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Will Champlin
Birth nameWilliam Christopher Champlin
Also known asKillWill
Born (1983-04-24) April 24, 1983 (age 40)
Reseda, California U.S.
GenresPop, pop rock, R&B
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, banjo, piano, acoustic guitar, drums
Years active2000–present
Websitehttp://willchamplin.com/

William Christopher Champlin (born April 24, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his appearance on Season 5 of the NBC singing competition The Voice as part of Adam Levine's team. He finished in third place behind Jacquie Lee, the runner-up, and Tessanne Chin, the winner of the season.[1]

Career

Before his participation on The Voice, Champlin reached some success as a songwriter. He collaborated with Michael Caruso and provided backing vocals for Ace Young's self-titled album, and also played piano on Michael Jackson's posthumous compilation album Michael, on the song "(I Like) The Way You Love Me". He was nominated in the Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album category, for co-writing "Ordinary Me", which appears on Heather Headley's album Audience of One. Audience of One was awarded the 2010 Grammy in its category.[2]

He is now the lead singer of the gritty rock band Valley of Wolves.[3] They made their debut in 2018 with the release of the Album 'Out for Blood'. In 2019 they released 'Take it All'[citation needed] and in 2021 'Outlaws' was released.[3]

The Voice

On the fourth episode of the Blind Auditions broadcast on October 1, 2013, he performed Gavin DeGraw's song "Not Over You". Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, and Blake Shelton turned their chairs but he opted to join Adam Levine.[4][5]

In the Battle Rounds, Wolpert won, and Champlin was stolen by Aguilera. In the Knockout Rounds, Schuler won, and Champlin was then stolen back from Aguilera by Levine.

  – Studio version of performance reached the top 10 on iTunes
Stage Song Original Artist Date Order Result
Blind Audition "Not Over You" Gavin DeGraw October 1, 2013 4.1 Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, and Blake Shelton turned
Joined Team Adam
Battle Rounds "Radioactive" (vs. James Wolpert) Imagine Dragons October 21, 2013 9.6 Defeated
Stolen by Christina Aguilera
Knockout Rounds "When I Was Your Man" (vs. Matthew Schuler) Bruno Mars October 29, 2013 12.8 Defeated
Stolen by Adam Levine
Live Playoffs "Secrets" OneRepublic November 4, 2013 13.7 Saved by Coach
Live Top 12 "Demons" Imagine Dragons November 11, 2013 16.12 Saved by Public Vote
Live Top 10 "Love Me Again" John Newman November 18, 2013 18.3 Saved by Public Vote
Live Top 8 "At Last" Glenn Miller and his orchestra, with vocals by Ray Eberle and Pat Friday November 25, 2013 20.6 Saved by Public Vote
Live Top 6 "A Change Is Gonna Come" Sam Cooke December 2, 2013 22.4 Saved by Public Vote
"Hey Brother" Avicii 22.10
Live Top 5 (Semi-finals) "Carry On" Fun December 9, 2013 24.2 Saved by Public Vote
Live Finale "Not Over You" Gavin DeGraw December 16, 2013 26.2 Third place
"Tiny Dancer" (with Adam Levine) Elton John 26.6
"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" Bryan Adams 26.8

Personal life

Champlin was born and raised in Los Angeles, California.[6] He is the youngest son of Bill Champlin, former member of Chicago, and Tamara Champlin. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.[7] He has one daughter, Harper.[8]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
[9]
Will Champlin
  • Release: January 10, 2008
  • Label: Goldmine Records
  • Formats: Digital download
 —
Borrowing Trouble
  • Release: June 21, 2014
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 —

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US CAN
"Last Man Standing" 2014 — — Borrowing Trouble
"Eye of the Pyramid" — —
"Picasso in My Pocket" 2018 — — Picasso in My Pocket

Guest appearances

Title Year Artist(s) Album
"Too Far Gone" 2019 Sound Breakers —

Releases from The Voice

Title Album details Peak chart
positions
US
The Complete Season 5 Collection
  • Release date: December 17, 2013
  • Label: Republic Records
  • Formats: Digital download
 —
Single Year Peak chart positions
US CAN
"At Last" 2013 83 73
"Carry On" — 97
"—" denotes items which failed to chart.

References

  1. ^ Sophie Schillaci; Natasha Chandel (December 18, 2013). "'The Voice' Finalist Will Champlin Felt 'Vindicated' By Third-Place Finish". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  2. ^ Will Champlin: The Reader's Digest Version of My Life
  3. ^ a b Leiber, Sarah Jae. "Valley of Wolves Release Their New Album 'Outlaws'". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  4. ^ "Will Champlin: "Not Over You"". The Voice – Blind Auditions, Season 5. NBCUniversal. October 9, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  5. ^ Arellano, Jennifer (October 2, 2013). "'The Voice' recap: Second Time's A Charm". Entertainment Weekly. CNN. Retrieved March 1, 2014. WILL CHAMPLIN, 30, of California, is the son of Chicago member Bill Champlin.
  6. ^ "Will Champlin | About W.C." Will Champlin.
  7. ^ Kirschbaum, Megan (2006). "Nashville Notes". Alumni, Berklee Today. Berklee College of Music. Among the fresh faces in our Nashville Alumni Chapter are Ashley Farrell '05, Will Champlin '05..
  8. ^ Liberatore, Paul (November 21, 2013). "'Marin's love child' Will Champlin in top eight on 'The Voice'". Marin Independent Journal. Marin County, CA. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  9. ^ "Billboard Top 200 Albums for week ending May 26, 2012". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2012.

External links

The Voice (U.S.)
Authority control databases: Artists
Categories