Like a fine wine, some things just get better with age. Such is the case with New London County musicians, Geno Champagne and Bill Thibeault. The two played together in a local cover band in the early 70's, then drifted apart, each working on and off in different area bands. Then, in early May, 2006, the two crossed paths one night at a local bar, and began discussing music. They decided to get together to possibly do some writing and recording. It turned out to be a magical pairing. Champagne has quite a backlog of song material he had written over the years. Thibeault took a look at some of the material and made some minor changes here and there. The end result is an irresistible mix of rock, folk and country. One of the highlights is a song Geno co-wrote in the early nineties called “Where’s the Glory?” The song was written after the Gulf War, primarily for the Vietnam veterans. The inspiration was the difference in the treatment of the returning war veterans on the home front. The song was also written to be sung by a veteran. Thibeault happens to be a Vietnam veteran, and immediately connected with the song. He is a survivor of the USS Frank E. Evans, a U.S. destroyer which collided with an Australian aircraft carrier, June 3, 1969, which suffered a loss of 74 crewmen. Thibeault has since learned that none of the 74 lost that day are on the Vietnam Wall.

“Geno and Bill....Wow...This is fantastic...I’m so glad these guys joined forces...I’ve been
a fan of both of their separate projects over the years. “Where’s The Glory” is an excellent tune, and the lyrics will mean so much to so many people.”....Ron Apicelli, Ron’s Guitars, Groton, CT

In July, 2006, Thibeault had another chance encounter in the same local bar with Andy Stackpole, a professional sound engineer who occasionally did sound for Thibeault’s band Random Access in the late eighties and early nineties. Stackpole is now a front of the house sound engineer, working for artists such as Living Colour, Mos Def, Busta Rhymes, Steven Segal and many others. When he is not touring he is at home in Norwich, working as a recording engineer. One thing led to another, and in September, 2006, Geno & Bill began recording a four song EP titled “A Long Time Coming,” with Stackpole producing and mixing. The CD was released Nov. 27,2006 and is currently available in CT, at The Other Side, 29 Franklin St., Norwich, Mystic Disc, in Mystic, and Tumbleweeds, in Niantic. It is also available online at CD Baby. http://cdbaby.com/cd/genobill