bio
When
he realized that his new house's garage had been converted by the former owners
into a makeshift recording studio, Will Robertson knew
at 14 years old that that was the end of the story. For the rest of high school,
whatever time he didn't invest in avoiding homework or chasing girls was spent
in that garage, to the dismay of his parents. Will cut his teeth by recording
the bands he played with, doing his best to overcome the limitations of the
less-than-stellar equipment left by the former owners (who took the good stuff
with them). Word spread of his abilities--or was it the soundproofed garage?--and
before too long he was recording high school acts from heavy metal to hip-hop.
Will got his act together after high
school. After honing his ear for arrangement, orchestration, composition, and
orchestral bass performance at Rice
University and the Kodaly
Institute in Hungary, he headed up to Boston's Berklee
College of Music, where he was admitted into the selective Music
Production and Engineering program. During his time at Berklee, Will was
asked by his fellow students to contribute to dozens of recording projects as
producer, engineer, and performer, and was honored by the faculty with the award
of the National Academy of Recording
Arts and Sciences (NARAS) scholarship, sponsored by the organization that
hosts the Grammy awards.
After finishing at Berklee, Will set up shop just north of Cambridge in Somerville, Massachusetts, where he produced local talent and wrote and recorded radio commercials for small businesses in the Boston area. Will also engineered for a variety of clients, including the Boston Choral Ensemble and nascent composer A.J. McCaffrey, who has received fellowships from the Tanglewood and Aspen Music Festivals. In 2003, Will found himself working with Boston artists Grey Star Morning and Tim Williams, whose albums he produced just before pulling anchor andmoving back down south to the Atlanta area.
In February 2004, David Berkeley's "Fire Sign," a track that Will produced and performed on, was featured in an episode of the Thursday night primetime CBS drama "Without A Trace."
Since moving to Atlanta, Will has performed with, arranged for and recorded a number of regional singer/songwriters, including Arlington Priest, The Brilliant Inventions, Blake Guthrie, Evan McHugh, Nathan Mayberry, Liz Lee, and Mic Levine.
Will is an accomplished bassist (both electric and "upright"/double bass), guitarist, and pianist, having played each for at least 16 years. He has played and sung lead and backup with an assortment of bands and ensembles, in styles including rock, folk, blues, musical theater, and classical.
Will and his wife, Amy, currently make their home just outside Atlanta in Tucker, Georgia.
For more information, please contact
willwillrobertson.com.
b&w
photo by tim williams (taken during the recording of 818/the chelsea sessions)
color
photo by kelly davidson