He was born in Akron, OH and graduated from Ellet High School in 1956. Allen Freed was the man to know back then and wanted to manage Bill, but it didn't work as Bill chose to keep his manager, Art Roberts...oh the follies of youth and the corruption of payola during those years. He loved to sit on the porch steps of churches and listen to the gospel music. He loved Bill Haley and rock and roll! Thousands of people signed petitions to get him on American Bandstand. Girls and guys alike screamed and cried at his concerts and went so far as to scrape paint off the car that he shared with his brother Jack. It didn't bother Jack though, there were LOTS of pretty girls. His first public concert was at the Linda Theater in Akron, he also sang at Ellet for a big show and donated his proceeds to buy lights for the football field. He's traveled all over the country over the years and is STILL rockin' the house! He can still pack a room and make every single person in there feel that he is performing specifically for them, now that's entertainment. His music is listened to all over the world and there have been several really good covers of his songs. He has mentored many younger musician/singers over the years. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.