Bill Pursell

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

William Whitney Pursell (June 9, 1926 – September 3, 2020) was an American composer and onetime session pianist.[1] He had a brief but successful career as a pop musician before continuing on as a session player. Pursell is best known for the top ten hit "Our Winter Love."

Life

Pursell was born in

Nashville Symphony Orchestra and taught at Tennessee State University and Vanderbilt University
.

In 1962, he signed with

R&B Singles chart.[3] A full-length album entitled Our Winter Love was released the following year.[4] The album reached #15 on the Billboard 200[5] on the strength of the popularity of the title track. The arrangements for the album were made by Bill Justis and Pursell, and the orchestra was conducted by Grady Martin
.

His follow-up single "Loved" reached Billboard position 121. Pursell later recorded for

J.J. Cale, Willie Nelson, Dan Fogelberg
, and others. In 1985, Pursell was named Composer of the Year by the Tennessee Music Teachers Association.

Pursell became a member of the faculty of the School of Music at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1980. In 1996, he completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree (DMA) at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.

Death

On September 3, 2020, Pursell's daughter, Laura, announced on Facebook that he had died at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville after contracting COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tennessee and developing pneumonia. He was 94.[6]

References

  1. ^ "William Pursell". Belmont University School of Music.
  2. ^ Bill Pursell at Oldies.com; information provided by Muze.
  3. Allmusic
  4. ^ "Our Winter Love - Bill Pursell". AllMusic.
  5. Allmusic
  6. ^ "William Pursell, Grammy-Nominated Composer, Dies at 94". The Hollywood Reporter. September 5, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.

External links

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