Zach Williams is the founding member and frontman for The Lone Bellow, an Americana Folk featuring Zach, Kanene Donehey Pipkin and Brian Elmquist. Best known for their powerhouse vocals and emotive blend of folk, country, and soul, the storied trio exploded onto the scene in 2014 with their self-titled debut, which made a bunch of end-of-year lists and garnered praise from respected outlets like People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly and NPR, who lovingly dubbed them an ‘earnest and magnetic folk-pop [trio] built to shake the rafters.’
Zach got into songwriting after a personal tragedy—his wife, who was paralyzed in a horseback riding accident, inspired him to channel his grief into music. He’d been writing songs for a few years but the accident pushed him into bolder creative spaces and out into the NYC folk scene. Rockwood Music Hall, a mainstay of many an indie folk musician, played a key early role in Williams’ success.
Initially performing as a solo artist, Williams eventually brought in Pipkin and Elmquist, both of whom shared a similar passion for Americana music and storytelling. The trio quickly became a tight-knit unit, blending their diverse influences into a distinctive sound that continues to turn heads a decade later.
The Bellow moved to Nashville in 2016, made a bunch more records, and shortly after this taping, performed a live concert with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.
Zach and I sat down to talk about the evolution of his music and career, now in its second decade. Among the things I wanted to know was what he —at the outset of his creative journey — imagined a successful career to look like, versus what it eventually became. We touched on those early days, how the music scene has changed with the domination of Spotify and its ilk. He also played one live in the studio.
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This episode of the Morse Code Podcast is sponsored by Writerfest, a creative gathering for aspiring writers, published authors, screenwriters, poets, and songwriters in Nashville. Attendees enjoy keynote talks by the best book, song, and screenplay writers in the business as well as in-depth break-out sessions with professional editors, literary agents, filmmakers, and music industry insiders. Writerfest is happening Nov 22 and 23. Find out more information on writerfestnashville.com
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