“There’s gonna be a big hootenanny…” Bill Byrne on Collaboration, Music and Having a Top 40 Hit

Bill Byrne is a renaissance man: a lawyer, judge, mayor (of Morgantown, West Virginia) and musician with a Top 40 song. He’s packed a lot of living into his life. He also tells a great story. I caught up with Bill at a Hero’s Journey Foundation weekend retreat where we played a lot of music together.

Listen below to learn how Bill was able to move from competition to collaboration in law and politics, what it’s like to have a Top 40 hit as a teenager, what it’s like to be the family musician, and simply enjoying the act of playing music.

You can also hear Hootenanny – his Top 40 hit from the summer of 1963 with his band the Glencoves – both the original version (thanks to YouTube) and a special solo acoustic version recorded just for you. The words are also below if you’d like to sing along. Listen and enjoy the Mayor of Morgantown’s musical story!

Listen here:

The journey from competition to collaboration

Bill’s Musical Journey

“It’s always brought out a better part of me” – On being the family musician

Letting Go of Perfectionism and Just Enjoying the Act of Making Music

Hootenanny solo acoustic version

Check out the songs on YouTube:

Hootenanny

Here are two other songs by Bill’s band The Glencoves:

It’s Sister Ginny’s Turn to Throw the Bomb

Devil’s Waitin’ (On Bald Mountain)

Sing Along at Home! Here are the words to The Glencoves Top 40 hit Hootenanny:

There’s gonna be a big

Hootenanny, hootenanny

Everybody’s gonna come along

All join in at the

Hootenanny, hootenanny

Sing a hooting, hollering song

Put on your hat

Put out the cat

Bring a little money

Cause you might need that

Throw out the blues

Kick off your shoes

Sing a little, sing a little

Make a little love a little

Bring a little honey to

The hootenanny, hootenanny

Everybody’s gonna have a date

Hurry hurry, hurry to

The hootenanny, hootenanny

We don’t wanna be late

You get the girls

I’ll get the car

Bring a banjo and an old guitar

Get out the spoons

You know the tunes

Hey diddle diddle with

A fiddle in the middle

If you can’t fiddle

At the hootenanny, hootenanny

Play a little paper and comb

Once you get to the

Hootenanny, hootenanny

You’ll never wanna go home

You get the girls

I’ll get the car

Bring a banjo and an old guitar

Get out the spoons

You know the tunes

Hey diddle diddle with

A fiddle in the middle

If you can’t fiddle at the

Hootenanny, hootenanny

Play a little paper and comb

Once you get to the

Hootenanny, hootenanny

You’ll never wanna go home

You’ll never wanna go home

You’ll never want to go home