Monk Wilson's distinctive blend of folk music and performance poetry was developed over some two decades of experimentation prior to the 1997 release of his debut CD, Hillbillys and Gypsys. Wilson began his musical career as a 12-year-old child drummer for a rock band. The band was too aggressive for his parents' tastes, so the budding singer/songwriter began to study acoustic guitar. As a young man in Austin, TX, he began to develop an aesthetic theory that centered around the minimalist notion that "silence is the perfect sound and space in music is as critical as are the notes." This musical mysticism earned him the nickname that would remain with him throughout his career: Monk. Later, Wilson spent a few years in folk-besotted Boston, experimenting with a poetry group called Stone Soup. The call of family life prompted Wilson to abandon his starving artist lifestyle -- he had spent years sleeping in deserts, barns, and unlocked cars -- and take up a more lucrative career as a visual artist in San Antonio, TX. It was not until Wilson was discovered by Tangible Records that he decided to return to his music. ~ Evan Cater, Rovi