Staines has 26 recordings to his credit and has written over 300 songs.
Bill Staines will perform on Saturday at the uNi Coffeehouse in Springfield. (Larry Marcus photo)
Considered by many to be one of the most durable and beloved singers on the folk music scene today, Bill Staines continues to perform more than 175 shows a year and drives close to 70,000 miles getting to them.
This weekend he’ll be putting some additional miles on his car as he heads from his home in Dover, NH, to Springfield where he will perform on Saturday night at the uNi Coffeehouse. Tickets are $15 at the door for the 7:30 p.m. show.
Staines travels in the world of folk began during the burgeoning folk scene of the 1960s.
“When I was in high school, there were two cliques. One group listened to the Beach Boys and the early Beatles, and the other group which I was a part of listened to the Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary,” said Staines.
“It was a magical time to grow up. At three o’clock when classes were over, I would throw my books in the locker and head to coffeehouses like the Unicorn in Boston and Club 47 in Cambridge, where I would listen to performers like Jose Feliciano, Ian and Sylvia, Tim Hardin and others,” he added.
Eventually Staines began singing a song or two at hootenannies, the equivalent back then to today’s open mic nights, which eventually led to paid gigs.
“I would work at Sears during the day and play the coffeehouses at night. Then, one day I needed a back operation and never went back to the department store. By that time, I was pretty much playing and earning as much money as I was at Sears, and suddenly it was 40 years later,” said Staines.
Today, he has 26 recordings to his credit and has written over 300 songs, many of which have been recorded by artists such as Makem and Clancy, Nanci Griffith, Glen Yarborough, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Peter, Paul and Mary. His music is sung at campfires and folk music gatherings, in homes and churches, and all around the country. Many of his songs such as “All God’s Critters,” “The Roseville Fair,” “Child of Mine,” and “River” have become folk music classics.
On stage, Staines is an intimate, compelling performer who encourages his audience to sing with him on his chorus songs. He mixes in traditional tunes with his own contemporary folk ballads. His humorous tales of life on the road and observations of everyday people provide an entertaining blend of story and song.
“I’m doing something that I love….meeting people, experiencing things every day on the road, which eventually become the building blocks for songs I have written,” said Staines.
“I have these things I call little victories along the way. They’re not materialistic, more like getting a phone call and learning that Peter, Paul and Mary were going to record one of my songs. I’m always looking forward to tomorrow and what the next little victory will be on the road, it’s always an adventure,” added the longtime folk artists.
Staines has recorded two children’s albums, “The Happy Wanderer” and “One More River,” both receiving the Parents’ Choice Award. His music has appeared in a several films, including the HBO series “Deadwood,” “Return of the Secaucus Seven,” which was John Sayles’ first endeavor as a director, and “Off and Running” with Cyndi Lauper.
He has appeared on numerous radio and television shows and was a frequent performer on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion Show” during its early years. His memoir, “The Tour,” was released in 2003.