Me
Bill
Songwriter

This info will be re-written, but, for now, it's a start. There have been several people from around the country from my hometown of Plain Dealing, Louisiana, who have heard about my CD's and they want to know my family info.

SCHOOL YEARS BRIEF: I went to school at Plain Dealing Elementary, Junior High and Senior High through 1970, and Plain Dealing Academy 1970-71, graduating in the first senior class there in 1971. I then went to Louisiana Tech 1971 - 73. University of Arkansas 1973-74. Quit and worked on Dad's farm until 1977. It's rather fuzzy but I know that I bounced around alot at different colleges. I know that I was at least enrolled or took courses at LSU-Shreveport, McNeese State in Lake Charles and LSU in Baton Rouge. I finally ended up back at Louisiana Tech and graduated in 1977. I then entered the oil business. I went to Centenary College, Shreveport, post-graduate studies in geology.

My parents are Alice and Milton. Dad (deceased), from Plain Dealing, Ma, from Marshall, Texas.

Dad left Plain Dealing High School to play football at Tulane. Then, he volunteered for the war. He was a German POW. Their bomber was shot down and he was prisoner for several months until liberated. Obviously, he survived. I wrote a song about that. It's on another CD I just recorded and am now releasing. No one has ever heard this one. Anyway, I wrote "The Load" about the burden a soldier carries.

He came back after the war and eventually went into farming, which is what his parents, Duke and Kitty, did. Dad had a sister, Gladys (Cecil Roberts, deceased), and two brothers, Perry (Christine) and Dalton (Mellicent). All siblings are deceased.

My mom's parents were Alma and Jesse Gill. Her siblings are sister, Agnes (Edgar McElroy) and brothers, M.D. and J.B. (Liz). All siblings are deceased. Aunt Liz is still alive and well. Aunt Agnes' husband, Edgar McElroy, is in the history books as one of the "Doolittle's Raiders" that bombed Tokyo from the aircraft carrier, Hornet, in retaliation for Pearl Harbor. I wrote a song about that called "Mister What Makes Firetrucks Red." I have yet to release a recording of it. Hard to get that one right. It's a pretty complicated composition but I sure like the song.

I knew both of my grandmothers well, as they both lived until I was a teenage. Both were wonderful grandmothers and I have many fond memories. I never knew either of my grandpa's. The closest I had to a grandpa was my Uncle J.R. (great uncle). My dad's uncle. He was certainly like a grandpa, as he lived here for many years when I was a teenager and we fished and hunted a lot together. A gentle soul, he was.

My dad died in February, 1996, before I started writing songs. He was 73. I know he would like some of them! My mom, Alice, is soon to be 85, the picture of health!

I have two brothers. Bob, five years older than me, married Judith Matlock, daughter of Clines/Hattie. Clines died back in the 70s. Hattie passed away recently, at age 95, I think. My other brother, Jeff, is five years younger than me. All of us live in Plain Dealing.

I have no children. Jeff also has no children. We're not real happy about that, haha, but that's the way it is. Bob's kids are Trey, married to Mary, their daughter Emma Grace; daughter Pamela, married to Rick McDonald, their son, Conner; and daughter, Becky, recently married to Brad Wallace, no children.

I was fortunate to have a super family. Lots of memories with my many cousins and everyone else.

I attended Plain Dealing High School until halfway through my junior year, when I transferred to Plain Dealing Academy. I was in the first graduating class. Then, on to Louisiana Tech. I bounced around, attended several colleges, took two years off in the middle of it all to work on the family farm, then finally went back to Tech and graduated. I later attended Centenary College, studying geology.

If you ever have a child in college and want to know the secret to good grades, I know the secret. Really! If a child will do what I suggest, s/he will make good grades, guaranteed. Unless s/he is an idiot. And I doubt you raised an idiot, else, s/he wouldn't be in college. Of course, that isn't always a given, as I have known an idiot or two in college but I'm trying to be nice. Anyway, if you want to know the secret, write me an email.

After college, I went into the oil business in 1978. After several unbelievable years, there was an oil bust in 1986, which cost a lot of people their fortunes and it wasn't fun anymore for a long time. It's gone up and down a couple of times since. Now, I'm doing well again. It's been quite a roller coaster ride.

For many years, I also did freelance computer programming work. And I are a songwriting fool. I perform at clubs and private parties.

No kids and as I said, that is a real drag. But my songs are like children... I work and work and agonize over them. I'm proud when they're good. Hey, I just remembered another song I wrote about my songs, called "Legacy," about leaving songs to the world, kinda like children. I don't even even know if anyone has ever heard it.

I have always been very fond of Plain Dealing. I loved growing up here and there are many fine people from here. I've written many songs about Plain Dealing and people here. I have two CD's with many of these songs on them. And more CD's to come. I have lots of songs!

I lived in Beaumont, Texas a few years ago and continue to visit regularly for extended visits. Made many friends there, as well.


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(c)2005 Bill Pittman All rights reserved