William Fitzsimmons

Biography

Singer/songwriter William Fitzsimmons was born in Pittsburgh to two blind parents, both of whom were living-room musicians, and their passion for music was passed on to their son, who was playing piano and trombone in elementary school and taught himself guitar while he was in junior high school. Over time, he also learned to play banjo, melodica, ukulele, and mandolin. While pursuing a master's degree at Geneva College, Fitzsimmons began tracking some of his songs on home recording equipment, and following his graduation and while he was working as a mental health therapist, these appeared as his debut album, Until When We Are Ghosts, self-released by Fitzsimmons in 2005. His songs began showing up on various television soundtracks, including Grey's Anatomy, General Hospital, Life of Ryan, and Army Wives. A second self-produced and engineered album, Goodnight, appeared in 2006. By now his sound was set, a gentle mixture of folk-rock and electronica applied to carefully written and often autobiographical songs that, at their best, delivered a quiet emotional power. His first official studio album, The Sparrow and the Crow, was released in 2008.