Sure enough, he had so thrashed his bass voice by trying to scream out rock and soul THE WRONG WAY, that he had vocal nodules.  Evidently, his vocal cords were in such awful shape that the ENT gave him news that he never expected:

'YOU'LL NEVER SING AGAIN."  Gasp. gulp.  Shock.

How would you feel if you are just starting to get great concert gigs; tours, and big records, and somebody said 'You'll never sing again.'???  Pretty damned desperate.  And so it was for Bill.

I know how that feels -- 

I had nodules several times even when I  thought I was doing all the right things with my voice.  I was taking voice lessons at the time I kept getting nodules!  

The news of the 'nodule' diagnoses is like a death knell to a singer. 

It means that you have to stop singing.  

You have to stop talking.  

You have to stop laughing and stop using your voice completely.  

That's what 'COMPLETE VOCAL REST' means.  

And it is serious. It is demoralizing and terrifying.  And complete vocal rest lasts at least a month, sometimes more.

I question why any ENT would tell someone that they'll never sing again.  I don't understand how a voice can be so damaged that it will never recover.  I work with people who have damaged their voices, and there is always HOPE.  There is always rehabilitation.  So unless someone has had a surgery that has damaged their vocal cords, or there is permanent damage from something like chronic GERD, it seems slightly irresponsible to give a singer the negative 'you'll never sing again' ultimatum.  No hope, no rehab, just 'sorry Charlie.'

Can you guess what Bill Medley did next?  Well, yah, he probably threw back a few shots initially, but then, because he loved singing and couldn't imagine his career fizzling before it sizzled, he took drastic action.  And it changed his life.

In 'What Bill Medley Told Me' Part III, I'll tell you what action he took;  and what happened next that gave him a Beatles tour; hit records and more!

If you've been given a diagnosis of 'vocal nodules' I want you to know that you can get rid of nodules and never have them again!  It is as simple as LEARNING TO SING CORRECTLY.  

You have to be committed, dedicated, and of course, find the right teacher.

I luckily found the right teacher and learned the concepts of Bel Canto singing that DID change my life, and I have never EVER had another vocal problem.  I am forever grateful to Giuseppe Balestrieri who taught me how to sing the RIGHT way.

If you're having vocal problems, know that you can get help, and have a healthy voice for life.  My Lawrence Vocal System is based in Bel Canto, and I've written a book about the 7 Easy Steps you'll need to get your vibrant, healthy voice back, and KEEP it healthy. 

DO YOU WANT TO GET YOUR HEALTHY VOICE BACK?

  'From Shower To Stage.....7 Easy Steps for Singing Like A Pro!'