Bill Berry


William Thomas Berry is a retired American musician who was the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Although best known for his solid, economical drumming style, Berry also played other instruments including guitar, bass guitar, and piano, both for songwriting and on R.E.M. albums. After 17 years with the band, Berry left the music industry to become a farmer, and has since maintained a low profile, making sporadic reunions with R.E.M. and appearing on other artists' recordings.

Early years

William Thomas Berry was born on July 31, 1958, in Duluth, Minnesota, the fifth child of Don and Anna Berry. At the age of three years, Berry moved with his family to Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee, where they would remain for the next seven years. In 1968, they were on the move again, this time to Sandusky, Ohio.
In 1972, the Berry family made their final move, to Macon, Georgia, just in time for Bill to start high school at Mount de Sales Academy. It was there that he met bass guitarist Mike Mills, and they played together in several different bands, including Shadowfax. Their first attempt at a career in music was short-lived. He and Mills decided to make money by getting day jobs. They rented an apartment on Arlington Place in Macon and Bill landed a job at the Paragon booking agency next door.
Berry and Mills moved to Athens, Georgia, in 1978, where they met Michael Stipe and Peter Buck. Prior to dropping out, Berry studied pre-law at the University of Georgia.

R.E.M. years (1980–1997)

R.E.M. was formed in 1980. In addition to his duties as a drummer, Berry contributed occasional guitar, bass, mandolin, vocals, keyboards and piano on studio tracks. In concert, he sometimes performed on bass, and supplied regular backing vocals. Berry also made notable songwriting contributions, particularly for "Everybody Hurts" and "Man on the Moon", both from Automatic for the People. Other Berry songs included "Perfect Circle", "Driver 8", "Cant Get There from Here" and "I Took Your Name". The song "Leave" was also written by Berry for R.E.M.'s 1996 album New Adventures in Hi-Fi, which was his last album with the band.
Berry was also responsible for toning down the lyrics of the song "Welcome to the Occupation." Stipe's original lyric was "hang your freedom fighters" which, given the Reagan administration's active support for the contra "freedom fighters" in Nicaragua, sounded very violent and militant, although Stipe himself countered that the line could be taken multiple ways. Berry's objection ultimately led the line to be changed to "hang your freedom higher."
During 1984, Berry also was drummer for the impromptu Hindu Love Gods, which featured his R.E.M. bandmates Peter Buck, Mike Mills, rocker Warren Zevon, and Bryan Cook.

On-stage collapse and leaving R.E.M.

On March 1, 1995, at the Patinoire Auditorium in Lausanne, Switzerland, Berry collapsed on stage during an R.E.M. show from a ruptured brain aneurysm. He recovered and rejoined the band, but left in October 1997, saying that he no longer had the drive or enjoyment level to be in the band, and that he wanted to not travel. He later explained on VH-1's Behind The Music:
I didn't wake up one day and decide, "I just can't stand these guys anymore" or anything. I feel like I'm ready for a life change. I'm still young enough that I can do something else. I've been pounding the tubs since I was nine years old... I'm ready to do something else.

Acquiescing to Berry's wishes, R.E.M. announced that it would continue as a three-piece outfit. They continued to tour with several accompanying musicians, including long-time sidemen Ken Stringfellow and Scott McCaughey and employed Joey Waronker and Bill Rieflin as live drummers.

Retirement

Berry left the music business and became a farmer, working on his hay farm in Farmington, Georgia, near Athens.
Prior to the group's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Berry granted his first interview in several years, discussing life after retirement. "It's a great chance to get back together and perform with R.E.M., which I always loved doing", he said.
Asked where he goes on vacations, in an interview at his home in 2019, Berry stated: "I would never go on vacation. Vacation for me is right here. I spent enough time in airports and in vans and on buses. I kind of like sitting still for a while. Still haven't grown tired of that." He ventures in to Athens to "see shows I want; I don't just go out and hang out at bars. I get into shows about 1.6 times a month. Maybe not twice a month, but more than once."
Berry maintains that he never enjoyed being a drummer. "It's just not the most musical instrument," he said in 2019. "I've never written a song on a set of drums." His preferred instrument is the acoustic guitar, which is something he plays every day. "I wish I'd played more of it before I retired. I've done most of my practising after I've retired. I've become a pretty good guitarist now; I wasn't then."
His musical activities after leaving R.E.M. have been sporadic, but did include recording for the Tourette Syndrome Charity Album Welcome Companions in 2000. On May 11, 2018, he performed at the Winterville Auditorium in Winterville, Georgia, as part of a quintet named Mayor Ferrelle and the Councilmen, formed by the band's vocalist and lead guitarist, city mayor Dodd Ferrelle. The other three members were John Kean, David Barbe and Adam Poulin.

Personal life

In 1986, Berry married his then-girlfriend Mari. When crack began to infiltrate Athens in the early 1990s, the couple moved to nearby Farmington. "In 1988, I decided that I would broaden my portfolio, which was pretty slim back then. It's not like I was rolling in dough," he explained in 2019. "I wanted to buy land and found this spot. It's sixty acres, and it's far enough outside of town that it was cheap. It was, like, $2000/acre, back in '88. Land's more like $10-$12,000 now. It was strictly an investment; I was going to sell it later." His farm, which includes sheep, is at the north end of his property. A caretaker works on the farm; Berry does not anymore. He has a garden, but his caretaker also looks after that. "I get the rewards of it, but he does all the work."
In 2003, Berry and his girlfriend Cybele Lange had a son, Owen.
Berry rarely cooks. "I can, but I'd rather not." He instead orders food from Girasoles in nearby Watkinsville. "I eat from there maybe five times a week. Well, more, if I count leftovers. keeps me alive."
Berry was an avid golfer while a member of R.E.M.

Discography

With R.E.M.

Without members of R.E.M.

With Peter Buck and Mike Mills

With Peter Buck

Reunions with R.E.M.

Performances of the three-piece R.E.M. reunited with their original drummer.
ReleaseDateNotes
n/aOctober 10, 2003 – Raleigh, United StatesAfter walking across the stage to shake Joey Waronker's hand on August 29, 1999, at the Chastain Park Amphitheatre in Atlanta, Bill walked onstage at the Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, North Carolina to sing on "Radio Free Europe" and drum on "Permanent Vacation".
n/aAugust 10, 2005 – Athens, United StatesThe band reformed to play a friend and guitar tech Dewitt Burton's wedding reception at Kingpins Bowl and Brew in Athens, Georgia. The set: "Sitting Still", " Rockville", "Wolves, Lower", "Begin the Begin", "The One I Love", "Permanent Vacation", and "Radio Free Europe", with a short instrumental interlude between the last two numbers.
n/aApril 1, 2006 – Athens, United StatesAt a Minus 5 show in the Georgia Theatre, Bill, Mike, and Michael joined Peter, Scott McCaughey, and Bill Rieflin for an impromptu performance of "Country Feedback". Bill played bass, with Mike on keyboards.
2006 Christmas singleSeptember 12, 2006 – Athens, United StatesThe band reforms to play at the "Finest Worksongs: Athens Bands Play the Music of R.E.M." tribute at the 40 Watt, playing "Begin the Begin" and "So. Central Rain ". Proceeds went to the Community Connection and Family Connection/Communities in Schools charities.
n/aSeptember 9, 2006 – Atlanta, GeorgiaThe band was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame at the Georgia World Congress Center. They performed "Begin the Begin", "Losing My Religion", and "Man on the Moon". Bill, Peter, Mike, and Scott McCaughey also accompanied Gregg Allman on a performance of "Midnight Rider" to round out the show.
n/aMarch 12, 2007 – New York City, United StatesFor the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, the band played "Begin the Begin", "Gardening at Night", "Man on the Moon", and "I Wanna Be Your Dog".
#9 DreamMarch 17, 2007While preparing for their performance at the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the original four members of R.E.M. recorded this John Lennon song in John Keane Studio, with production by Jacknife Lee. The song was released as a single on March 17, 2007 and was the first track to be released from the benefit compilation , released on June 12, 2007.