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OUR STORY

Hi I'm Alvin Willis

I grew up always loving music songs and lyrics, it was a long time before I knew who sang them let alone wrote them.i just knew one of my favorite things to do when i was alone was sing songs i heard and songs i made up. 

I can remember as a little kid loving to pretend like I was listening to the radio but making up my own songs in my head and the DJ saying here's a  new song I think you're going to like. I was in first grade back then and all that was playing in my head was the hooks to a song, some real some in my head that I made up.

My mom had two little rocking chairs for kids one blue and the other green the blue one was mine. I always got into that one as I made believe these things.It wasn't until fifth grade I actually started trying to write a full song, most of them were a mix between gospel and Pop/RB. I started singing my gospel songs in church but they set me down quick, they wasn't ready for that style yet, now most all the churches sing that style. By the time I was in seventh grade I started working on my first album called Willis Only. I wrote almost 200 songs between 7th grade and 11th grade for that project until I finally settled on the 12 songs I liked the most. Love and sports kinda got in the way of a lot of those songs along with my obsession to learn more about the cosmos of my faith.That prompted me to write the book that i am working on today.  

I divided up the songs I didn't use for Willis Only into 12 song blocks and tried to line my albums up to go in the studio after graduation from high school to record my songs, I heard at the time, that's what Prince did.

After being locked out of the house at 19 I finally got my own place to start writing songs freely, though I paid $100 a week to stay at home after high school, my mom had  strict rules. To be home by 12 and only gospel music in her house, so i always hid my Pop/R&B songs.Once on my own the first thing I did was start trying to put bands together around the Knoxville area. I met with guys that did more what if talking than anything. After the fifth band I decided to do my own thing. I joined the Knoxville songwriters club. Then I went into the studio to start demoing my songs. I played the first two projects for my dad and he said everything sounds good but maybe you should look into other people singing your songs, hint hint. My little brother came over to my apartment and listened to my first project and said I know a guy that can sing that better for you. I got the picture when a good friend of mine told me after my 3rd CD "Acoustic Love The Beginning" I really love your band, he said that the last two projects. Then it hit me, I need  to start featuring artists on my projects. I started holding auditions for singers around the area having them all sing the same songs. I told the guys at the studio not to let them know the song had already been sung by several artists already.They helped me pick out the best singers. I did two more projects in Knoxville and then sold my home recording studio and moved to Nashville. 

Within six months of being in Nashville I signed my first publishing deal with Mix Brothers Publishing. The relationship I made with one of those producers would later open several doors for me as he went on to become a Grammy and Dove winning Producer. People were more willing to work with me after they knew I had worked with him. After leaving Mix Brothers, I worked with Inter Music Library, A Publishing Company out of Los Angeles. They came across one of my songs and offered me a two-year deal. They were super cool….
I knew once I was free again and could own all my stuff I was going to do things differently! Looking back I would not trade those publishing deals and my time working with all those awesome programmers and producers no Sir, they taught me so much about the business and the talent side of this thing. But with the urging of my PRO Reps in L.A and Nashville, they suggested I not rush into anything publishing wise, the landscape in how music is marketed is changing!
Because of the marketing change I have gone back to the way it all started for me, writing and producing my songs sung by new up and coming artists, It gives me and my team a chance for new marketing ideas at no cost to the featured Artist. there is so much more to what we do, this is just a little bio of how i came to this point, and why It's called Alvin Willis Music, Where You Hear Tomorrow's Songs And  Artists  Played Today.

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