WiL and Company

On any Friday night in the 1970s, somewhere in small-town Quebec, a young Billy Mimnaugh could be found sitting in on his parents late night ‘kitchen sessions’; his father playing guitar, his mother and friends singing the songs of country and folk singer/songwriters of the sixties and seventies… but from the moment he was handed a real guitar at twelve, Billy knew that it was his calling. Over the next few years, Bill became WiL (with one L) packing the bars of Calgary, Alberta on any given night of the week. After successfully sneaking the odd original tune into his set, he took a leap of faith. With the help of friends at Six Degrees Music and Production, he recorded and released his 2003 debut album ‘Both Hands’. Selling 6,000 copies off-stage alone, an agent came knocking and before he knew it, he was showcasing the album at Toronto’s Canadian Music Week where he was promptly signed by Canadian music label, EMI, effectively jumpstarting his career as a songwriter and touring musician. The road has been a long one. It’s not an easy sell playing original roots-tinged rock songs to unsuspecting folks… lucky for WiL, he was never that interested in the sales part. Call it determination, call it crazy, call it whatever you want, something is still working and it’s working pretty darn well. At 55, the enigmatic, fiery, silver bearded front man heads up the west coast Indie folk rock outfit known as WiL and Company. It has taken the better part 25 years to get there and he’s still not done. WiL is currently working with alt country artist and producer Leeroy Stagger on new music that is slated for release in 2026.