HOME DUO GIG LIST MICHAEL BILLY ! PICTURES MUSIC
Billy, was born Wednesday 16 July 1952 At Keighley West Yorkshire.
The middle child of seven he grew up in a loving and busy home.
His dad had played accordion and as a boy Billy had gone with his dad to watch him repair and punch out song cards for his uncles collection of barrel organs. These had been brought in from Italy by his great grandad who was one of the first Italian's to move into the Bradford area pictured here with his ice cream cart.
We believe that one organ still survives and is owned by The Lyons in Halifax.
As a teenager he decided that he wanted to play in a band and get famous like his hero
Paul McCartney.
To that end he made an electric guitar in woodwork at school.
Billy started playing in bands at 15. After a couple of years learning to play rhythm guitar he was asked to join The Eclipse Show Band who worked locally and also traveled to the North West and East to do weekend gigs on the, then busy, club circuit. In 1972 after serving an engineering apprenticeship he turned professional with a band, the agent had named Silver Grass, who worked all over the north of England. The band included a bass player called Steve Hughes with whom Billy had worked in The Eclipse.
After member changes and a name change to The Spotlight Wiz Kidz, he began touring all England and working the US and the British bases in Germany. The band were offered a deal with Mickey Most to perform, what turned out to be a hit song, Do The Bump (Kenny). But the band were writing some good stuff and turned down the offer of miming to a pre recorded hit.
In 1976, having left the pop band he was asked to join up with his old mate Steve Hughes, now with Dillinger, in the already established, Jeanie Denver and the JD Band. For four years they toured the British, and European, country scene in their own right from the top of the Shetland Isles to deepest Cornwall and also as a backing band for many bubbling under country stars. Such as :-
Billy Armstrong. A brilliant act, and by far the best fiddle player he has ever worked with, ever.
Tommy Jennings. Yes! Waylon's, little brother who came along with guitarist Don Schlitz, who's name appears all over the country record scene as writer, or co writer, of songs.
The band worked all the major theatre and country venues including 4 times appearing at the prestigious Wembley Festival where the band backed various American country stars the likes of Carl Perkins, Don Gibson, Charlie White, to name just a few. The bands size was increased for these gigs by the addition of pianist Dave Sheriff and steel /fiddle playing Slim Pickens with whom the band toured on many occasions. Both these musicians were with the band when they toured Yugoslavia with Dennis (Mc leoud ) Weaver who had released a country album.
Pictured here are left to right, Dave Sheriff, Billy, Bobby Weaver, his dad Dennis, Steve Hughes, Stuart Barnes, Slim Pickens and Alan Holmes. Outside the gig in Zagreb.
In between tours the band worked social clubs and much time was spent in studio's in mid Wales recording albums tracks for many UK and some US country acts.
In 1980 he and bass guitarist Steve Hughes having split from the JD band, formed Freemans Country Band and continued touring, with drummer Alan Holmes (Shuggy), until 1985 working the British scene and doing floor shows on the American bases, here and in Germany, backing lots of bubbling under American singers such as Becky Hobbs, and Scooter Lee (Scooter who?). The band stopped touring in 1985 after a great 5 week gig in Zurich and a final US base gig at Bitburg, Germany on the way home.
The pedal steel player, Faron Kelf, stayed in Switzerland and the band, now three piece, had a name change to Paycheck
The band worked more locally than before and due to domestic commitments slowly came to rest in 1986.
In 1986 he began doing local solo work in the pubs and clubs. at one point he played lead guitar for the late Carl Denver. He got together again with Steve Hughes when he stood in with Dillinger when Richard Harding had a couple of months out due to illness in 2000. This experience served to ignite his ambition to play country music again and after putting together some solo gigs he was asked to help out with Michael after Les Walker had decided to leave the duo Jailbreak.
Which brings us up to date and to the Electric Cowboys.
Bill also does the occasional solo country gig as Bill Stevens SEE DATE SHEET