The Booklist Interview: Bill Harley.

Jemtegaard, Kristi (author).

Two-time Grammy Award winner Bill Harley is well known to audiences for his music and storytelling. In addition to his recording career, Harley is an author and regular commentator for NPR’s All Things Considered. Kristi Jemtegaard caught up with Harley last spring shortly after he received the 2009 Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for Yes to Running! Bill Harley Live.

BKL: Let’s start with the most exciting news! Tell us about the experience of winning a second Grammy Award.

HARLEY: It was great! When they said my name, it took a couple seconds for my brain to translate the sound into words. Two old friends, Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, presented the award to me, which made it really nice. And while it won’t change the nature of what I do (I’m too old for that, at this point), it’s a great affirmation that my work means something to people.

BKL: You’re a singer, songwriter, storyteller, and author. Which of these is your favorite and why?

HARLEY: Playing music is the easiest thing to do—you can entertain yourself by singing or playing the guitar or piano. I love (sometimes) the process of writing, but it’s a discipline. When the world opens up in that process, it’s quite amazing. And performing, being in the moment with a group of people, is transcendent. The answer is: I’m not choosing.

BKL: Did you always know that you wanted to write and perform for children? What was your path to choosing that particular audience?

HARLEY: I found early on that I was comfortable with children—they’re immediate, responsive, and involved. We give lip service to the importance of caring for children, but because they lack power, they’re often ignored. I’m happy to speak for them and to them, and hope to affirm their lives through my work.

BKL: Where do you get your inspiration for your songs? Do the words or music come first?

HARLEY: I write a song any way I can. Since I am a wordsmith first, I usually write down an idea or line and then build around that. But sometimes I just sit down at the piano or pick up a guitar and play until a melody line, chord progression, or accompanying lyric start to form. It’s more about turning off my critical faculty for a while and letting something happen.

BKL: How do you go about making an album?

HARLEY: I usually make an album when I think I have enough material, though in some cases, I will write to a certain purpose. With a music album, I also spend a lot of time thinking about arrangement and instrumentation. Because of recording costs, I have to think about how many musicians I use and who can fill more than one role. The nature of the music industry is changing rapidly, and the future of CDs and whether this is the way people will continue to buy music is uncertain, so this opens up the question of whether you just record a couple of songs at a time.

BKL: You’ve been performing before audiences for many years. Do live performances help you refine or change your material in any way?

HARLEY: I like to perform material for a while before I record. Some songs work on a recording that will not work in a performance. With an audience, you can only do one or two slower or more thoughtful songs since you have to really move things along. I always try to work out my stories in stage appearances before I record them—the pieces are always tighter and better after I’ve done them 50 or 60 times.

BKL: You must have had some fun experiences performing for children. Can you share any bloopers, blunders, or memorable moments?

HARLEY: Oh, so many. I kind of like mistakes or having things go wrong—it allows me to interact with the audience. Kids have thrown up in the middle of my shows, and I try not to take that personally! At one show, some kid, who had heard my stories on recordings, kept interrupting me and stealing all my punch lines.

BKL: Do you think your music and stories help children become better at visualizing what they read and hear?

HARLEY: There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is true—and precisely why story is so important. All the brain science is finally pointing to what I’ve felt my whole life. And singing—vocalizing—is central to being able to speak in the world: to having a voice, both physically and metaphorically.

BKL: Did you have any heroes growing up or musicians and storytellers who influenced you along the way?

HARLEY: Yes, there were many, including Pete Seeger, whose purpose was to build community and get people to sing. There were also songwriters and performers Steve Goodman, John Prine, and Tom Paxton as well as folk music legends Gamble Rogers and Utah Phillips. My contemporaries, such as storytellers Donald Davis and Kevin Kling, have influenced my work, too.

BKL: I know that you perform in libraries. What advice do you have for librarians interested in hosting successful music programs?

HARLEY: Make sure both the performer and the audience are comfortable and have their basic needs met. And find a way to set some gentle guidelines for behavior to help ensure that everyone can enjoy the performance. I love a librarian who can be both a good cop and a bad cop. It helps to look for performers who have a good relationship with the audience and genuinely love to communicate. Technical ability is nice, but it’s inconsequential if it’s not paired with good performance skills and classroom management techniques.

BKL: Is there one thought about music, storytelling, singing, songwriting that you’d like to leave with our readers today?

To me, the simplest description of a teacher is someone who gives others a story so they can make their own. That’s what librarians do, too. I’m a lucky guy—my job is to travel around the country and remind people of the importance of music and story in our lives. How good is that?