Biography

True Life Story ...

I find myself looking back over my life. Maybe it's because I'm getting a little older.
I composed melodies at five, arranged songs at seven, however seven also saw great pain and sorrow. My dad was trying to kill my mom and I had to hope he was too drunk to find the bullets for the gun. Bittersweet memories.
First song at ten, first internationally recognized band, Thundermug, at seventeen, first number one hit at twenty.
It wasn't that I didn't have success ... it was that my personal life was spinning out of control and now, like my father, I was an alcoholic. I was alone. Then the magic happened ... I quit drinking and my inner journey began. I learned to love myself.
In 2003, I began writing again with Joe DeAngelis, original lead singer of Thundermug. Out of this dedicated partnership has come what I consider to be our best work.
It has been a long hard journey but now I realize that life is precious and the best is yet to come.

  • By the age of 13, Bill had written over 50 songs.
  • At the age of 15, Bill was playing large concerts with local bands in London, Ontario, Canada, opening for the likes of Ted Nugent and Peter And Gordon.
  • Between 1972 and 1978, Bill's band, Thundermug, released 3 vinyl albums (LPs) and no fewer than 9 singles. See discography.
  • Thundermug toured across Canada with April Wine (86 Concerts), The Stampeders (70 Concerts), Rush (12 Concerts), Slade, Sly And The Family Stone, Savoy Brown etc.. Bill and Thundermug opened for Areosmith on their first Canadian gig at Massey Hall in Toronto.
  • Thundermug disbanded in 1978 with two unreleased albums worth of demos!
  • Bill set to focus on his song writing and in 1983 he emerged with an album entitled "Call Billy" and a deal with then CBS, now Sony Publishing. During this time Bill appeared in a movie which has been shown many times on Canadian TV called "Freeloading".
  • In 1985 Bill joined "Tres Hombres" Canada's biggest bar band, touring Canada, the U.S.A. and Europe.
  • In 1987 Bill quite drinking alcohol (he's "just coasting, thank you",so he says) and began his creative comeback and in 1989 produced a charming little album called "Father Earth".
  • In the early 1990s Bill teamed up with former Thundermug bassist Jim Corbett and by 1994 they had made the classic cd "Who's Running My World?" under the name Thundermug. This cd received 42 solid weeks of charted airplay on Canadian radio stations from coast to coast. Bill and Thundermug became the first Independent band to ever get into the Top 20 with the single Who's Running My World? going to #18 on the national radio charts!
  • Thundermug produced one more cd in 1997, "Bang the Love Drum" and one last single in 1999 called The Funky President.
  • In 2000 and 2001 Bill toured in Europe.
  • In 2002-03 Bill played in a revamped Thundermug doing shows with Bad Company, the Beach Boys and George Thorogood.
  • In 2003 Bill joined creative forces with his friend and former bandmate, Joe DeAngelis to co-write a never ending amount of tunes, this they have done and continue to do.
  • In 2004 Bill started a little blues/roots/fuzzy/psychedelic band - Bill Durst Band.
  • In 2005 he released the "Wharncliffe Sessions" cd.
  • In 2006 Bill played blues festivals across central eastern Canada including Windsor, London and Montreal to great acclaim. He's being rediscovered! Also, The Wahl Clipper Corporation created a TV commercial around the song Beard from the "Who's Running My World?" cd - Click here to view commercial.
  • Now, at the end of 2007, after playing recent shows to standing ovations, Bill is proud to announce the immanent arrival of a brand new cd in Fall 2008. He's been working on this cd for a year and a half and will glad when you have it in your hot little hands. It's a goody! "The best songs Joe and I have ever written, the best guitar tones, the sweetest grooves and lots of magic" says Bill.

Thanks for checking all this stuff out. I truly appreciate it .
I will always do my best to bring you the best songs, the
best recordings and best performances that I possibly can.
Bill Durst

 

 

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