Pitchfork: R.I.P. Willy DeVilleR.I.P. Willy DeVille
The Associated Press reports that Willy DeVille, founder and frontman for the veteran punk band Mink DeVille, died last night in New York City. The 58-year-old suffered from pancreatic cancer.
DeVille formed Mink DeVille in the mid-70s; they made their recorded debut on the infamous Live at CBGB's compilation in 1976. Their first album, 1977's Cabretta, was produced by Jack Nitzsche. The song "Spanish Stroll" became a hit in Britain. After six albums with Mink DeVille, Willy DeVille launched a solo career in 1987. His 1987 album Miracle featured the song "Storybook Love", which was nominated for an Academy Award after its inclusion in the movie The Princess Bride.
Mink Deville: "Spanish Stroll"
Posted by Amy Phillips on August 7, 2009 at 1:40 p.m.
August 8, 2009
Pitchfork: R.I.P. Willy DeVille
A Thank You To Willy DeVille - Blogcritics Music
It was on May 17 that I received the e-mail that broke my heart. Willy DeVille's wife Nina wrote to let me know that Willy had been diagnosed with Stage Four Pancreatic cancer. At the time she had asked me to keep it to myself, but as she's since gone public with the information at Willy's website I'm free to talk about it. We knew Willy was sick earlier in the year, but at the time the doctors thought it was Hepatitis C, and it was only when they were testing him, prior to beginning treatment, they discovered the cancer. It doesn't look like there's much they can do for him aside from ensuring his comfort, and Nina assures me that they have hospice people in making sure he's not feeling too much pain and that he's being well looked after.
I came to know Willy outside of his music first back in 2006 when I interviewed him (Part one and part two ) for the site just after the release of his first ever DVD Live In The Lowlands and his first studio recording in a number of years, Crow Jand Alley. It was an amazing experience as we talked for well over two hours about art, music, and life. If there was ever a performer who had every right to be bitter it is Willy, as his music career has been marked by record company stupidity and indifference. Capitol, his first label, didn't know what to do with his music - in fact they shelved Le Chat Blue, an album Rolling Stone called the fifth best of 1980, and music historian Glenn A Baker has called the tenth best rock album of all time, until sales of the French import version became so high they were embarrassed into releasing it.
Yet, in spite of a career where stuff like that was the norm, and a personal life marked by hardship and sadness (his second wife committed suicide and overcoming addictions) he still retained his passion and love for music and life. I had a great time with Willy, but I figured that was the end of that, and I would treasure the memories of that conversation for the rest of my life. However, in December of 2007 I received an e-mail from the German edition of Rolling Stone asking me if I was interested in updating the original interview for publication in their February 2008 edition. They were planning a special feature on Willy prior to a mini tour of Europe he was doing that spring to publicize his 2008 release Pistola. Instead of merely updating the interview I took the opportunity to get in touch with Willy again and do a whole new interview (part one and part two) which I then combined with the first, and wrote a couple of side bar articles, all of which ended up in the magazine. When combined with photos the special "Willy DeVille" section ended up being around fifteen pages long.
So Willy was responsible for my first paying writing gig, and it was a big one. He and Nina were really happy with what I had written, and we've been keeping in touch since then. In fact, Nina was able to direct some more work my way by recommending me for the job of writing the liner notes for a new DVD of Willy's, Live At Montreux in '94. Coincidentally, it was only shortly there after that I was offered the contract to write the book I have coming out this fall. I wrote Nina and told her that she and Willy were my good luck charms as the DVD liner notes had led to bigger and better wealth.
It was shortly after that we were writing a press announcement about Willy having to cancel his touring and recording plans for 2009 because of having to be treated for Hepatitis C. Unfortunately, all that's changed for the worse now, and when Nina contacted me in May it was to ask if I would write something for after he went, and I still will do that. However, I wanted to do something for him while he was still alive that would let him know what he's meant to people all over the world and how much his music has impacted those who've listened and appreciated what he offered.
Willy released sixteen albums either under his own name or under the Mink DeVille banner; there have also been fourteen compilation albums of his material released by various labels around the world; four DVDs of concerts that he performed; and at least three live albums that I know of, including the great Willy DeVille Acoustic Trio recording Live In Berlin, which featured some of the most soulful music you'll ever hear. His music has been used in three movies including Princess Bride (for which he garnered an Academy Award nomination for the song "Storybook Love"), Cruising, and Death Proof; and he's appeared on tribute albums for people as diverse as Edith Piaf and Johnny Thunders.
According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio, for a performer to be considered for induction it must have been at least twenty-five years since they released their first recording and they must have made a significant contribution to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll. Well as far as I can see Willy meets all those criteria as his first recording was released in 1977 and he's been producing some of the best, and most soulful, rock and roll ever since. His album of New Orleans music, Victory Mixture, alone should qualify him for the job it did in bringing the music of that city to a whole new audience in North America and Europe.
Yet for some reason, while his contemporaries from CBGBs, the Ramones, have been inducted, Willy DeVille has not. In an attempt to redress this inequity and in an effort to create a lasting memorial to his great talent, I've started a petition asking that Willy be considered for induction into the Hall of Fame. If you're interested in supporting this effort please sign the petition and ensure that this great singer and songwriter is not forgotten after he's gone.
While this hardly seems adequate when compared to how much enjoyment Willy has provided people over the years with his music it's at least a tangible way to show our appreciation. It's a start anyway, and perhaps, like many other artists before him, his reputation will continue to grow after he's no longer with us and more and more people will come to know, what I've known for years, just how special he is. It's only a pity that it will mean him being taken away from us for him to receive the appreciation he deserves. In a perfect world he'd still be with us and be able to show up for his own induction ceremony.
I know that I would trade all the signatures in the world for the chance to see him perform live, or even to hear his voice coming down through my telephone wire a year from now, but barring a miracle neither of those events are going to be happening. My heart is a lot heavier these days knowing Willy is not going to be with us for much longer, and while this effort won't keep him around, it's a start in saying thanks. I'm not ready to say good bye yet so thanks will have to do for now.
Décès de Willy Deville
Actu Musique SFR - Focus - Décès de Willy DevilleDécès de Willy Deville
Né le 27 août 1953, le chanteur et compositeur américain Willy DeVille s'est éteint dans la nuit du 6 au 7 août dans un hôpital de New York, suite à un cancer du pancréas. Il avait 55 ans.
ENGLISH VERSION BELOW
Pendant longtemps, le rock and roll (comprendre la guitare électrique) et l’accordéon ne faisaient pas très bon ménage, jusqu’à ce jour de 1980 ou sortit un album qui conjuguait le New York des années 70 avec l’univers d’Edith Piaf. Le Chat Bleu, troisième album de Mink DeVille, mixait en effet blues et flonflons parisiens : un trait de génie, et le début d’une reconnaissance internationale pour ce rocker du Connecticut, qui allait atteindre son apogée une dizaine d’années plus tard, grâce à une reprise de Hey Joe façon mariachi.
"Depuis mes débuts, je me suis senti en décalage par rapport à l'époque dans laquelle je vivais. Je ne peux pas parler de nostalgie, car ce sont des moments que je n'ai jamais vraiment connus. Mais c'est un fait, j'ai toujours écouté de la musique qui ne correspondait pas à l'époque dans laquelle je vivais. Par exemple, je suis un fan de Billie Holiday et de Muddy Waters. Ce dernier a eu son heure de gloire lorsque je suis né, au milieu des années 50. Ça correspond à ma manière d'appréhender la musique, en reprenant tout par la racine." Alea jacta est ! Ainsi donc, Willy DeVille ne fonde pas un énième groupe punk au milieu des années 70. Plus subversif, il se produit d’abord seul avec sa six cordes, sa "pute" comme il se plaît à le rappeler, puisque c’est elle qui ramène les biffetons à la maison, et chante du blues avant de flasher sur le son des Coasters, des Drifters et des productions de Phil Spector. La soul uptown, sophistiquée, celle de Jack Nitzsche.
Au début des années 70, Willy traîne à New York avant de s’envoler pour Londres avec sa première compagne, Toots, où il serre la main de Gene Vincent : "Continue à chanter du blues mon petit, il n’y a que ça de vrai…", lui lance ce dernier ! Chargé d’une mission divine, il n’y a plus qu’à attendre l’opportunité.
Celle-ci viendra en 1975, à San Francisco : Willy DeVille fonde son propre groupe, d'abord baptisé Billy DeSade & the Marquees, puis Mink DeVille. Très vite, Willy persuade ses compagnons d'aller contribuer au vent de folie qui commence à animer New York : Ramones, Television, Talking Heads, et Mink DeVille, donc, qui fait partie du paysage, devient un des groupes maisons du mythique CBGB, participe au double album qui y est enregistré, avant de prendre son propre envol.
En 1977, il grave un premier album, Cabretta, produit par l’ancien assistant de Phil Spector, Jack Nitzsche, qui a déjà travaillé avec les Rolling Stones et Neil Young. Le résultat flirte bien évidemment avec la musique soul, le rock and roll, le rhythm and blues, mais grâce à quelques subterfuges bien sentis (une voix parlée et non chantée en intro), cela n’a rien à voir avec une promenade nostalgique. La musique de Mink se décline au temps présent, et surtout parvient à faire apprécier un style enterré un peu trop rapidement. L’Europe s’entiche de cet artiste plutôt inclassable, et adopte quelques titres dans ses hit-parades : Spanish Stroll, Mixed up, Shook-Up Girl…
En 1980, après un deuxième 33 tours intitulé Return To Magenta (1978), Willy DeVille rêve de Paris, de son folklore, de Pigalle et de ses accordéons. Capitol, sa maison de disques américaine, finance ce qu’elle ne perçoit que comme une frasque de plus, mais perd raison lorsqu’elle reçoit les bandes du nouveau disque, Le Chat Bleu (1980), et refuse de le sortir tel quel. Heureusement cette œuvre magique est commercialisée en France, ainsi que dans toute l’Europe, et connaît un succès honorable. Charles Dumont et Jean-Claude Petit, anciens fidèles de la môme Piaf, ont effectué là un remarquable travail d'arrangements. Après une sortie repoussée, les États-Unis suivent finalement le mouvement, mais le lien sacré est brisé. Par la suite, Willy trouvera d'ailleurs souvent refuge en France et en Angleterre.
Ses disques suivants, Coup de Grace (1981) et Where Angels Fear to Tread (1983), exploitent d’abord cette veine "soul uptown-rhythm and blues-cajun-musette" plutôt unique en son genre, avant de flirter avec les réminiscences vaudoues de sa ville d’adoption. Mais Sportin’ Life (1985) déçoit beaucoup, car l’homme, grisé par son succès européen, souhaite reconquérir le marché américain. Branché sur la mythologie du film West Side Story, il se voit en dernier chef de bande et n’hésite pas à recourir à une production trop tape-à-l’œil. C’est le dernier disque sous le nom de Mink DeVille, dont Willy est de toutes façons le seul membre d'origine. Il continue dès lors sous son propre nom.
En 1987, Mark Knopfler, leader de Dire Straits, enregistre un disque en compagnie de l’une de ses idoles, Willy DeVille. Miracle (1987) séduit les critiques, mais moins le public, la production laissant à désirer. Il ne s’en vend pas assez pour qu’une suite lui soit donnée. Commence alors une petite période de galères pour Willy, qui se retrouve "seul et abandonné", comprenez : sans label.
Willy s'installe en 1988 à la Nouvelle-Orléans, où il emménage dans un vrai ranch de cow-boy, mais trouve encore une fois refuge en France, auprès du label Sky Ranch, lancé par la chaîne de magasins Fnac. En 1990 sort Victory Mixture, qui ressemble à un album de Dr John, et lui permet de se relancer en Europe. Un succès confirmé par Backstreets of Desire (1992), album dont est extrait une reprise mariachi de Hey Joe! qui se classe au Top 50. Willy n’a jamais vendu autant d’albums, ni remplit autant de salles, et un contrat est même trouvé aux États-Unis pour Big Easy Fantasy (1995).
Sa musique mélange de nombreux ingrédients, on le convie à tous les festivals : Bourges, Montreux, Antibes, Belfort… Chaque fois, le public est comblé, charmé par ce crooner qui chante le blues comme John Hammond et n’hésite pas à couvrir l’heureuse élue de son cœur de roses rouges. Un charmeur, mélange de Dean Martin et de D’Artagnan (pour le look). Les albums se succéderont à un rythme régulier : Loup-Garou (1995), Horse of a Different Color (1999), Crow Jane Alley (2004) et Pistola (2008).
Dernier passage en France le 8 juillet 2008 à la Cigale, accompagné du Mink DeVille Band, Willy avait l’air fatigué. Il n’avait jamais maîtrisé ses démons qui l’habitaient. Nina, sa compagne, nous a glissé à l’oreille qu’il était resté un peu trop ‘permissif’ avec les substances toxiques. Son compagnon est parti, mais sa musique restera.
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Mort de Willy DeVille : retour sur sa discographie
ENGLISH VERSION
55-year-old American singer and songwriter Willy DeVille died of pancreas cancer during the night of August 6th in a New York hospital. Born August 27th, 1953, DeVille began his career in New York in the mid-70's with his band Mink DeVille, garnering success in Europe with songs such as Spanish Stroll (1977), and later in the United States with his album Le Chat Bleu (1980), which blended punk rock with elements from French cabaret tradition such as accordion. DeVille then pursued a career under his own name, releasing albums on a regular basis until 2008, and once more hitting the Europeans charts with a mariachi cover version of traditional song Hey Joe in 1992.
Ecouter un extrait (30s) : Willy DeVille : Hey Joe
