Bill Harley Delights at Seekonk Meadows

Bill Harley was at it again Wednesday night, delighting a multi-generational crowd with his silly and sublime singing and storytelling at a concert sponsored by Sturdy Memorial Hospital. Sunlight streamed through the trees at the Seekonk Meadows as the Grammy award winner, author and NPR commentator took the stage, opening with fan favorite “You’re in Trouble.” As per usual, adults and children alike could not help but sing along.

Afterwards Harley, a member of the Seekonk Library Trust, spoke of the importance of libraries and introduced fellow members Rob DeBlois and Judy Sullivan, who presented an inaugural community service award to Library Director Sharon St. Hilaire.

Harley joked afterwards, “If you work really hard you can win the second-Annual Sharon St. Hilaire award.” Then he launched into his tune “At Your Library.”

Harley entertained the crowd for more than an hour with his signature mix of songs, stories and anecdotes. He told the tale of a boy whose pesky younger brother found the biggest clam ever. The mollusk turned out to be ‘King of the Clams’ and the boy was forced to release him back to his oceanic kingdom, much to the dismay of his younger brother.

Harley also told a personal story about going home as a young man and informing his father that he was going to be a storyteller. His father never stopped what he was doing – raking leaves – and didn’t give a response. Recently, Harley’s father brought the memory up to his son.

“He said, ‘I just had never heard of it, and I didn’t know anyone could do it. I’m sorry I didn’t believe in you,’” said Harley.

Harley’s latest CD “The Best Candy in the Whole World” was released last year, and earned him a Grammy nomination. With feigned incredulousness, Harley told the crowd that he lost out to Julie Andrews.

“I turned to my wife and said, ‘It’s just not our year,’” he joked.

With the help of a young fan, who turned pages of lyrics for him, Harley debuted his most recent song about a pre-teen’s attempt to tackle the high dive in order to impress a certain lifeguard. It was an outrageous and epic tale, rivaling Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant,” that ended with a narrator shamed by breaking the age old rule of keeping one’s bodily fluids out of the pool. 

Harley closed the show with “If I Had Hammer,” calling Pete Seeger a hero and influence, giving the audience once last chance to sing along.

And sing they did.