kudzurunner
4692 posts
May 13, 2014
3:11 PM
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Billy is posting some very cool old stuff on his website:
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Frank
4243 posts
May 14, 2014
7:09 AM
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Question now is WHO is the next "billy branch"? aka NEW KID ON THE BLOCK...that is going to keep the flame goin harp wise like Billy has :)
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Hondo
292 posts
May 14, 2014
8:39 AM
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Times may be a bit different now Frank and the flame may be coming from sources like Adam, Ronnie, David Barrett etc. to the ones interested, such as myself, while a lot of the black youth explore a different musical genre that doesn't include harp.
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The Iceman
1653 posts
May 14, 2014
8:45 AM
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First clip is really the good ol' days. Playin' at a not too loud volume on the street SURROUNDED by listeners/dancers. Energy feed off each other. Don't happen much currently.
One of my favs, Rory Gallagher would break down barriers and play in crowds during his concerts while on stage, pretty much like this.
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The Iceman
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Hondo
293 posts
May 14, 2014
9:11 AM
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I bet you could draw a crowd down on River St., Iceman.
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Frank
4245 posts
May 14, 2014
10:06 AM
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And to expect another artist like Billy to come along like he did is a BIG ORDER indeed...It certainly isn't easy to accrue his accomplishments and thrive in the business for decades to become one of top dogs in the blues :)
Few players EVER Master the blues harp language - because of the difficulty in learning it... let alone playing it at an expert level :)
Last Edited by Frank on May 14, 2014 10:09 AM
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Hondo
294 posts
May 14, 2014
10:19 AM
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While we are on the subject of Billy, I would like to add that I have caught him alone, at "The Biscuit", a couple of times and he was humble, gracious and very willing to have a conversation. I was impressed.
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JInx
773 posts
May 14, 2014
10:20 AM
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nice video set, thanks
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Sun, sun, sun
Burn, burn, burn
Soon, soon, soon
Moon, moon, moon
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The Iceman
1655 posts
May 14, 2014
11:16 AM
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Out of all the blues harmonica players I've met, Billy definitely has the spookiest blue eyes.
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The Iceman
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Joe_L
2473 posts
May 14, 2014
5:16 PM
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The first time that I saw Billy was in 1984 at the University of Illinois. He was one if the players that inspired me to play harp.
I've known Billy for almost 20 years. He is a very kind hearted person. His new CD is very good and it was a long time coming.
I would be very surprised if that is Billy's YouTube channel. I suspect that the person who owns that channel is Billy's #1 fan who lives in Japan. He had everything that Billy has ever recorded. He has stuff that Billy didn't have including recordings of live performances that Billy didn't know existed.
For some bizarre reason, Billy has flown under the radar. He is on hundreds of recordings. The Sons of Blues have historical significance. His work with the Blues in the Schools program has probably introduced blues and harp to more kids then anyone else.
People are always saying black people have abandoned Blues music. Black people turn out at Billy Branch shows. He never abandoned the Black audience. He works to keep that audience through education and years of working the south side clubs.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
Last Edited by Joe_L on May 14, 2014 5:26 PM
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kudzurunner
4695 posts
May 14, 2014
6:11 PM
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That's very interesting, Joe. I've somehow assumed that no fanboy would have access to all that esoteric stuff, including a number of teaching videos that I didn't post here. You could be right about his #1 fan, but I'm also residually skeptical. I'd like to know the answer.
I've been a big admirer of Billy's since WBGO-FM played "Clip Joint Blues" ("Where's My Money") in 1986 and I said "Who the heck is that?" It wasn't wild stuff. It was controlled, it had the funk, and it didn't sound like anybody else I'd heard. He throws in the major sixth more than most: the 25 blow octave:
This isn't the track I heard, but it's close:
http://www.amazon.com/Wheres-My-Money/dp/B0038G7FZQ/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1400116458&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=mp3+where%27s+my+money+billy+branch
It hardly needs to be pointed out that Jeff and I chose Billy to headline the first HCH, and the third HCH.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on May 14, 2014 6:16 PM
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Joe_L
2474 posts
May 14, 2014
7:22 PM
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Those teaching videos are easy to find. They are on the Mountain Top label. Unfortauntely, they are only available on VHS videotape. The Hummel and Gary Smith videos are out on DVD. They are all great instructional videos.
I used to maintain Billy's website for a really long time. That guy had audio recordings of all sorts of stuff and compiled a complete discography of Billy's work. Billy sent a copy to me. It was pages long. I was going to add it to Billy's website, but it was a huge data entry effort that I didn't have time to do.
Well, Billy has a youtube channel and he didn't post much on it.
You could always ask him, but I would bet you a bottle of Courvoisier that he doesn't maintain that channel.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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