Zane Williams

Zane Williams is usually a man of many words---he has kept a diary every day since he was thirteen and has an online “blog” that he updates frequently---but ask him what his musical influences are and he seems at a loss for an answer. “I probably have 15 CDs and hardly ever listen to any of them,” Zane admits. “I listen to and identify with a lot of different music, but it’s all over the board, and I rarely settle down on any given artist or genre.”

With such diverse musical tastes, it’s not surprising that finding his own voice as an artist has been a long journey for the Abilene, Texas native. As a child, Zane grew up playing classical music on the piano and singing hymns a cappella in church. He would often create his own compositions on the piano (instead of practicing), but it wasn’t until his senior year in high school that he picked up a guitar and started writing songs with lyrics.

In college at Abilene Christian University, Zane self-produced two CDs as demand for his music began to grow. “The stuff on those early albums was really an eclectic mix---you’d have an instrumental piano piece, followed by a story song, followed by a song that was more stream-of-consciousness,” says Williams. “I was doing it for fun and I was a solo act, so there was complete freedom.”

After graduating with a math degree in 1999, Zane moved to Nashville with the idea of garnering a deal with a major country record label, but over time he found himself at odds with the mainstream “commercial” music industry. “I was playing at colleges all over the country and kept hearing people say, ‘I don’t like country but I like your stuff.’ I knew I wanted a different sound than what country radio was putting out, but it took me a while to pin it down,” he says.

Visit Zane's website for more information - www.zanewilliams.info