He is a composer, guitarist and producer born in West Germany and adopted by an American couple from California. He played the guitar since around the age of 12 and after high school he entered Stanford University, but left before completing his studies. He did however provide musical compositions for the University’s production of Romeo and Juliet.
In the mid-1970s he first worked as a carpenter but he was sent to a recording studio by some of his friends and cut his first disc. His first album The Search for the Turtle’s Navelwas met with enough success that allowed him to concentrate on music on a full time basis.
He set up his own label, Windham Hill Records where he did the performing and recording for his own material himself or he produced albums for other artists that include Alex de Grassi, George Winston, Liz Story, Shadowfax and Michael Hedges. The label gained attention in 1980 with George Winston’s Autumn after Rolling Stone magazine gave it a favourable review which led to it becoming commercially successful. During the 1980s he performed many concerts with Michael Hedges.
In the 1990s he made the decision to move to Brattleboro in Windham County in Vermont where he had lived before and in 1992 he ceased to produce and record and sold half of his part of his record label to BMG. He then sold the other half in 1996.
He started up the Imaginary Road studio in Brattleboro and since his move back to Vermont has recorded the Grammy Award nominated 1998 Sound of Wind Driven Rain and the 2001 Hearing Voices. He then won a Grammy Award for his 2004 Returning. 2006 saw the release of his PURE, in 2008 he released the Grammy Award nominated Meditations and in 2010 New England Roads.
In 2007 he was continuing to make public appearances and performed in debut concerts with other artists in Hailey, Idaho.
Will Ackerman Recordings
In This Still Forest
Windham Hill (CD: Carols of Christmas II)
Will Ackerman and Michael Hedges performing his “Hawkcircle”…
Source:
- http://williamackerman.com/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Ackerman
- http://www.allmusic.com/artist/will-ackerman-mn0001431398/biography
- http://music.aol.com/artist/will-ackerman/50344/biography
- http://imaginaryroadstudios.com/