Bill Isles performed his first show of original songs in twenty-five years in February, 2000. Since that time, he has become one of the most well-known singer/songwriters in the Minnesota acoustic scene and has begun to get national and international attention.
His songs are poetic reflections of life experiences and often explore adventurous spiritual courses. Admittedly a romantic, many of his lyrics describe emotional and sensual encounters. At the same time, just when you think a song is about lovers interacting, you find yourself playing in ocean waves. It is this multi-layering that has drawn fans to listen over and over again. His love of life has strong roots in his childhood, but his urgency to tell these stories comes from an experience in 1993 when, with just enough warning to drive himself to the hospital, his heart stopped beating. He arrived with just ten minutes to spare. After being defibrillated, and before the doctors had time to detect and open a blocked artery in his heart, he made a commitment to himself that, if he survived, he would begin to write again.

The winner of the 2001 Minnesota Folk Festival New Folk Songwriting contest, he has been nominated for numerous other awards, including the prestigious 2002 Minnesota Music Awards Song of the Year. He has shared the stage with the likes of Buddy Mondlock and Carol Elliott, John Gorka, Lynn Miles, Vance Gilbert, Christine Lavin and Rod Picott.