Writing a Bio. Help.

[Brad]

What kind of stuff do you put in your bio?
I think I know the basics, and it would be a lot easier to do for a band, but writing about just yourself is hard. I don't want it to be boring and I also don't want to sound like I think my shit doesn't have an odor.
I also understand that it shouldn't my life story. Who wants to read that crap?

Any tips? Maybe some examples?

Thanks for any help in this matter, as I am a lame SOB.

[Nate]

Brad- I am the music director at a local station here, and I get submissions all the time with bios. Usually, the bios end up in the trash, but I can snag a few and send 'em your way if you'd like- that way you can check out what stuff is in there.

[tdukex]

Brad, for what it's worth, this is from an article called The 25 Second Demo Rule in the March/April issue of "HomeRecording" magazine. This is the section on Press Kits:

"Make the information clear, concise, and interesting. Start with your bio. Never make it more than one page, and if you haven't had lots of touring experience, or won awards, or opened for Dave Matthews, simply explain who you are, where you're from, what you do, and what you've done. If you possess unusual talents, or you've had any unique experiences, go ahead and mention them. Folk singer Cristine Lavin is an expert baton twirler. Brooklyn-based Chris Moore wrote music for skateboarding videos. Maybe you've spent a summer ice fishing in Alaska, or gone bowling with Robert Plant. You do not have to be a super hero to make a good press kit or get bookings, but everybody has unique qualities, and if you only have 25 seconds to catch somebody's attention, you want those qualities mentioned somehow. For my bio, I simply wrote in the first person. This is enough to stand out to a talent buyer as a conventional biography is written in the third person.

You can also put quotations about you at the bottom of the page. If you havn't met the editor of "Rolling Stone" or been reviewed on MTV, look around and think about anybody you know who works for any publication, radio station, venue, music company, etc. Chances are, if you dig deep enough, you can come up with someone who will be happy to say something positive about you. Keep in mind that the buyer reading a quotation about you from the "Cincinnati Herald" doesn't know your cousin works there. Don't go overboard--you don't want to infringe on anybody's reputation, but you are allowed to be creative with this within reason."