Billy Branch

Billy Branch, is a Chanteur - Harmoniciste of Blues American, born with Chicago, Illinois, on October 23rd 1951.

Biography

Billy Branch lived most of its childhood with Los Angeles and knew the Blues only once returned to Chicago in 1969 to attend there the University (political sciences) where it placed in his father. That leads it to attend the local scene blues and to learn the harmonica. He plays with the pianist Jimmy Walker of which he took care with length of the years and until his death pulled by his diabetes, gains celebrates it “battle of harmonicas” organized by Little Mack Simmons. He makes his beginnings in studio by accompanying the singer by drunk person-blues Mc Kinley Mitchell and serious his first titles in the high-speed motorboat for small the label Barrelhouse in 1975. But it is especially when Willie Dixon engages it in the Chicago Blues All Stars, at the beginning as an apprentice of the appointed harmonicist of the band Carey Bell, that Billy is pointed out of the international public of the blues by the width, the heat and the precision of its play of harmonica, strongly anchored in the tradition of Little Walter but with an important personal approach. He founded then the " group; Sounds off the Blues" with the guitarist/Beautiful Lurrie singer and the J.W.Williams bass player, who gave the legendary meetings of the collection " Chicago-tea blues-Today" for Delmark. Since, Branch was essential a little like the harmonicist most available of Chicago, between technique and tradition, able to play with no matter whom. It took part in more than two hundred meetings of recording (of Buster Benton with Lou Rawls, Johnny Winter, John Primer….) since thirty-five years. In company of its group the “Sounds off the Blues” which then accommodated several excellent guitarists like Carl Weathersby, Carlos Johnson, Gilles Corey, Minoro Maruyama and singers like Valerie Wellington, Billy also recorded several albums, since its participation in the famous anthology Living Chicago blues (Alligator) to its last discs for Verve - Gitanes. Among its best titles, those recorded with Junior Wells, Beautiful Carey and James Knitting machine on Harp Attack (Alligator), excellent meeting of legendary harmonicists of Chicago and on Where' S my money? (Obviousness). Billy Branch brings in its music a very strong personal conviction for all that relates to the culture Afro-American and its valorization. Its international repute is also due - in addition to with two Grammy Awards for Harp Attack and Double Take (into due with Kenny Neal, recorded in France) - to the educational program which it created, The Blues in the Schools, with through which it communicated its passion for the blues to thousands of schoolboys in all U.S.A. His education, its culture, its artistic sensitivity and its immense human qualities strongly dissociate it average and make him well deserve the title of " Defender" blues;. He is today only the authentic heir Afro-American to the tradition of harmonica blues of Chicago in activity.

Discography

Discs solos

Participations

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