Bill Zucker
William Cary "Bill" Zucker (October 7, 1955 – September 19, 2016) was an American actor, comedian, writer, performer and musician. He was a classically trained musician and could play Guitar (acoustic and electric), Pianos, Synthesizers and Strings, Drums and Percussion, Violin, Harmonica, Bass and other assorted stringed instruments.
Bill Zucker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | William Carey Zucker October 7, 1955 |
| Died | September 19, 2016 (aged 60) Hollywood, California |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian, writer, performer, musician |
| Years active | 1980 – 2016 |
Early life
William (Bill) Carey Zucker was born in Springfield in Massachusetts. From the age of nine, he began performing piano recitals in public, and soon started to score his own compositions and greatly impressed his tutors, school peers and his supportive parents. By age eleven, he had formed a garage band called "The Divided Line," in which he played the drums. He would jam regularly with the band until the age of fifteen, when he picked up his first guitar and wrote a song called "Show Me," about a break-up with his childhood sweetheart.
The acoustic guitar was perfect for Zucker, and all throughout high school, he would perform in local concerts and events. He became very confident and began to sing in public, testing out different songs he had written.
After high school, Zucker was accepted into the Berklee College of Music where he received classical training. After graduating from Berklee, he moved to Seattle for 3 years, so that he could attend Western Washington University. While there, he hosted his own campus radio show. Following Western, Zucker became the front man for a country-rock band called "Colraine" and toured across America. Once the tour was over, he ended up in Hollywood California.
Career
In Hollywood, Zucker teamed up with musician friend Ron Fair to write songs for Paramount Music.
Zucker then landed a job at NBC Studios and joined the production staff of The Steve Allen Comedy Hour, a premier late night TV show and worked with Steve Allen himself, Tom Leopold and Catherine O'Hara. He then joined the writing team at the Barbara Mandrell Show.
Next Zucker formed the touring band "Cruise Control" that later evolved into "BZB" (The Bill Zucker Band). The BZB featured a confident Zucker on lead vocals and he would alternate between playing the guitar, drums, harmonica, fiddle and keyboard/synthesizer. Zucker wrote over 300 original songs for the "BZB.”
2000–2009
In early 2000 Zucker secured a new record deal and moved to Philadelphia to record a 12-song CD entitled Millennium, but the album's arrival could not save the record label from shutting down. As a result, Millennium never received any of the global distribution that Zucker was promised. Undeterred he moved back to the warm tropical breezes of Miami Florida and finally released the album independently. Millennium was welcomed positively by fans and critics alike.
Zucker went on to record two albums, Stranded and Every Window, that he also independently released through his website.
Not content with just making music, Zucker showed an entrepreneurial streak when he moved to Miami in Florida, and set-up several businesses and the most significant was a nightclub called Z Street that he opened. Z Street became a top venue in Miami for celebrities to hang out at. Zucker himself would regularly jam with the numerous bands, artists and musicians that were booked to perform there. Zucker also owned a Limousine company.
International spotlight
By 2009 Zucker had heavily invested in real estate and on the stock market, but saw that wiped out overnight in the financial crash. This turn of unfortunate events, prompted him to compose and record The TARP Song[1][2] at Audacity Studios in Florida.
The TARP Song became both a powerful political parody and an online phenomenon within 24 hours of its release[3][4] on YouTube. This world-famous video parody of the US government's bailout, was shown on CNBC,[5] FOX, VH1, MSNBC[6] and other international TV networks, blogs and websites. It catapulted Zucker into the global media spotlight and made him a household name in the U.S.
Neil Cavuto on Fox News commented:[7]
- "The Tarp Song says in 3 minutes what every American is feeling and the song immortalizes the TARP forever."
Swayed by his high-profile public image, Zucker again used his ability to tap into the mainstream and popular culture, when he wrote and produced “The Twitter Song”. Just as with The Tarp Song, he played all the musical instruments, sang all the vocals and scripted and produced the accompanying music video. Zucker had another viral hit song on his hands.
In "The Twitter Song" video Zucker parodied Twitter, Facebook and MySpace addiction, and this funny and witty video caught the attention of "Twitter King" Ashton Kutcher, who immediately notified his 4 million followers of the video's release and started a poll on his Twitter profile asking followers if they related to the song. The video included cameos by Scott Baio and actress Lydia Cornell, a SWAT team, emergency paramedics and numerous contributions from Zucker's Twitter fans, who taped themselves singing the chorus of the "Twitter Song."
Zucker's efforts were duly recognised and rewarded by the online industry itself, when he became the recipient of a YouTube award for having the funniest comedy video in 2009.
Comedy and performance
Zucker wrote the first installment of The Kelsey Grammer Bill Zucker Comedy Hour[8][9] that featured skits and rude jokes and captured the "Benny Hill" humor of Zucker and the dry neurotic wit and effervescent charm of Grammer. The first 3 episodes were broadcast on Kelseylive.com in early 2010 and new episodes are currently in production.
Zucker has written, directed and appeared in numerous skits and sketches with famous celebrities. He worked with the legendary heart-throb and model Fabio Lanzoni in Bill Zuckers Masterclass, in which Fabio seemed to have lost his magical touch and needed a pep talk so that he could pick up Nicole Steinwedell.
That was followed with A Day with the Simmons family in which Zucker spent the day at the family home of KISS musician Gene Simmons and his partner Shannon Tweed.
Next Zucker flew out to Hawaii to film with Dog the Bounty Hunter and his family in a skit called Dog the TP Hunter tracks down Bill Zucker. This was the first time Bill would collaborate with his close friend and graphics artist Arnie John Runge. They would work together on many other projects.
In 2010 Zucker hosted the Beverly Hills TV and Film Festival and interviewed actress Joan Collins on camera for the show. Zucker also presented both Sharon Stone and Paul Sorvino with their lifetime achievement awards. The following year Zucker hosted the Beverly Hills TV and Film Festival 2011, and presented Morgan Fairchield with a lifetime achievement award.
In 2011 Zucker went back into the studio to record some fresh music. He released music videos for some of his new songs: The Answer, Summer Girl, Friends, and Shannon, – the latter being a wedding present to his friends Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed. He then recorded Rock and Roll Hair which featured Kelsey Grammer and Scott Baio.
2012
In early 2012 Zucker moved to Hollywood from Miami, to concentrate on filming new television and film projects.
Also in 2012 Zucker released a new studio album called Half the Man EP. The video for the title track Half The Man starred the actress, presenter and playboy model, Jenny McCarthy as his love interest. This was Jenny McCarthy's first music video. Bill once again collaborated with NY graphics artist and StylAmerican Co-Host Arnie John Runge. "Half The Man" which has since gone viral, is becoming a huge hit worldwide.
Jenny McCarthy also appeared in another Bill Zucker video briefly as a woman who admits she is stalking Bill Zucker, along with Marla Maples and Gena Lee Nolin as the girl who waited 2 hours under BZ's bed.
Zucker also formed a new "The Bill Zucker Band" and went back into the studio to record live versions of some of his most popular tracks Summer Girl, Stranded and Half The Man. He was also preparing to go on tour with the band.
Bill had been working with many celebrities as well as reforming the "BZB" (The Bill Zucker Band). Bill Zucker appeared on an episode of Dog the Bounty Hunter, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, Beverly Hills Pawn and others.
2016
Bill Zucker's last television appearance was as a guest on The John Kerwin Show. Bill appeared in an episode of Beverly Hills Pawn, followed by a role in the movie "Beverly Hills Christmas" starring Dean Cain. Zucker's last film was a movie called "The Green Fairy". On September 19, 2016 Bill was found dead in his Hollywood apartment in the early morning hours from a heart attack. He was 60 years old.
References
- The Beat (South Florida Sun-Sentinel), February 13, 2009 Friday, Sean Piccoli
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri), January 26, 2009 Monday, EDITORIAL; Pg. A14
- http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/01/tarp-song.html
- Entertainment Business Newsweekly, February 22, 2009,Pg. 148,
- Boston Herald, January 22, 2009 Boston Herald
- MSNBC, February 10, 2009 Tuesday, NEWS; Domestic, David Shuster
- http://www.foxnews.com/search-results/m/21791646/mocking-bailout-funds.htm
- The Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts), February 28, 2010 Sunday, NEWS; Pg. A02 STAFF
- http://eon.businesswire.com/news/eon/20100204006099/en/Bill-Zucker/Frasier/Kelsey-Grammer%5B%5D