Building a groove: Willie DE may be the hardest-working musician in local show biz. As a determined teen he formed his first band, The Wave, at age 13, and busked on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall and in the parking lots before UVA football games. Following his education in jazz guitar at VCU and extensive touring on the East Coast, Willie celebrates the release of his third album, Runaway Child, a sophisticated exploration of blues, jazz, and rock marked by violin, bass, and punchy drum grooves.
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