Heaven Stood Still: The Incarnations of Willie DeVille
Willy DeVille had all the goods to be a major rock star: striking looks and a theatrical yet streetwise stage presence; a powerful, soulful voice; songwriting chops; and a genre-transcending versatility that encompassed early '60s rock and R&B, the blues, New Orleans R&B, French chanson, country, and Latin pop. But this gifted and unique artist never found the mass audience and success he craved. Although he had a devoted following in the United States, he was a star only in Europe. The U.S. music industry didn't know what to do with him, and a turbulent personal life of addiction, marital strife, illness, and suicide kept getting in the way.