Bio

Bill Noonan was the leader of and chief songwriter for the Rank Outsiders, Charlotte-based roots-rock pioneers who were a popular fixture on the southeastern music scene for more than a decade (1990–2002). The group achieved 15 minutes of fame in the late 1990s when their second CD, CHECKPOINT, received strong national airplay on Americana radio. Now after many influential years in the background helping other artists get their things across (Carolina rock hero David Childers, ramblin’ sideman Duane Jarvis, bluegrass balladeer Michael Reno Harrell, and ex-wife and Rank songstress Gigi Dover to name a few…), 2007 finds Noonan back on the road fronting his own group and delving deeper into the down-to-earth rock ’n’ roll sound for which he is best known. The Bill Noonan Band picks up where the Rank Outsiders left off, bringing long-time musical comrades together with interesting new blood. The lineup consists of Noonan’s long-time cohort Bill Walpole on pedal steel and slide guitars along with newcomer David Kroening on bass. Ray Mitchell, drummer for the Rank Outsiders and widely known as one of the finest in the region, is back on the kit in the new band. The two ex-Ranksters and their new compadres deliver with the same high energy level and undeniable rock ’n’ roll heart that fans of the old band will recall, while “Country Bill” Walpole brings tasty slide and steel work to expand the group’s sonic palette and provide Noonan with a capable foil in hot exchanges of dual-twang firepower. Anchoring the band with unwavering power and tempo, Mitchell nails the backup vocals on old favorites from the Rank catalog and on Noonan’s recent compositions. Those recent compositions are showcased on the band’s CD debut, CATAWBA CITY, which was released at the end of 2006 and is currently receiving strong regional airplay and positive press. CATAWBA CITY delivers a fully realized musical vision that reflects Noonan’s coming of age as a writer and performer, and his easy comfort with bedrock American musical styles: folk, blues, country and western, and the hybrid that he tags “traditional rock ’n’ roll.” Noonan dubs his brand of Americana “Carolina roots rock,” and both the music and lyrical content clearly stake his claim as purveyor of an authentic and original sound rich in regional themes and colors. Live, the Bill Noonan Band takes it to the next level energy-wise, rocking hard and turning each performance into a transcendent musical celebration. Their sets combine new original material with selections from the Rank Outsiders’ songbook, and an eclectic range of cover material spanning old-fashioned country and western, retro-pop a la Del Shannon and Roy Orbison, and rockers from the likes of the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and Neil Young. In this new setting, Noonan stretches out and proves himself as front man and lead vocalist. The group’s high-spirited performances are driven by his spontaneity, wry commentary and fiery Telecaster chops. This is a strong, seasoned and versatile band of brothers, who are breaking new musical ground while carrying on the best-loved traditions of past musical lives.