Bill Meredith

William Stevens Meredith is a native of Lake Worth, Florida, and his first official writing assignments were for The Kaleidoscope at Twin Lakes High School (now Dreyfoos School for the Performing Arts) in West Palm Beach. After attending Palm Beach Community College (where he served as editor-in-chief for The Beachcomber) and the University of Florida, Meredith started simultaneous careers in journalism and music in the 1980s.

Yet music provided more opportunities throughout the decade, starting with the group Out For Kicks (with his younger brother Ted Meredith, Esq., as soundman). As drummer/vocalist for rhythm-and-blues band Brookes Bros., Meredith opened for national touring acts like The Outlaws and Firefall before moving to Montreal and working with the successful Canadian band Big City. Management for New Jersey-based electronics company The Wiz followed, after which he relocated to South Florida in 1989 and resumed writing.

During the 1990s, both careers intertwined as Meredith performed with the bands Lite-N-Up, Jasplazma, Blatant Disregard (see Quick Links, referred to below as QL, in right-hand column) and Numb while writing for Modern Drummer (QL), AllMusic.com (QL), iCE, City Link and Free Press magazines. In 1998, he joined renowned South Florida original act InHouse (opening for Ani DiFranco); in 1999, Meredith toured the North American Collegiate Association (NACA) circuit as a percussionist/vocalist with singer/songwriter Fran Snyder (QL), with whom he opened for Don Henley. Meredith currently plays both drums and percussion with the group Acoustic Remedy (QL). Snyder runs the ConcertsInYourHome.com (QL) site from his home in Kansas.

Meredith started a still-standing association with the international jazz monthly JAZZIZ (QL) in 2000, working as an assistant editor from 2004 to 2006. He continues to write CD reviews, stories and Q&As for the magazine. In 2001, he was hired for the still-standing bi-weekly "Local Music" column in the Palm Beach Post (QL). He’s also been drummer for Big Brass Bed (a Bob Dylan tribute band led by former Greenwich Village folk star Rod MacDonald) since 2002, appearing on the group’s debut CD, A Few Dylan Songs (QL). His other recording credits include releases by Jason Colannino (QL), Friction Farm (QL), Black Finger (QL), Andy Stein (QL), Jasplazma, and NetheresQue; other publications include Heat Beat, Closer (QL), and the West Palm Tribune.

In 2006, Meredith opened for B.B. King during a tour with blues band The Hellhounds. Also in 2006, Meredith became a key feature story and reviews contributor to Maryland-based jazz magazine JazzTimes (QL) He’s currently at work on his first books, a children’s novel entitled The Ginger Mouse (QL) and a biography of California-based jazz singer Ed Reed (QL). Other current magazine endeavors include the jazz and blues online monthly JazzBluesFlorida.com (QL), and Palm Beach Arts Paper (QL), an online blog and monthly print publication.

Since 2007, Meredith has recorded the CDs Black Finger Forever and Where's My Parade with Black Finger, filmed music videos for the songs "Hold On" and "Sugar" (viewable on the band's website), and toured to Orlando, Fort Myers and the Florida Keys. Black Finger was also the choice of Spin Doctors' vocalist Chris Barron (QL) to back him in a May 2008 show in West Palm Beach, FL. Also in 2008, friend, singer/songwriter and fellow journalist Sheldon Robertson started a blog for Meredith on his Type M For Music (QL) site, and the drummer started playing with Deerfield Beach-based band The Funky Blu Roots (QL).

Meredith, a member of the Author's Guild (QL) in New York City, resides in Lake Worth, Florida with his wife Ginny and dogs Ginger and Chuck (aka Tank or C.T.). Mrs. Meredith is a talented violinist with the band Illumination (QL), and Executive Director of Inspirit (QL), a South Florida-based nonprofit that takes musicians to perform for people in restricted environments like hospitals, pediatric wards, rehabilitation centers, shelters and retirement homes.