BILL NOWLIN

Bill Nowlin began writing about the Boston Red Sox as a young teenager, for a self-published neighborhood newspaper. Though the paper's circulation hovered in the single-digit range, it was the first step on what would become a life-long journey for Nowlin. Since the early '90s he has established himself as an authority on the much-beloved Sox via 15 published books (and several others waiting in the wings) and over 100 articles in various newspapers, magazines, and journals. His books include Mr. Red Sox: The Johnny Pesky Story, Fenway Lives, Ted Williams: The Pursuit of Perfection, Blood Feud: The Red Sox, the Yankees, and The Struggle of Good vs. Evil and Day by Day with the Boston Red Sox (the first two titles co-authored with fellow Sox enthusiast Jim Prime). Nowlin's devoted scholarship - particularly his detailed exploration of the life and legacy of Ted Williams - led to his recent election as Vice-President of the Society for American Baseball Research, as well as his continuing role as publications editor for the Ted Williams Museum in Florida. These days he appears frequently on radio and television in the Boston area, discussing his favorite team, the Boston Red Sox.

Bill Nowlin grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts, where he spent his summers during high school and college as a historic guide dressed in American Revolutionary garb, showing visitors around the "Birthplace of American Liberty". He eventually enrolled at Tufts University, studying political science and anticipating that he'd be a teacher and write books when he grew up. While that prophecy eventually came to be, it was not long before his life took an unexpected detour into the music industry.
Beginning in 1962, he and his Tufts roommate Ken Irwin worked to earn free passes for folk music events by publicizing them on campus for various Boston-area promoters, often spending two or three nights a week at Cambridge's legendary Club 47. This fostered a passion for roots and traditional music, a passion which lead Nowlin, Irwin, and third partner Marian Leighton, to form Rounder Records in 1970. From its first few humble releases of vintage and contemporary Appalachian stringband music, Rounder blossomed over time into one of America's largest independently-owned record labels and the premier source for roots music of many cultures. What began as a three-person collective now stands as a self-sustaining corporation boasting over eighty employees, three-thousand releases, and a roster which includes such luminaries as Alison Krauss, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Irma Thomas, and a host of lesser-known yet equally important roots music artists.

For the first dozen years of Rounder Records' existence, Bill also served as a professor of political science at the University of Lowell (Mass.); Dr. Nowlin retired from teaching in 1982. Unlike teaching, the record business wasn't work; it was a calling.

An avid reader of mysteries, spy thrillers, political, historical, baseball, and travel books, Bill is also a seasoned traveler, having backpacked in excess of 130 countries around the world and crossed the Himalayas from Tibet to Nepal. In 1990, he and his wife hitchhiked across the Sahara; later that same year, they were among the first Americans to visit Albania since World War II. His dual thirsts for travel and music lead to him to traverse such musically-rich territories as South Africa, Jamaica, and the Bahamas in search of musicians and recordings which were eventually released on Rounder. He also, with fellow reggae fans Chris Wilson and Duncan Browne, co-founded the acclaimed Heartbeat Records imprint in the early 1980s.

For many years, the three Rounder founders have thought of starting a book division, and in 2004, Rounder Books became a reality, with a combination of books on music and sports leading the way. Bill has taken an active leadership role in Rounder Books, both on the business side and as author and editor.

Bill is Vice President of the Society for American Baseball Research and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Passim Folk Music and Cultural Center in Cambridge, the non-profit successor to the old Club 47. For several years he served on the Board of Governors of the Texas chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the august body which runs the Grammy ® Awards. He lives in Cambridge, MA with his 15-year-old son Emmet.

Books by Bill Nowlin:
The 1967 Impossible Dream Red Sox edited by Bill Nowlin and Dan Desrochers (Rounder Books, 2007)
Day by Day with The Boston Red Sox by Bill Nowlin (Rounder Books, 2006)
The 50 Greatest Red Sox Games by Cecilia Tan and Bill Nowlin (John Wiley, 2006)
Blood Feud: The Red Sox, The Yankees, and the Struggle of Good Versus Evil by Bill Nowlin and Jim Prime (Rounder Books, 2005)
'75: The Red Sox Team That Saved Baseball edited by Bill Nowlin and Cecilia Tan (Rounder Books, 2005)
The Kid: Ted Williams in San Diego edited by Bill Nowlin (Rounder Books, 2005)
Mr. Red Sox: The Johnny Pesky Story by Bill Nowlin (Rounder Books, 2004)
Fenway Lives by Bill Nowlin (Rounder Books, 2004)
The Fenway Project edited by Bill Nowlin & Cecilia Tan (Rounder Books, 2004)
Ted Williams: The Pursuit of Perfection by Jim Prime and Bill Nowlin (Sports Publishing, 2002)
Ted Williams: A Tribute by Jim Prime and Bill Nowlin (Masters Press, 1997)
Fenway Saved by Bill Nowlin with Mike Ross and Jim Prime (Sports Publishing, 1999)
Tales from The Red Sox Dugout by Jim Prime with Bill Nowlin (Sports Publishing, Inc., 2000)
More Tales from The Red Sox Dugout: Yarns from The Sox by Jim Prime and Bill Nowlin (Sports Publishing, 2002)
Ted Williams: A Splendid Life by Bill Nowlin and Jim Prime (Triumph Books, 2002)

For more information about Rounder Books please contact:
Jennifer Sacca at 617.218.4503 | jsacca@rounder.com
Lauren Calista at 617.218.4483 | lcalista@rounder.com
www.rounderbooks.com