PRESS RELEASE
JIM WILSON
TUNED IN: MEMOIRS OF A PIANO MAN
Behind the Scenes with Music Legends and Finding the Artist Within
So, there he was, Jim Wilson, a piano tuner from Texas, in Sussex England, sharing a piano bench and playing Lady Madonna with Paul McCartney.
This is just one of the strange-but-true stories that pepper Jim Wilsonâs remarkable autobiography, Tuned In: Memoirs of a Piano Man. It is a page-turner and a life-changer, an entertaining, revealing lesson to us all.
Wilson began tuning pianos to support his music career having moved from Amarillo to Los Angeles. He turned out to be so good at it, his sideline eclipsed his music for years, leading him to tune, rebuild and transform the cherished pianos of pretty well anyone who was anyone in music, Burt Bacharach, Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand, you name it. And because they loved their pianos, they loved Jim.
His hand in the development of the world’s first MIDI-adapter for acoustic piano led to him sharing adventures, sessions, meals, and laughs with dozens of his childhood heroes, including Elton John, Carole King, and Phil Collins. His front row seat provided him with a rare and fascinating view into their creative processes.
His friend and skiing partner Dan Fogelberg was the man who put him back on the path to playing and recording. Fogelberg was just one of the guest artists who feature on Jim Wilsonâs own recordings, along with David Sanborn, J.D. Souther, Chris Botti, and Stanley Clarke. As Burt Bacharach said of Jimâs music, it makes âa classy, artistic statementâ. Carole King called her friendâs work âa magical carpet ride of melodic beautyâ.
The public agrees. With over 75 million streams, two PBS specials, hitting number 2 in the Billboard instrumental charts twice and topping the charts on Amazon and iTunes, Jim Wilson was honored as a âLifetime Memberâ of the Recording Academy. Heâs composed for CBS-TV series âFrankâs Placeâ and was featured on CNNâs âShowbiz Todayâ.
The kid with chronic stage fright, beat his demons and toured as a solo artist, with his own six-piece band, culminating in a sell-out, televised homecoming spectacular back in Amarillo.
Tuned In: Memoirs of a Piano Man is more than just a great read. At times hilarious, outrageous, and heartbreaking, itâs a lesson to us all to never give up, never to let your fears get the better of you and to aim high.
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Tuned In: Memoirs of a Piano Man is scheduled for release on April 2, 2024.
(Available for pre-order through all digital retailers on January 17, 2024)
Smith Publicity
Andrea Kiliany Thatcher (She/Her), Publicity Manager,
andrea.thatcher@smithpublicity ⢠856-489-8654 x1027