POM 6/22 No. 1: Bill Stamey

Podcast Open Mic

POM 6/22 No. 1: Bill Stamey

I was born, and grew up, in Memphis, learned the basics of reading music at a young age, and got my first guitar at around age 5. Self-taught for the most part, I took lessons from a few key figures: Bob Salley (a university instructor) at age 14, Shawn Lane (a musical phenom) at age 18, was a University of Memphis music student for 2 years. Later, when I arrived in Maine I studied guitar for a year with the truly gifted Bob Thompson.

In my teens I started playing in original and cover bands (rock, R&B, and blues). I played out a lot, mostly in town, sometimes other states down south.

I had the privilege of recording in a few of the landmark studios in Memphis, which brought me into contact with incredible people. Some of my work was on original music, and some was in an effort to be a studio musician: playing on song demos for writers, or cutting jingles, theme songs, or really anything.

From 1998-2002 I took a detour and attended the East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine in Johnson City, TN. During those years I played in a popular local cover band. From 2002- 2007 I completed my medical training in Tampa, FL, and Houston, TX. There was no time for playing in bands during that time, (though a few gigs did happen).

In 2007 my family and I moved to Maine, where I started practicing medicine. After about 5 years of practice I began playing out again or a limited basis. In 2018 I joined an established cover band in Brunswick.

From summer 2021 until February 2022 I recorded the album get up in my home studio in Harpswell. It is available online at https://billstamey.bandcamp.com/releases