Bill McGrath, Member of RI Country Music Hall of Fame and Top Promoter, Dies
Monday, April 12, 2021
Bill McGrath, one of the movers and shakers in Rhode Island’s music world, has passed away. He was a member of the RI Country Music Hall of Fame.
He established Bill McGrath's Music Series, was the performance director at Rising, was a former Vice President at Rhode Island Country Horizons, and was a former Vice President at the Country Music Association of Rhode Island.
He was an influence on hundreds of Rhode Island musicians and one of the biggest supporters of emerging artists.
Award-winning RI musician Nate Cozzolino took to social media to pay tribute to McGrath, writing, “Heartbroken to hear of the passing of my good friend Bill McGrath. Honestly don’t know what to say...That he was an ardent advocate of the RI music scene doesn’t even begin to cover it. This is the caliber of man who gave me, Wesley Forsyth and Ron Tibbetts our 'first-ever' gig as The Ghost Notes, some relative nobodies that had a sound that he believed deserved a chance to be heard. And his bountiful generosity and unwavering support for local music extended far, far beyond my immediate circle, encompassing too many other friends and colleagues in this community to begin to count...."
Dozens of other musicians posted tributes to McGrath to social media.
During the pandemic, McGrath launched a series of online music concerts from his backyard to support and promote artists from his backyard.
