William T.

About William T.

The Early Passion for Elvis Presley
William (expired link). Telser was born in Meran, South Tyrol, on September 9, 1973. His passion for the music and life of Elvis Presley was ignited on August 16, 1977, the day the legendary singer passed away. At the age of four, William watched his father glued to the television, absorbing the news of Elvis‘ death, and he had to miss his favorite cartoons. William asked his father who the man in the white outfit was… Elvis’ death, a tragedy for millions of fans, changed William’s world forever. Years later, when his elementary school teacher asked the students to draw a picture of “how they saw themselves in ten years,” William drew himself as “Elvis.”

The First Musical Steps and His First Successful Performance
At the age of seven, William received his first guitar as a gift from his father, who then decided to enroll him in guitar lessons. However, William soon became bored, as the lessons were quite different from what he had expected. Over the years, he taught himself to play his first useful chords and began playing “Blue Suede Shoes” at the age of fourteen.
In 1993, William, now self-taught on guitar, had his first successful performance on October 28, 1993, at a young talent competition in his hometown Meran’s Stadttheater.
From there, he started performing as an Elvis impersonator in the Meran area and abroad, especially in nightclubs, pubs, hotels, après-ski venues, and resorts. In 1994, he recorded his first album My Tribute To Elvis at a studio in Meran.

Key Encounters and First International Performances
In 2003, he met South Tyrolean artist Peter Hiegelsperger, who was already well known abroad and gave him the opportunity to perform at Schloss Schönbrunn in Salzburg (Austria) at the “Mythos Sportwagen Treffen.” Just a few months later, William also performed at the Great Sports Gala in Baden-Baden (Germany) at the Schlosshotel Bühlerhöhe, in front of a select audience including “Kaiser” Franz Beckenbauer, Jan Ullrich, and Hannah Stockbauer, as well as members of the German national team in their respective disciplines.
That same year, William began composing jingles for South Tyrolean radio station RADIO SUNSHINE, a collaboration that continues to this day.

The Last Performance as an Elvis Impersonator and Forming a Rock’n’Roll Band
In March 2004, William performed for the last time as an Elvis impersonator at the opening ceremony of the Women’s Ice Hockey World Championship in Sterzing. After eleven years as a solo performer and Elvis impersonator, he decided to form a Rock’n’Roll band. After a few phone calls with musicians from Meran, he met them on the evening of February 14, 2004, and formed “William T. & The Black 50’s.”
Five months later, the album That’s It was released and presented at the sold-out Dancing Club Exclusive in Lana on July 8 (exactly 50 years after Elvis‘ That’s All Right Mama was first played on the radio, marking the moment that changed the music world and laid the foundation for Rock’n’Roll).
The band toured much of Europe and performed at major festivals like Elvis Day, Elvis Lives On, and Elvis Rocking Recoaro. In 2009, they also released the EP Old Days Rock’n’Roll with four cover songs.

Band Restructuring and Rockabilly Influence
In 2010, the band was completely restructured with William T. as the frontman, Roland Novak (guitar), Patrick Prasch (drums), and Alberto Macconi (double bass). They fully embraced the Rockabilly genre, performing classic songs by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, and many other 50s icons. William’s original songs like What I Feel and Rock’n’Roll and Sex also found their place in the live repertoire. In 2011, an album was recorded during a live radio show.
In 2012, the band participated in an international Rockabilly contest in Germany, where they had success but did not win, as they focused mainly on cover songs. This moment marked a turning point for William. Thanks to his wife, who was also his motivational coach and has always supported him fully, he began writing his own compositions. This new chapter allowed his musical talent to fully bloom and opened the door to a creative journey of his own.

The Development of Original Compositions and the Record Deal
Meanwhile, Alberto left the band for personal reasons, and Mike Bottiglieri, an experienced musician, joined as a permanent band member. With new original compositions in their repertoire, the band returned to the international Rockabilly contest in 2014. Although they came in third place, they won the grand prize – a record deal. This led to the release of the album Shake It Baby, featuring nine original songs written and composed by William himself. This marked the beginning of a new chapter in his career.

Ice Hockey and Music: The Single Go On Ice
In March 2017, William released his single Go On Ice, dedicated to his favorite sport, ice hockey, which he also played himself. A funny incident occurred in the 90s when, at an ice hockey celebration where he was singing live, the president of his team told him that if he played as well as he sang, he would offer him a high-paying contract. William’s reaction was that he then hung up his skates to focus entirely on music!

New Band Lineup and the Album Rock’n’Roll Baby
In 2018, the album Rock’n’Roll Baby was released, consisting entirely of William’s original compositions, including three songs in German.
Soon after, the band faced some personal challenges: Patrick had to leave for personal reasons, and Mike suffered a serious injury. After a rehearsal, Marco Vicentini was permanently added as drummer, and Lukas Reich joined as the substitute on double bass.

New Singles, Own Festivals, and Collaborations with Other Artists
On his birthday, September 9, 2019, William released his new single Love Without Limits, and shortly after, he organized his first Rock’n’Roll festival in Meran, featuring internationally known Rockabilly/Rock’n’Roll bands. The festival attracted fans from abroad.
During the first lockdown, William wrote new songs, and by the end of June 2020, he released the single You’ll Be Mine. During the second lockdown, he released the Christmas single Blue Christmas along with a music video.
In collaboration with his friends Philipp Burger ((expired link)) and Chris Kaufmann (Truck Stop), he released the new single Travelman in German in January 2021, which quickly became a hit.
On February 14, 2022, Forever, a gentle ballad and his first self-produced track from his Recording Studio ’94, was released.
On October 28, 2023, to celebrate his 30th stage anniversary, William released the single Like The King along with a music video.
The second Rock’n’Roll festival he organized took place on March 23, 2024, at 2,000 meters above sea level in Reinswald at Pichlberg, South Tyrol, featuring international Rock’n’Roll/Rockabilly bands and a DJ for the aftershow party.

The Founding of TravelRebel Records and the Band’s Evolution
Just before releasing his last Christmas single, Two Faces of Christmas (which also appears as a bonus track on the upcoming album), William founded his own label, TravelRebel Records. Today, William T. is the sole focus of the entire project. After several band lineup changes and stylistic developments, the band now carries his name to emphasize the strong bond between the artist and the music. With this direction, William T. remains true to his Rock’n’Roll roots while also pushing forward and continuing to evolve the 50s tradition in a modern form.

Success on International Stages
Thanks to his performances at the Good Rockin‘ Tonight Festival (France), the Uferlos Festival (Germany), the Walldorf Rock’n’Roll Weekender (Germany), the Rockabilly Convention (Germany), Rockabilly on the Rocks (Switzerland), Alpenflair Südtirol, as well as various tattoo and Harley conventions, and not to mention as the support band for (expired link) (Dresden, stadium show), The BossHoss, Andreas Gabalier, and Anastacia’s aftershow party in Samnaun (Switzerland), William T. has made a name for himself far beyond his Italian homeland.