's hand on August 29, 1999, at the Chastain Park Amphitheatre in Atlanta Bill walked onstage at the Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, North Carolina to sing on
Radio Free Europe and drum on Permanent Vacation.
|-
|n/a
|August 10, 2005 - Athens, United States
|The band reform to play a friend and guitar tech Dewitt Burton's wedding reception at Kingpins Bowl and Brew in Athens, Georgia. The set: Sitting Still;
(Don't Go Back To) Rockville; Wolves, Lower;
Begin the Begin;
The One I Love; Permanent Vacation; Radio Free Europe; with a short instrumental interlude between the last two numbers.
|-
|n/a
|March 1, 2006 - Athens, United States
|At a
Minus 5 show in the Georgia Theatre, Bill, Mike, and Michael joined Peter,
Scott McCaughey, and
Bill Rieflin for an impromptu performance of
Country Feedback. Bill played bass, with Mike on keyboards.
|-
|2006 Christmas single
|September 12, 2006 - Athens, United States
|The band reforms to play at the "Finest Worksongs: Athens Bands Play the Music of R.E.M." tribute at the 40 Watt, playing Begin the Begin and
So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry). Proceeds went to the Community Connection and Family Connection/Communities in Schools charities.
|-
|n/a
|September 9, 2006 - Atlanta, Georgia
|The band is inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame at the Georgia World Congress Center. They perform Begin the Begin,
Losing My Religion, and
Man on the Moon. Bill, Peter, Mike, and
Scott McCaughey also accompany
Gregg Allman on a performance of
Midnight Rider to round out the show.
|-
|n/a
|March 12, 2007 - New York City, United States
|For in the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the
Waldorf Astoria Hotel, the band plays
Begin the Begin,
Gardening at Night,
Man on the Moon (with
Eddie Vedder of
Pearl Jam), and
I Wanna Be Your Dog (with
Patti Smith and
Lenny Kaye).
|-
|
#9 Dream
|March 17, 2007
|While preparing for their performance at the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the original four members of R.E.M. recorded this John Lennon song in John Keane Studio, with production by
Jacknife Lee. The song was released as a single on March 17, 2007 and was the first track to be released from the benefit compilation
, released on June 12, 2007.
|}
See also
Albums produced by Bill Berry
Songs written by Bill Berry
External links
iZine's interview with Berry from 1994
References
Source for discography: Marcus Gray - It Crawled from the South ISBN 0-306-80751-3
Category:1958 births
Category:American farmers
Category:American rock drummers
Category:Living people
Category:People from Athens, Georgia
Category:People from Duluth, Minnesota
Category:R.E.M. members
Category:American record producers
Category:Songwriters from Minnesota
Category:University of Georgia people
Category:People from Oconee County, Georgia
![One of three horseshoe beaches on the island. The Berry islands have become a huge vacation spot for people from all over the world. During the winter season the islands are packed with out-of-town guests and second home residents. Due to seasonal residents, the Berry islands can say that they have more resident millionaires per unit area than any other place in the world.[citation needed] Many wealthy residents own one of the many cays.](http://web.archive.org./web/20110826010904im_/http://cdn5.wn.com/pd/ba/f8/13d72db2dbe26856b0d3ccdc0e6f_grande.jpg "One of three horseshoe beaches on the island. The Berry islands have become a huge vacation spot for people from all over the world. During the winter season the islands are packed with out-of-town guests and second home residents. Due to seasonal residents, the Berry islands can say that they have more resident millionaires per unit area than any other place in the world.[citation needed] Many wealthy residents own one of the many cays.")
![The Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus), also known as the Himalayan Black Bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in southern Asia from India east to southern China. It is the type species of the genus Hypsipetes, which was established by Nicholas Aylward Vigors in the early 1830. [2] There are a number of subspecies across this large range, mostly varying in the shade of the body plumage (ranging from grey to black), and some also occur in white-headed morp](http://web.archive.org./web/20110826010904im_/http://cdn4.wn.com/pd/ea/85/ec27ad7e5d6c6044ab02448517d9_grande.jpg "The Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus), also known as the Himalayan Black Bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in southern Asia from India east to southern China. It is the type species of the genus Hypsipetes, which was established by Nicholas Aylward Vigors in the early 1830. [2] There are a number of subspecies across this large range, mostly varying in the shade of the body plumage (ranging from grey to black), and some also occur in white-headed morp")
![One of three horseshoe beaches on the island. The Berry islands have become a huge vacation spot for people from all over the world. During the winter season the islands are packed with out-of-town guests and second home residents. Due to seasonal residents, the Berry islands can say that they have more resident millionaires per unit area than any other place in the world.[citation needed] Many wealthy residents own one of the many cays.](http://web.archive.org./web/20110826010904im_/http://cdn4.wn.com/pd/ba/f8/13d72db2dbe26856b0d3ccdc0e6f_thumb.jpg "One of three horseshoe beaches on the island. The Berry islands have become a huge vacation spot for people from all over the world. During the winter season the islands are packed with out-of-town guests and second home residents. Due to seasonal residents, the Berry islands can say that they have more resident millionaires per unit area than any other place in the world.[citation needed] Many wealthy residents own one of the many cays.")
![The Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus), also known as the Himalayan Black Bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in southern Asia from India east to southern China. It is the type species of the genus Hypsipetes, which was established by Nicholas Aylward Vigors in the early 1830. [2] There are a number of subspecies across this large range, mostly varying in the shade of the body plumage (ranging from grey to black), and some also occur in white-headed morp](http://web.archive.org./web/20110826010904im_/http://cdn3.wn.com/pd/ea/85/ec27ad7e5d6c6044ab02448517d9_thumb.jpg "The Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus), also known as the Himalayan Black Bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in southern Asia from India east to southern China. It is the type species of the genus Hypsipetes, which was established by Nicholas Aylward Vigors in the early 1830. [2] There are a number of subspecies across this large range, mostly varying in the shade of the body plumage (ranging from grey to black), and some also occur in white-headed morp")
