At twenty, you have the world by the tail and all the answers. At thirty, you're running on empty (apologies to J.B.) speeding along at ninety miles an hour. At forty, you look around and think where has it all gone to. Now I find at fifty, you realize it never left - you just got side tracked and engulfed in the process.

I quit performing professionally in 1982 because it had ceased to be fun and moved over to the business side of music. In late 1988 after my father died and I did a lot of soul searching, I walked away from nineteen years of the music business and too many hours in smoke filled bars, on the road in old cars and feeling very burnt out and at peace & very comfortable with the idea that I'd never return again.

In the year 2002, I found myself in a much different place. After some twenty years, the efforts of many friends to keep me involved and a sweetheart of a lady's' encouragement to follow my heart once again, I have finally come - full circle.

Back to the place where it is fun again. A place where I feel I have truly regained my passion for my art, my music and what I have to offer. And, not to be left out, the most important of all - back to my love for my audience and so many friends. All of whom have had or I hope will have at least one opportunity to share with me, my art and my joy of creating and making live music.

It has been 1981 since I have released new recorded songs. For a short period in 1991 and 92 I was involved in a recording project with a group named High Fashion but that project was never finished. I'm now working on several music projects and writing new material on a regular basis. I hope to have at least one new release soon. It will be my first new recording since 1982 and will include several songs that I wrote during the early nineties as well as material I've written or co-written up to present. AS with most music I make, it may be slow coming because I want it to be pure in its presentation, and I want it to be up to a standard that I can look back on in ten years and still feel good about what I did then. Aside from working on a project with myself, I started a new studio project with a group I performed with in the middle seventies - Singletree featuring the original lineup. When we get it finished and out you'll be in for a real treat. These guys are fine musicians and their my extended family. The core of Singletree is Rick Malchow from Memphis Tennessee on guitar, vocals, dobro, accordion, flute and various other instruments - Fred Lord from Auburn Alabama on guitar, vocals, banjo, mandolin, dobro, bazooka, Shobud pedal steel and various other instruments and my self on acoustic & electric guitars, harps and vocals. In addition, our friend and longtime partner, JJ Barnett on drums and percussion as well as a number of other really good players that are sitting in on the sessions. Our initial sessions were recorded in Alabama with more planned for later this year.

I had planned to release a live CD playing only guitar and singing as a “Live From The Ozark Heritage Arts Center” in 2003. However, after I actually started working with the tracks, I realized that the overall quality of the tracs had such a cross contamination of instruments and electrical noise from the Center, that it made getting a clean mix virtually impossible. Because of that, I decided not to release it.

If you are not familiar with my music, you will find I write most of my songs from the heart. Though many are written with the intent of being on some level - commercial in nature, they are most often inspired from an experience in my life and often tell a story of my experience. And though many of my experiences with life have been great and wonderful, not all have been. I have found that, they have most often been the types of experiences that are common to most of us on some level and at some point in our lives. I believe that most of us have common experiences - good and bad. The differences are in how we are able to handle them. When things have gone bad for me in my life, I have always taken the attitude that “I'm just being tested to see if I'm worthy” - there is a great deal of comfort and satisfaction in believing that you are being tested and finding out that no matter how tough or how bad, you can pass the test.

I've had a heck of a career, though most probably have never heard of me - it is truly a large world and it has been an exciting and full one for me. Nonetheless, it's been fun at times and I have accumulated such a wonderful collection of friends and wonderful memories along the way. As time permits, I hope to be able to tell my story here and share with you the best of it and yes, some of the worst of it too.

I am told by a friend - and I try hard to listen, she's a smart lady! - that I have built walls that are hard to climb, that I should take down those walls and I should share more of myself with people, as she says - the real Bill Lusk. She tells me that behind all that hardness, there is a soft and gentle guy that she thinks everyone should know about. I have to admit, that's a hard thing to do sometimes. Other than in my music, I have always found it difficult to let folks see beyond the window dressings. Again at some level, we all find it hard to allow others to see our weaknesses, our frailties. But it could happen and with encouragement - . . . maybe sooner than later.

As I have promised, as time goes, I'll add to my story and the different eras of my career and life. They'll be some rather interesting photos as well. You'll find this stuff in the ROADS TRAVELED GALLERY section. Come back and visit every now and then to see what's been added and maybe I'll be performing in your area and you can come by for a visit.

later and thanks for stopping by . . . Bill

Top Of Page