I found the singer the world forgot

When American music producer Joshua Henry was caring for his dying father Jamie, he found an obscure record buried amongst his belongings. Neither of them were familiar with the record but together they started listening and those fragile, searching songs like I Hear You Calling, became a bridge between Joshua and his father, a Vietnam veteran carrying memories he could never quite lay to rest. In Bill Fay’s music, they found a language for things that were otherwise too painful, too distant, to say out loud.
After his father passed, Joshua – who was deep in grief – decided to find out more about Bill Fay, who seemed to have completely disappeared from the music scene after his album in 1970s failed to sell. His records were out of print; his name nearly lost to time. But when Joshua tracked Bill down, he didn’t find a forgotten star, only a modest man who believed his moment had passed. What followed was more than a rediscovery. Despite being cast aside by the industry Bill had kept creating in the corner of his room and had amassed a mountain of unreleased recordings over the decades. As they began working together their connection grew into something unexpectedly profound and for Joshua, something like a second father. Together, they brought Bill's songs back into the world, and in doing so, helped give a lost voice a second life.

Clip of Bill Fay's home recording: courtesy of Dead Oceans

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producers: Edgar Maddicott and June Christie

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(Photo: Bill Fay in the studio with Joshua Henry)