Spring-2023

52 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 3 A nywhere there’s live music, you’re likely to run into me,” Spencer says. A true chameleon of the keyboard, he’s fluent in nearly all musical genres. A Dallas native, he studied music at the University of North Texas. “I started on trombone,” he says, “and started playing piano in high school.” He was a working keyboardist by the time he entered college. From there he embarked upon the heavy performance schedule he main- tains to this day, typically four gigs each week. Spencer relocated to San Francisco in 1984 and was working immedi- ately. Later, he landed the plum weekly stand at theTop of the Mark, a posi- tion he held for fifteen years.“I started doing a lot of gigs in Pebble Beach,” he says. “I moved here permanently in 2009.” As he says, Spencer can be heard anywhere live music is presented here. He plays rock and R&B at Sly McFly’s with 5 Star; standards at Cibo with singer Lee Durley; and Spanish Bay with a jazz trio led by drummer AndyWeis. Other collaborators include guitarist/singer Terry Shehorn and saxophonist Gary Meek. “I’m known for being versatile. I just love to play, especially with other people. I look at any opportunity to play music as a gift.” — Michael Chatfield MUS I C I AN PROF I L E Bill Spencer Photo: Kelli Uldall “