Bill Holcombe started playing musical instruments as a young child. No one seems to remember what his first instrument was, but by the end of high school, he could play the piano and all the woodwind instruments. Flute and saxophone were his favorites. In fact, on the first Piccadilly Circus spread in Misbehaving Clocks, Bill appears in caricature playing the sax. Although he never played in Piccadilly Circus, he loved to visit London with his wife Helen (also in caricature on this same spread) and would have been delighted to be in the middle of Piccadilly Circus or any “circus,” for that matter.
In his career of 70 years, Bill performed with many famous people and outstanding music organizations. He also was an accomplished and prolific composer and arranger. He wrote music for movies, orchestras, bands, solo performers and virtually every kind of music ensemble. His music continues to be played around the world. During the last 35 years of his life, Bill also ran Musicians Publications, a music publishing company that he founded.
Shortly before his death in 2010, Bill sketched the musical composition for Misbehaving Clocks. Bill Jr. completed it.
In his spare time, Bill collected antique trains and designed and built model train layouts. At one time he even built an amusement park train that ran on tracks around the pony pen in the family’s backyard!
Read more about Bill Holcombe at www.billholcombe.com.
