Original Release Date:  Nov 07, 2006
Label:  Southern

Whitmore & Hoyston's diverse influences into something strikingly unified, featuring backing instrumentation including organ and a singing saw, and dusty, gentle production - contrasting with the shiny dross spumed out of mainstream country radio in contemporary America. The duo are united in their love of 70's Nashville music, and the recording sessions for Hallways were almost alchemical, producing a touching, magical homage to a tradition which inspired both of them, in very different ways, to begin making music.

Fans of June Carter & Johnny Cash will be enthralled to discover a modern pairing cut from the same cloth as these legendary duos, yet with an approach that is distinctively their own.

Original Release Date:  Aug 29, 2006
Label:  Southern Records

The organic musical progression of this young, rural Iowan continues to impress. Though he has yet to reach 30, his gravelly voice; themes of mortality, loss, and redemption; and spare accompaniment on banjo and guitar evoke an era before electricity and indoor plumbing. Yet there's a melodic warmth and spirit of renewal here that was nowhere to be heard on Whitmore's two previous albums. As the song cycle proceeds from drought to flood, the musical narrator even proclaims himself a "happy feller" at one point, though happiness remains barely a glimmer throughout much of his music. Both the stunning "The Chariot" (which puts a darker spin on "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken") and "Red Buds" benefit from the backing of keyboardist Dave Zollo and drummer John Crawford, while the thematically pivotal instrumental, "And Then the Rains Came," adds electronic atmospherics and sound effects over a repetitive guitar drone. From the elegy for a dying breed of "Rest His Soul" to the closing meditation on loss and memory in "Everyday," Whitmore continues to craft a remarkable body of work.

--Don McLeese

Original Release Date:  Jul 25, 2005
Label:  Southern Records

I think pretty much everyone who has had the pleasure of seeing William play will agree about one thing : he is an unexpected revelation. When he opens his mouth and sings, out pours a gravelly, world-weary voice, belying his obvious youth... and the words he sings are strong, heartfelt words constructed of harsh experience and dark days walking an uncertain path. The revelation about William is how he seems to reach out to everyone and strike a chord down deep. I have had the pleasure of seeing William silence rooms of people from all walks of life ... from 4 months old to 60 years old... everyone finds something about William that they can relate to.

And so it is an honour and a pleasure to have had William visit our studio and do what he is so damn good at - just playing a few songs -- simple, unadorned, great stories from the heart. I hope that you all will enjoy the pleasure of William's company in your homes, as much as we have enjoyed all of the time we've had in his company.

These songs were recorded in the hallway at Southern Studios in London by the esteemed Harvey Birrell in the month of January in the year 2005.

From Southern Records

Original Release Date:  Feb 22, 2005
Label:  Southern Records

Though the gravel and dirt in his voice have earned this Iowa artist comparisons with Tom Waits, those with longer memories might recognize Captain Beefheart as a closer soundalike. With his stripped-down instrumentation of banjo and guitar--occasionally augmented by a bare-bones band--William Elliott Whitmore taps into the most primal themes of inescapable death and unforgivable sin. Amid the funereal blues of "Diggin' My Grave" and "The Buzzards Won't Cry" and the dying farmer's request on the closing "Porchlight" (punctuated with a tubercular-sounding cough as a coda), the comparatively tender "When Push Comes to Love" brings melodic relief and the classic country waltz "Sorest of Eyes" has a hint of a lilt. Otherwise, the artistry is as bleak as the Samuel Beckett epigram on the liner, as the music takes a cold, hard look at mortality and evokes the slimmest hope of redemption.

--Don McLeese

Original Release Date:  Mar 15, 2004
Label:  Southern Records

Mr. Whitmore released his debut album, Hymns For The Hopeless, on Southern Records in September 2003. An arresting collection of redemption songs and murder ballads, built around little more than his banjo and his incredible voice, each of it's eight songs contained a grain of Mr Whitmore's life and revealed the subtle influences of The Louvin Brothers, Minor Threat, Ralph Stanley and Captain Beefheart.

Featuring one of these songs, "Does Me No Good" alongside two brand new recordings, this seven inch is being released to coincide with Whitmore's 2004 European tour. The first of the new tracks, "The Day the End Finally Came", features Payload, the band arising from the ashes of Ten Grand after the tragic death of singer Matt Davis. "The Buzzards Won't Cry", the other new track, features the recording talents of the pAperchAse's John Congleton, making this single the collaborative Southern project of your dreams.

From Southern Records

Original Release Date:  Oct 07, 2003
Label:  Southern Records

William Elliott Whitmore is a very unique soul. Hailing from a small town along the banks of the Mississippi River, Mr. Whitmore's experiences are steeped in the black Iowa dirt, the bracing punch of Kentucky whiskey, and the cold hard truths of life, love, and death. His songs are stripped bare of any pretense or protection, leaving the listener no choice but to face their own demons. Often referred to as the "Hillbilly Ray Charles," Mr. Whitmore builds his songs of redemption and his murder ballads with little more than his banjo, his harmonica, and his incredible voice. Each song on Hymns For The Hopeless represents an important piece of his life. Whitmore's primary influences are illuminating: The Louvin Brothers, Minor Threat, Ralph Stanley, Captain Beefheart.

Pulling a stool up to the microphone at a recent performance, Mr. Whitmore's presence completely silenced the audience. This would not be so memorable were it not for the fact that this was a dingy punk rock dive filled to the rafters with sweaty young no-goodniks waiting for the next bunch of screamers to plug in. Mr. Whitmore explains his outlook by saying that "each song is its own church and one cannot help but step inside and share a seat."

Hymns For The Hopeless is far from hopeless. Every song, despite its tragic narrative or painful conclusion, contains a grain of goodness. After facing their demons, the listener is then left newly inspired, freshly optimistic, and able to appreciate all that had been taken for granted.

From Southern Records