William Beckett (singer)
Encyclopedia
,
William Eugene Beckett Jr. (born February 11, 1985) was the lead singer of the band The Academy Is...
(TAI), who were signed to Atlantic Records
/Fueled by Ramen
/Decaydance Records
. While still in high school in 2002, Beckett and guitar
ist Mike Carden came together from rival bands in Chicago
to form The Academy Is...
. In addition to founding the band, Beckett and Carden are credited as the primary songwriters.
In 2007, the BBC
described Beckett as a mix of Adam Lazzara
and Prince
, labeling him "utterly captivating".
Prior to forming The Academy Is, Beckett performed in an acoustic
band called Remember Maine, with Nick Scimeca, releasing the album The Last Place You Look when he was 17 years old.
Beckett has also sung on a number of notable albums by other bands, such as the track "Sophomore Slump Or Comeback Of The Year" from Fall Out Boy
's 2005 album, From Under the Cork Tree
. He sang backing vocals on Fall Out Boy's "What A Catch, Donnie
". Other songs he has sung on include "There's A Class For This" from Cute Is What We Aim For's 2006 album The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch
, "7 Weeks" from Gym Class Heroes
's album As Cruel as School Children
, and the Cobra Starship
song "Snakes On A Plane (Bring It)," which later appeared on the Snakes On A Plane
soundtrack and on Cobra Starship's album While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets
under the title "Bring It (Snakes On A Plane)".
Beckett also has a songwriting credit on Hey Monday
's song "Homecoming" from their debut album Hold On Tight.
" video as the same vampire. He also appears in the music video for "Bring It (Snakes on a Plane)" by Cobra Starship, following his vocal appearance in the song.
According to Us Magazine, he is co-authoring a book with Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, who had originally recommended the band to label Fueled by Ramen
.
On April 16, 2009, Beckett posted the first chapter of the book he hopes to have published, entitled The Folding.
Beckett announced via his blog on July 12, 2010 (the post has now been deleted and replaced with an update post) that he would be starring in a short film based on Edgar Allan Poe
's The Fall of the House of Usher
.
William Eugene Beckett Jr. (born February 11, 1985) was the lead singer of the band The Academy Is...
The Academy Is...
The Academy Is... was an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 2003. Before dispersing, they were signed by the Decaydance imprint of the Fueled by Ramen label. They were originally known as "The Academy", but added the "Is..." in 2004 to avoid legal complications with other...
(TAI), who were signed to Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
/Fueled by Ramen
Fueled by Ramen
Fueled by Ramen is an American record label which operates as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, and is distributed by Atlantic Records. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida, is based in New York City...
/Decaydance Records
Decaydance Records
Decaydance Records is a record label based in New York City. Originally founded as an imprint of Fueled by Ramen, it is now an independent record label owned by Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy and partners. The first band Wentz signed to the label was Panic! at the Disco...
. While still in high school in 2002, Beckett and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist Mike Carden came together from rival bands in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to form The Academy Is...
The Academy Is...
The Academy Is... was an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 2003. Before dispersing, they were signed by the Decaydance imprint of the Fueled by Ramen label. They were originally known as "The Academy", but added the "Is..." in 2004 to avoid legal complications with other...
. In addition to founding the band, Beckett and Carden are credited as the primary songwriters.
In 2007, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
described Beckett as a mix of Adam Lazzara
Adam Lazzara
Adam Burbank Lazzara , is the lead singer of the American rock band, Taking Back Sunday. Along with singing lead vocals, Adam Lazzara occasionally plays guitar and harmonica.-Biography:...
and Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, labeling him "utterly captivating".
Music
Beckett started writing music for his own private pleasure because he did not like the material that was on the radio anymore. He said in an interview that his sister found him playing his songs in the basement and started joining him. She was his first audience and gave him her honest feedback on the material he wrote.Prior to forming The Academy Is, Beckett performed in an acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
band called Remember Maine, with Nick Scimeca, releasing the album The Last Place You Look when he was 17 years old.
Beckett has also sung on a number of notable albums by other bands, such as the track "Sophomore Slump Or Comeback Of The Year" from Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
's 2005 album, From Under the Cork Tree
From Under the Cork Tree
From Under the Cork Tree is the third studio album by American rock band Fall Out Boy. It was released on May 3, 2005, through Island Records as the band's major label debut...
. He sang backing vocals on Fall Out Boy's "What A Catch, Donnie
What a Catch, Donnie
"What a Catch, Donnie" is Fall Out Boy's second digital download single and third radio single from their fifth studio album Folie à Deux . It was released as part of the build up to the new album on iTunes on October 14, 2008 and charted on the US and Canadian singles chart...
". Other songs he has sung on include "There's A Class For This" from Cute Is What We Aim For's 2006 album The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch
The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch
-Sales and reception:The album debuted at #75 on the Billboard 200 in July 2006, scanning 13,651 copies within its first week of sales. It even exceeded the first week sales benchmark of labelmates Panic! at the Disco's A Fever You Can't Sweat Out , which debuted at #112 with just under 10,000...
, "7 Weeks" from Gym Class Heroes
Gym Class Heroes
Gym Class Heroes is an American hip hop rock band from Geneva, New York. They have collaborated with Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump on numerous occasions, notably for providing backing vocals on the song "Cupid's Chokehold." Stump also produced the majority of their album The Quilt.The group formed...
's album As Cruel as School Children
As Cruel as School Children
As Cruel as School Children is the third Gym Class Heroes album released by Fueled by Ramen. It was released on July 25, 2006. It was produced by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump...
, and the Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship is an American synthpop band created by former Midtown bassist and lead vocalist Gabe Saporta in 2003 in New York City, New York...
song "Snakes On A Plane (Bring It)," which later appeared on the Snakes On A Plane
Snakes on a Plane
Snakes on a Plane is a 2006 American horror-action-thriller film directed by David R. Ellis and starring Samuel L. Jackson. It was released by New Line Cinema on August 18, 2006 in North America...
soundtrack and on Cobra Starship's album While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets
While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets
While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets is the debut album from Cobra Starship. It was released on October 10, 2006 in the U.S., and on October 17, 2006 in Canada...
under the title "Bring It (Snakes On A Plane)".
Beckett also has a songwriting credit on Hey Monday
Hey Monday
Hey Monday is an American rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida, formed in 2008. They released their debut album Hold on Tight in 2008 which produced notable singles "Homecoming" and "How You Love Me Now". The album was followed up with their 2010 EP Beneath It All, which achieved moderate...
's song "Homecoming" from their debut album Hold On Tight.
Side projects
William Beckett makes a cameo in Fall Out Boy's music video for the song "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More Touch Me" as the lead vampire and in "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms RaceThis Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race
"This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" is a song by American rock band Fall Out Boy and the lead single from their commercially successful fourth studio album Infinity on High . The song was first played on September 30, 2006 at a Philadelphia radio station, 102.1, and leaked onto the internet...
" video as the same vampire. He also appears in the music video for "Bring It (Snakes on a Plane)" by Cobra Starship, following his vocal appearance in the song.
According to Us Magazine, he is co-authoring a book with Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, who had originally recommended the band to label Fueled by Ramen
Fueled by Ramen
Fueled by Ramen is an American record label which operates as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, and is distributed by Atlantic Records. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida, is based in New York City...
.
On April 16, 2009, Beckett posted the first chapter of the book he hopes to have published, entitled The Folding.
Beckett announced via his blog on July 12, 2010 (the post has now been deleted and replaced with an update post) that he would be starring in a short film based on Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
's The Fall of the House of Usher
The Fall of the House of Usher
"The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in September 1839 in Burton's Gentleman's Magazine. It was slightly revised in 1840 for the collection Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque...
.
Personal life
In a November 2009 interview with "Alternative Press", Beckett confirmed that he has a child. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife and his daughter, who was born on October 12, 2007.Guest appearances
| Year | Song | Work done | Artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year" | Guest vocals | Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008... |
From Under the Cork Tree From Under the Cork Tree From Under the Cork Tree is the third studio album by American rock band Fall Out Boy. It was released on May 3, 2005, through Island Records as the band's major label debut... |
| 2006 | "7 Weeks" | Gym Class Heroes Gym Class Heroes Gym Class Heroes is an American hip hop rock band from Geneva, New York. They have collaborated with Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump on numerous occasions, notably for providing backing vocals on the song "Cupid's Chokehold." Stump also produced the majority of their album The Quilt.The group formed... |
As Cruel as School Children As Cruel as School Children As Cruel as School Children is the third Gym Class Heroes album released by Fueled by Ramen. It was released on July 25, 2006. It was produced by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump... |
|
| "Bring It (Snakes on a Plane)" | Guest vocals | Cobra Starship Cobra Starship Cobra Starship is an American synthpop band created by former Midtown bassist and lead vocalist Gabe Saporta in 2003 in New York City, New York... |
While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets is the debut album from Cobra Starship. It was released on October 10, 2006 in the U.S., and on October 17, 2006 in Canada... |
|
| "There's a Class for This" | Guest vocals | Cute is What We Aim For | The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch -Sales and reception:The album debuted at #75 on the Billboard 200 in July 2006, scanning 13,651 copies within its first week of sales. It even exceeded the first week sales benchmark of labelmates Panic! at the Disco's A Fever You Can't Sweat Out , which debuted at #112 with just under 10,000... |
|
| 2008 | "What a Catch, Donnie What a Catch, Donnie "What a Catch, Donnie" is Fall Out Boy's second digital download single and third radio single from their fifth studio album Folie à Deux . It was released as part of the build up to the new album on iTunes on October 14, 2008 and charted on the US and Canadian singles chart... " |
Guest vocals | Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008... |
Folie à Deux Folie à Deux Folie à Deux is the fifth studio album by American rock band Fall Out Boy. Produced by Neal Avron, the album was recorded from July to September 2008 at The Pass Studios and The Casita in Hollywood, California... |
| "Hold On (Remix)" | Guest vocals and remixing | Good Charlotte Good Charlotte Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 1998, the band's constant members have been lead vocalist Joel Madden, lead guitarist and back-up vocalist Benji Madden, bass guitarist Paul Thomas and rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Billy Martin... |
Greatest Remixes Greatest Remixes Greatest Remixes is a greatest hits compilation album with a dance remix to the original songs by Good Charlotte. The compilation was released on November 25, 2008.Junior Sanchez, Benji and Joel Madden's older brother Josh Madden, and Good Charlotte are the executive producers for the album... |
|
| "For the Love of a Daughter" | Writing | Demi Lovato Demi Lovato "She’s got the range, the full emotional spectrum, incredible control… Vocally, she’s the best thing Disney’s had since Christina Aguilera."—Producer Toby Gad on Demi Lovato's vocals... |
Unbroken Unbroken Unbroken was a Hardcore punk band from San Diego, California. They were influential in the Southern California hardcore scene during the mid-to-late 1990s. The band chose the name Unbroken because they wanted to emphasize their dedication to the straight edge philosophy of drug abstinence... |
Further reading
- Beckett web interview, Spin Magazine