# Willy DeVille
**Willy DeVille** was the stage name of William Borsey (born in 1950; some reference sources give 1953), an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist who fronted the New York punk-scene band Mink DeVille and later pursued a solo career blending R&B, blues, Cajun music, Latin rhythms, and New Orleans soul[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville) • [2](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark%3A/12148/cb139431348). He died of pancreatic cancer in New York City on August 6, 2009, at 58[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville). Better known in continental Europe than in the United States, he is remembered for the Mink DeVille hit "Spanish Stroll," the Oscar-nominated "Storybook Love" from the film *The Princess Bride*, and a mariachi-styled 1992 cover of "Hey Joe" that topped the French and Spanish charts[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth and death | Born William Borsey in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1950 (the BnF authority record gives 1953); died August 6, 2009, in New York City of pancreatic cancer[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville) • [2](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark%3A/12148/cb139431348) |
| Band | Founded Mink DeVille in 1974; house band at CBGB in New York from the mid-1970s; disbanded in the mid-1980s[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mink-deville-mn0000497760) • [4](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-mew-willy-deville8-2009aug08-story.html) |
| Signature songs | "Spanish Stroll" (UK Top 20, 1977); "Storybook Love" (Academy Award nomination, 1987); "Hey Joe" mariachi version (French and Spanish charts, 1992)[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville) |
| Key producers | Jack Nitzsche produced the early Mink DeVille albums; Mark Knopfler produced the 1987 solo debut *Miracle*[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville) |
| New Orleans period | *Victory Mixture* (1990) recorded with Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, and Eddie Bo[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/deville-mn0000678353) |
| French honor | Grand Prix du Disque de l'Académie Charles-Cros, 1991, for the live album recorded in New York and at the Olympia in Paris[6](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/20000024777) |
| Final albums | *Crow Jane Alley* (2004) and *Pistola* (2008)[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville) |
## Early life
DeVille grew up in a blue-collar household in [Stamford, Connecticut](https://www.edgepedia.org/stamford-connecticut), and left school at 14, settling in New York City, where he worked in menial jobs and attended local blues and folk clubs[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville). His early listening ranged from [Chuck Berry](https://www.edgepedia.org/chuck-berry), Little Richard, and [Ben E. King](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-e-king) to blues records by Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and John Hammond Jr., and he admired Sam Cooke's fashion sense[7](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/06/22/arts/with-heaven-stood-still-willy-deville-isnt-being-overlooked-any-longer/). A self-taught guitarist, he moved to London in 1971 hoping to join a British band, found no interest in his music, and returned to the United States, spending most of 1972 developing his stage persona in San Francisco Bay Area clubs[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/deville-mn0000678353).
## Mink DeVille and the CBGB years
**Formation.** In 1974 he changed his surname to DeVille and founded Mink DeVille in San Francisco with bassist Ruben Siguenza and drummer Tom "Manfred" Allen; by 1975 he had persuaded the band to move to New York[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mink-deville-mn0000497760) • [1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville). The group became a house band at the Manhattan club CBGB, the center of what would soon be called punk rock, appearing on the multi-artist compilation *Live at CBGB's* recorded at the club[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville) • [5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/deville-mn0000678353).
Unlike their punk clubmates, Mink DeVille drew on a much wider set of American idioms: blues and soul, Mexican and Cajun flavors, doo-wop, and Latin rhythms[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville). DeVille described his synthesis as "pachuco rock," a label others rendered as soul-punk[8](https://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/personnage/William_Borsay_dit_Willy_DeVille/156000). The Los Angeles Times obituary billed the band as one of the most original groups on the New York punk scene[4](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-mew-willy-deville8-2009aug08-story.html).
**Capitol years.** Produced by [Jack Nitzsche](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-nitzsche), the arranger and producer who had shaped recordings by [Phil Spector](https://www.edgepedia.org/phil-spector) and [Neil Young](https://www.edgepedia.org/neil-young), the debut album *Cabretta* appeared in the summer of 1977 to excellent reviews, and the single "Spanish Stroll" became a Top 20 hit in Britain[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville). *Return to Magenta* followed in 1978[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville). DeVille then went to Paris to record *Le Chat Bleu* (1980), a lush romantic album built on songs written with the lyricist Doc Pomus, who had written for Elvis Presley and the Drifters[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville). Capitol refused to issue the record in the United States, calling its strings and accordions "uncommercial," and relented only after strong import sales and *Rolling Stone* naming it one of the best albums of 1980[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville).
DeVille signed to [Atlantic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-records), where his two albums were weaker, his heroin addiction having by his own account reduced his talent[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville). In a 1986 *Musician* interview he said, "Drug hazes, attorneys, divorces, court dates, they all mess you up. They took up a big slice of my career"[9](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Musician/1980/1986/Musician-1986-04.pdf). He retired the Mink DeVille name in the mid-1980s and recorded thereafter as Willy DeVille[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/deville-mn0000678353).
## Solo career
His 1987 solo debut *Miracle* was produced by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits and featured the guitarist [Chet Atkins](https://www.edgepedia.org/chet-atkins)[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/deville-mn0000678353). Knopfler, then scoring the film *The Princess Bride*, included DeVille's song "Storybook Love," which was nominated for an Academy Award for best original song; DeVille performed it at the 1988 ceremony[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville). He also acted in two [Mickey Rourke](https://www.edgepedia.org/mickey-rourke) films, *Homeboy* (1988) and *[Bullet](https://www.edgepedia.org/bullet-1996-film)* (1996)[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville).
**New Orleans and Europe.** After moving to New Orleans, DeVille recorded *Victory Mixture* (1990) with the city's leading musicians, including [Dr. John](https://www.edgepedia.org/dr-john), [Allen Toussaint](https://www.edgepedia.org/allen-toussaint), and Eddie Bo, a celebration of New Orleans R&B[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/deville-mn0000678353) • [1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville). In 1991 France awarded him the Grand Prix du Disque de l'Académie Charles-Cros for a live album recorded in New York and in concert at the Olympia in Paris, a record that then occupied the upper reaches of the Spanish charts[6](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/20000024777). *Backstreets of Desire* (1992) carried a mariachi reworking of "Hey Joe," the rock standard associated with [Jimi Hendrix](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimi-hendrix), that topped the French and Spanish charts[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville). Later albums drew on the same traditions: *Loup Garou* (1995), recorded in Los Angeles with a duet with Brenda Lee; *Big Easy Fantasy* (1996); and *Horse of a Different Color* (1999), recorded in Memphis and revisiting the musical traditions of the American South[6](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/20000024777).
## Later years
DeVille finally kicked a heroin addiction lasting roughly twenty years around 2000, bought an 11-acre farm and began breeding horses, but the [Internal Revenue Service](https://www.edgepedia.org/internal-revenue-service) confiscated the property for unpaid taxes[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville). Soon afterward his second wife, Lisa, committed suicide, and a car crash in 2000 shattered his leg and arm; he walked with a cane afterward[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville). He returned to New York in 2003 and continued sporadic touring, predominantly in Europe, releasing *Crow Jane Alley* (2004), a tribute to the producer Jack Nitzsche featuring David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, and *Pistola* (2008)[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/deville-mn0000678353) • [6](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/20000024777).
In 2009 he canceled a planned European tour because of hepatitis C and then learned he had pancreatic cancer[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville). He died on August 6, 2009, in a New York hospital[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville). Fans who had learned of his illness began raising funds online for his treatment; DeVille had no internet connection, and his house filled with handwritten letters and thousands of roses[10](https://elpais.com/diario/2009/08/08/necrologicas/1249682402_850215.html).
## Reception and legacy
DeVille's lasting commercial and critical success came in continental Europe, especially France, Germany, and Spain, while he never approached stardom in the United States[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville) • [7](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/06/22/arts/with-heaven-stood-still-willy-deville-isnt-being-overlooked-any-longer/). The *New York Times* wrote in 1980 that he "embodies [New York's] tangle of cultural contradictions while making music that's both idiomatic, in the broadest sense, and utterly original"[1](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville). Doc Pomus said of him in 1978: "Willy DeVille knows the truth of a city street and the courage in a ghetto love song"[11](https://www.the-independent.com/news/obituaries/willy-deville-singer-and-guitarist-with-mink-deville-who-explored-america-s-rich-spectrum-of-popular-music-1772545.html).
His catalog has continued to circulate after his death, with live releases such as *Live at Montreux 1994* (2009), *Unplugged in Berlin* (2011), and *Venus of the Docks: Live in Bremen 2008* (2022)[12](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/willy-deville-mn0000678353). The documentary *Heaven Stood Still: The Incarnations of Willy DeVille*, directed by Larry Locke, screened in 2023 and took its title from a song on *Le Chat Bleu*[7](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/06/22/arts/with-heaven-stood-still-willy-deville-isnt-being-overlooked-any-longer/) • [13](https://www.georgedestefano.com/attachments/Heaven-Stood-Still-The-Incarnations-of-Willy-DeVille.pdf).
## References
1. [Willy DeVille, obituary by Garth Cartwright, The Guardian, 11 August 2009](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/aug/11/obituary-willy-deville)
2. [Notice de personne "DeVille, Willy (1953-2009)", Bibliothèque nationale de France](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark%3A/12148/cb139431348)
3. [Mink DeVille, biography by Jason Ankeny, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mink-deville-mn0000497760)
4. [Willy DeVille dies at 58; founder of punk group Mink DeVille, Los Angeles Times, 7 August 2009](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-mew-willy-deville8-2009aug08-story.html)
5. [Willy DeVille, biography by Craig Harris, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/deville-mn0000678353)
6. [Willy DeVille, Universal Music France artist page](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/20000024777)
7. [With 'Heaven Stood Still,' Willy DeVille isn't being overlooked any longer, The Boston Globe, 22 June 2023](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/06/22/arts/with-heaven-stood-still-willy-deville-isnt-being-overlooked-any-longer/)
8. [William Borsay dit Willy DeVille, Larousse encyclopedia](https://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/personnage/William_Borsay_dit_Willy_DeVille/156000)
9. [Willie DeVille, by Jimmy Guterman, Musician magazine, April 1986](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Musician/1980/1986/Musician-1986-04.pdf)
10. [Willy Deville, músico mestizo y sin ataduras, El País, 8 August 2009](https://elpais.com/diario/2009/08/08/necrologicas/1249682402_850215.html)
11. [Willy DeVille: Singer and guitarist with Mink DeVille, The Independent, August 2009](https://www.the-independent.com/news/obituaries/willy-deville-singer-and-guitarist-with-mink-deville-who-explored-america-s-rich-spectrum-of-popular-music-1772545.html)
12. [Willy DeVille discography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/willy-deville-mn0000678353)
13. [Heaven Stood Still: The Incarnations of Willy DeVille, George DeStefano](https://www.georgedestefano.com/attachments/Heaven-Stood-Still-The-Incarnations-of-Willy-DeVille.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Rock, metal, and popular-band musicians › Blues rock and roots rock*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license