About
MetaNoia: multiple lives in music
In 2008, W.E. (Bill) Edwardson, Jr. put down his guitar, seemingly for the last time. After more than 30 years in music, many of them spent touring the country with a range of bands, a heart attack forced him to change course.
But God has a way of surprising us, and Bill’s lifelong love of music wouldn’t let him go. So in 2016, he again took up the guitar and began writing and recording music – this time Christian music – under the pseudonym “Metanoia.”
It’s an ancient Greek word meaning “a change in one’s way of life resulting from penitence or spiritual conversion.” It’s also a reflection of a different approach to music, to life, and to the world.
Bill grew up in Waterloo, Iowa, one of nine children. Even in that crowded home, he found his niche with music. He began playing guitar at age 11 and started his first band, “Lucifer” at age 13. Like many teenagers – and a lot of budding rock stars – he had his side interests.
“My childhood and teen years were about minor drug use, major alcohol use, and parties,” Bill says. His list of influences reads like a who’s-who of 70s rock and roll: Foghat, AC/DC, Elton John, The Eagles, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. But there was nothing casual about his approach to music. He studied classical and modern guitar at the Boddicker School of Music until age 15, when his family moved to Oklahoma.
In 1983, he signed on with a successful lounge act, The Debbie Fry Show. For the next four years, this would dominate his professional life, as the group traveled throughout the Midwest and Southwest, playing four to six nights a week, 48 to 50 weeks a year.
At the same time, Bill was honing his songwriting skills in both the pop and country genres. Six of his songs were copyrighted, and one was recorded and nationally released.
He left The Debbie Fry Show in 1987 to manage a nightclub and pursue his own business interests. First, there was a successful D.J./karaoke company that grew to include five separate D.J. systems. Then, he operated a commercial sound system and was hired out to regional and national performers like Garth Brooks, Martina McBride, Asleep At The Wheel, The Mothers of Invention, Dr. Hook, Lucy J. Dalton, and John Anderson.
But there’s nothing quite like being onstage, so in 2002 Bill joined a seven-piece country band called “Oklahoma Stomp.” He toured with them part-time for the next six years, until his health issues forced him to stop.
Fast forward eight years, and he felt the pull of music again. His life had changed in major ways. This time, though, he was motivated by something bigger. He still writes pop and country music, but he is equally focused on Christian material.
“While I was saved by and have followed Christ most of my life, since the start of my Christian writing career my mission has been solely to try to bring the Word of Jesus Christ to anyone who will listen,” Bill says. “Now my mission is simply to bring quality lyrics and melodies to Christian music.”
So the Iowa kid who loved AC/DC now counts MercyMe, Elevation Worship, Brandon Lake, and Hillsong United among his key influences. But he approaches songwriting the same way he always has, putting stories first.
"I like telling stories through my music: the older stuff and the newer Christian material," Bill says. "A song published and sold in the late 1980's titled 'Moonlit Night' was about a young couple experiencing first love. The music is mostly (but not all) faith-based and I still tell stories. 'Four Gray Walls' is a true story about being in prison. 'I Wonder' was literally written as I sat under a steady rainfall singing a song to God - 'I wonder if you see me, and I wonder if you hear.' A song about the desperation I felt at the time, the loneliness."
Since the 2016 transformation, he's been prolific. Bill recorded his first collection of songs, All My Thanks, in 2020. Two others, Praise From Behind The Fence (2022) and You Alone (2023) have followed. In addition, he released the single "One Red Light Little Small Town" nationally in August, 2022. along with a video. In all, he owns the copyrights on 36 songs and co-owns three others.
The life of the traveling musician no longer holds much appeal, though. Bill's efforts these days are focused on writing songs, recording at home, and playing for his fellow worshippers at Centerview Baptist Church in Jacksonville, NC. He might enjoy playing locally, or perhaps sharing some of his songs with artists who are looking for original music. More than anything, though, he just wants to impact the lives of listeners through his faith and his music.
"I hope that my stories, good and bad, might have a positive influence on the listener. That's why I write these days."
UPDATE! A new release on December 2, 2023 titled "Christmas Is" is now available on all streaming services. Here's the link...https://artists.landr.com/064837187525