 Thursday mornings mean one thing for Fresno area jazz fans: Bill Bruce is on the radio. Sine 2002, Bill has been on the airwaves of 90.7 KFSR in the 6:00am – 9:00am shift on Morning Jazz, bringing a soulful and cool blend of music to Valley listeners. But while thousands of Valley listeners know all about Bill’s musical expertise, they might be surprised to learn that Bill is also one of Fresno’s top visual artists, has his own gallery and studio space in Downtown Fresno, is an avid golfer, and is active in efforts to build Fresno’s Cultural Arts District.
Radio has been a part of Bill’s life for over 25 years. From 1981 till the early 1990’s, Bill was a hosted the Friday and Sunday night jazz shifts on a local public radio station, and quickly became a fixture in the local jazz community. When the annual “Jazz Valley” jazz festival was held at the Paul Paul Theatre, and later at Fresno State, Bill was the emcee. Doing so, he had the opportunity to introduce artists like Poncho Sanchez, Herbie Mann, Larry Vuckovich, Tania Maria, Les McCann, Tom Scott, Lee Ritenour, Gene Harris, and many others. One of Bill’s favorite memories involved Harris. “It was Gene’s birthday, and his wife had arranged for me to play a little surprise practical joke on him on stage,” says Bill. “So just when Gene had sat down and started playing, I came back on stage and pretended to interrupt his set. And then we all wished him a big happy birthday.”
Bill has also been fortunate to interview many of the great jazz artists who came through Fresno over the years, including Cal Tjader, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Anita O’Day and many others.
Bill was raised in a small town in Iowa, Red Oak, not far from Ohama Nebraska. He left in 1951 to spend four years in the Navy. After his discharge, he settled in San Francisco, and except for two years in Chicago in the late 1950’s, he’s considered California his home. From 1960 to 1966, Bill lived in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, and was involved with a group of artists known as The Artists Consortium. It was in San Francisco that Bill met his wife, married and began raising a family.
While in San Francisco, Bill had his work on exhibit in various storefronts and incidental venues. His first solo show as an artist came in 1966, at the Lebault Gallery in San Francisco. Later that same year, after moving to Fresno, he became active in the Fresno art community. Bill had a solo exhbit at the Coffees' Art Galley, and along with other Fresno artists, he had work in the first San Joaquin Valley Art Annual, also in 1966.
In the 1970’s and 1980’s, his cultural and creative efforts were channeled primarily towards the jazz community. He was a weekend jazz host for almost ten years at KVPR, and in 1985 was nominated by the station for Fresno Volunteer of the Year.
Upon retiring from his day job in 1988, Bill rededicated himself to painting and photography. That same year, he was invited to join Fig Tree Gallery, of which he was still a member.
In 2002, he returned to the airwaves, at the request of 90.7 KFSR station manager Joe Moore. “I was on the air one day, and played something by Gene Harris, the phone rang and it was Bill. I didn’t know who Bill was at the time, but we talked about the music, and he mentioned that he used to be on the radio in Fresno doing jazz. I immediately scheduled a meeting at a local bagel shop, and Bill was back on the air within a few weeks, on Thursday mornings,” says Moore.
Since his return to the airwaves in 2002, Bill has become one of the station’s most popular jazz hosts. “I always ask people what their favorite programs are, what they enjoy about the station, and Bill’s name is always one of our most popular hosts, both in the way he presents the music, and his taste in his selections,” says Moore. “People often tell me they specifically look forward to Thursday mornings just to hear Bill.”
Today, Bill is very active as a full time artist, working out of his studio at 1752 Van Ness Ave in Downtown Fresno. In addition to being an avid golfer, Bill also also on the Board of Directors of Fresno’s Cultural Arts District, a non profit organization dedicated to promoting the northern portion of Downtown Fresno,which houses many galleries, and 3 major museums. You can spot Bill’s studio on Van Ness (just north of Arte Americas) by the large Cultural Arts District painting on the front of the building.
Bill Bruce’s studio is open to the public on Art Hop (the first Thursday evening of every month). You can see examples of his work and much more online at www.billbruceartist.com and email him at billbruce1753@sbcglobal.netBruce at
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