Latest News

1) THANK YOU to everyone who has showed up for Porchfests in Medford, Arlington, Jamaica Plan and Lexington — as well as our "Lemonade On The Lawn" event in Cambridge!  

2) Molly Ruggles, Carole Bundy and I  — with Brendan Shea on bass — will be sharing two sets of music in Hyde Park from 7:00 - 9:00 pm on Friday, October 20, 2023 at the Menino Arts Center.  This is our last public performance in 2023, and we would love to see you at this FREE musical event!

3) I continue to release songs that I've recorded with pianist/producer Doug Hammer, and in the last few months my streaming numbers have been rising — with over 1000 streams on Spotify for "Gold In Them Hills" during the first month of its release, for example.

I send a HEARTFELT THANK YOU to everyone who is listening, "liking" and adding my songs to their playlists! 

4) Here's a list of clickable song titles if you are curious to listen to any of my recent releases: "The World Within" (about our amazing gut biome), "The Babysitter's Here" (by the incomparable Dar Williams), "Gold In Them Hills" (by a wonderful Canadian songwriter named Ron Sexsmith), "Waltzing With COVID-19" (by me), "Nice Work If You Can Get It" (by the Gershwin Brothers) and "Can We Slow It Down?" (by me).

5) You can also read a blog post inspired by another recent release — "Democracy Is Under Attack" — by clicking here (and can listen to the song on streaming platforms by clicking here).

6) And here's a link to my most recent blog post about babysitters and the honor of being trusted with another person's children.

7) It was an at-times terrifying — and ultimately delightful — honor to be part of a musical reunion at 54 Below in Manhattan with the original cast members of PIPPIN on February 6 and 7, 2023.  Our four performances sold out months in advance, and our livestream had more attendees — from all around the world — than any previous performance at 54 Below.  If you are curious, you can click here for a review in Broadway World by Bobby Patrick,  and you can also watch a minute-long video of the final song from the live-streamed performance by clicking hereI am also honored to have had some of my memories included in this recent article about the 50th anniversary of PIPPIN opening on Broadway.

8) You can also click here to listen to a version of "Magic To Do" from PIPPIN that I recorded with Doug Hammer and Mike Callahan a few years back.

9) Molly Ruggles, Carole Bundy and I have released five songs to various streaming platforms.  to various digital music platforms. You are welcome to sample them by clicking on their titles —  "Simple Rules" (written by Molly),  "The Beauty All Around" (written by me), "The Garden Song" (written by Dave Mallett), "A Beating Heart" (written by me) and "The Surrey With The Fringe On Top" (written by Rodgers & Hammerstein).

10) Our planet's climate equilibriumcontinues to swing more and more wildly out of balance.  You can click here to listen to a song I wrote inspired by our ongoing human denial about climate catastrophe called "We're Running A Big Experiment."

11) And you can click here to read a blog post by Boomer Eco Crusader which features my song "We're Running A Big Experiment."

12) Pianists Joe Reid and I — and sometimes Molly Ruggles when Joe is not available — are happily sharing our hour-long programs of music at retirement communities around the greater Boston area including Chestnut Park in Brighton, Brightview in Wakefield, Carleton-Willard Village in Bedford, Neville Place in Cambridge, Springhouse in Jamaica Plain, Brightview in Arlington, Fuller Village in Milton, Waterstone At the Circle in Boston, Cornerstone in Milford, Lasell Village in Newton, Newbury Court in Concord, North Hill in Needham, Goddard House in Brookline, Concord Park in West Concord,  Standish Village in Dorchester, the Carriage House in Wayland, The Commons in Lincoln, Avita in Needham, Carriage House at Lee's Farm in Wayland, Atria Marina Place in North Quincy, Brightview in Danvers, and the Center Communities in Brookline. 

Although we and the residents/staff are sometimes wearing masks, we still manage to have a great time making music together. And Joe, Molly and I are fully vaccinated/boosted.  Please send me a message if you might like us to bring music to YOUR community.

13) You can find me singing on PandoraSpotify, Apple Music, YouTube and other digital music platforms. Just search for "Will McMillan featuring Doug Hammer."

14) You can also find lots of music — along with personal musings — on my blog AMusicaLifeOnPlanetEarth.

Please feel free to wander around my site and learn more about my musical life here on planet earth.

And THANK YOU for dropping by!

About

Will McMillan standing in tuxedo with hands outstretched. Photo by Stephen C. Fischer

"Few singers captivate an audience as quickly and convincingly as McMillan can. He presents his repertoire with a beguilingly intimate approach all his own.” 

— New England Entertainment Digest

Singer and songwriter Will McMillan has soloed with Pops orchestras, rock bands, and a cappella groups — performing at venues ranging from 54 Below in New York to Scullers Jazz Club in Boston to Yin Par Le Garcon Chinois in Shanghai.

He currently offers programs of his original songs — with accompaniment from a jazz pianist — around New England as well as musical programs highlighting lyricists and composers such as Dorothy Fields, Harold Arlen and Hoagy Carmichael at retirement communities, coffeehouses, public libraries, synagogues, and memory cafes around New England.

You can click on the following song titles to hear Will sing "Overjoyed," "Nice Work If You Can Get It," "Waltzing With COVID-19," "If I Only Had A Brain," "Gold In Them Hills," "It's Only A Paper Moon," "Democracy Is Under Attack," "Skylark," and "In My Life" on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Pandora and YouTube.

For more music — and writing — you are welcome to visit his blog: AMusicaLifeOnPlanetEarth.Wordpress.com.

My Blog

You are welcome to visit my blog — which features at least one song per post— and read about topics ranging from climate change to songwriters (such as Yip Harburg,  Dorothy Fields and the Gershwin Brothers), to my somewhat unusual childhood working professionally around the USA, to my time as a standby in the original production of Pippin when I was ten years old.

My 100th blog post features the song "Overjoyed" — written by Stevie Wonder and performed by Doug Hammer, (piano), Mike Callahan (clarinet), and me (vocals).

 

You Can Help Will Keep Making Music...

In the past, I have been reluctant to ask anyone for financial contributions. However, several people — especially when I was leading nightly sing-alongs via Facebook Live in 2020 — told me I needed to offer a tip jar. So here it is!

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New Releases

You are welcome to download these songs on a "pay what you can afford" basis. 

You can also listen to them on various digital music platforms via links on the right side of the music player at the bottom of this screen.

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    Another Good Morning

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Studio Shots