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Will Anderson (singer)

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Will Anderson
Anderson performing live. Washington, DC, 2014.
Anderson performing live. Washington, DC, 2014.
Background information
Birth nameWilliam Charles Anderson
Born (1986-05-05) May 5, 1986 (age 38)
Sacramento, California, United States
GenresPop, pop rock
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboard

William Charles Anderson (born May 5, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter who is best known as the lead vocalist of the American pop rock band Parachute.

Early life

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Anderson was born in Sacramento, California but his family later moved to Charlottesville, Virginia.[1] His father, Mark, is a physician and a professor of radiology and orthopaedic surgery at the University of Virginia.[2] He has two brothers, Charles and John, and a sister, Jane.[3][4][non-primary source needed] He began taking piano lessons at a young age[5] and his parents bought him his first guitar as a Christmas present when he was eleven years old.[3] He worked as a lifeguard in both high school and college.[6][7] Anderson graduated from the University of Virginia in 2008, having majored in music.[3]

Career

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Anderson formed the band Sparky's Flaw in high school with his classmates Kit French, Johnny Stubblefield, and Alex Hargrave. He met Nate McFarland while studying at the University of Virginia; they were both members of The Virginia Gentlemen.[8] McFarland joined the band as a lead guitarist and Sparky's Flaw released two independent EPs.[9] They later changed their band name to Parachute.[10] Parachute played many college shows[11] and were signed to Mercury Records during Anderson's third year of college in 2007.[12]

Parachute has released five albums since 2009, and has toured with artists including Switchfoot, Kelly Clarkson, NEEDTOBREATHE, Jon McLaughlin, The Script, Mat Kearney, and The Goo Goo Dolls.

Influences

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In his teenage years, Anderson was a fan of Ben Folds Five,[13] John Mayer and Dave Matthews Band: "Honestly, I think Dave Matthews Band is pretty much the reason we all wanted to be in a band. They were huge at the time we were coming together."[14][15] Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt and Motorcade of Generosity by Cake were the first albums he ever bought.[1][16] He has named Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder as his top four songwriting influences, characterizing them as "classic singer-songwriters".[17][18] He describes Sam Cooke as his favorite singer "of all time".[19]

Personal life

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Anderson lived in Nashville, Tennessee in from 2010 to 2016.[20] "Everything here is about music, at least amongst my friends and I. It's fun to be in a place where everybody is thinking about writing ... and just loves talking about it."[19] He owns a Maltese Chihuahua mix named Eddie.[3] In 2017, Anderson married American poet Courtney Kampa.[21][22] Kampa passed away in November 2022.[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b Will Anderson | ParachuteFan.com | Your Source For Everything Parachute Archived 2 December 2013
  2. ^ "dop search2".
  3. ^ a b c d "www.PopZineOnline.com". popzineonline.com.
  4. ^ Anderson, Will [@willyj1234] (April 10, 2010). "Me and my sister Jane!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 3, 2013 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ Rachel (July 3, 2011). "Music reviews and interviews: Parachute".
  6. ^ AXS TV (February 19, 2013). "Will Anderson (of Parachute) Interview on AXS Live". Archived from the original on December 20, 2021 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ Parachute (September 7, 2011). "Parachute TV Episode 74: Ask Parachute Volume 4". Archived from the original on December 20, 2021 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ "Parachute: For the Record".
  9. ^ "Sparky's Flaw – Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic.
  10. ^ "Women in Politics – Political News and Womens Rights Issues". Marie Claire. May 14, 2009.
  11. ^ "ANDPOP – Is It A Bird, A Plane? Nope, It's Parachute – The Band To Watch This Spring".
  12. ^ "Charlottesville-Based Pop-Rock Band Is Rising Fast". Fredericksburg.Com.
  13. ^ Napster (August 9, 2013). "Parachute Talks Ben Folds: On The Record (interview)". Archived from the original on December 20, 2021 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ Barker, Lynn (September 4, 2009). "Interview: Parachute's Will Anderson!". teenmusic.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013.
  15. ^ "Entertainment – Latest News, Photos And Videos". HuffPost.
  16. ^ "Interview with Parachute".
  17. ^ "Will Anderson of Parachute Talks About The Band's Debut Album, Losing Sleep". September 23, 2009.
  18. ^ "Starry Constellation Magazine". starrymag.com.
  19. ^ a b "Janica Quach's Interview with Will Anderson from Parachute" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2018.
  20. ^ "Parachute drops new record news – C-VILLE Weekly". November 9, 2010.
  21. ^ Thompson, Claire (March 6, 2018). "A very Virginian Stegner session with Courtney Kampa and Michael Sears". The Stanford Daily. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  22. ^ "Instagram post by Parachute • Dec 18, 2016 at 2:12 am UTC". Instagram. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  23. ^ "Obituary - Courtney Kampa".
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  • [1]
  • Will Anderson at Twitter [2]
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