A documentary made by American Larry Locke that portrays the life and music of a unique artist who, both in life and posthumously, received far too little recognition for his unique position within the traditional American music of the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s.

Larry noticed that many of the greats of the music scene (Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Peter Wolf, Ben E. King, Herman Brood and many others) admired Willy DeVille but found it difficult to come out for it. He was further intrigued by the question, “Why DeVille gained recognition in Europe but was hardly known in America”. Was it his drug image? This curiosity resulted in a wonderful documentary with many unique images.

Who was Willy DeVille?
DeVille began his music career in the CBGB punk scene in 1970s New York with his band Mink DeVille. Mink DeVille’s concerts were attended by the cream of the music world. Willy: born Billy Borsey in the factory town of Stamford, Connecticut, he forged a totally unique identity for himself. His love of music and movies were his inspiration and his way out to the big city. His powerful singing voice and ever-evolving stage persona conjured adventurous forays into rhythm-and-blues, cajun, salsa, mariachi and tejano music. With his “Spanish-Americana,” he was one of the most original and romantic figures of the rock era.

DeVille sold a million records in Europe in his 35-year career with hits such as Spanish Stroll, Hey Joe, You Better Move On, Demasiado Corazon. He was nominated for an Academy Award for the theme song of the movie “Princess Bride. The song was played at many American weddings, but hardly anyone knew who the singer was. DeVille performed on all the major stages in Europe, but in his home country he remained almost completely unknown. You might say America’s best kept secret.