Billy Rich
Billy Rich | |
---|---|
Birth name | Eddie Wilbur Rich |
Born | (1949-04-07) April 7, 1949 (age 75) Omaha, Nebraska, United States |
Genres | Blues, rock, R&B, funk |
Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, arranger |
Instrument(s) | Bass guitar, vocals |
Years active | 1956–present |
Website | billrichmusic.com |
Eddie Wilbur "Billy" Rich (born April 7, 1949) is an American electric bassist and blues musician. He is known for his association with Buddy Miles, John McLaughlin, Jimi Hendrix and especially Taj Mahal, with whom he has played since 1972. Rich was born in Omaha, Nebraska and is based out of Denver, Colorado. On July 29, 2004, Billy was inducted into the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame, and is a member of the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame.
Childhood
Bill Rich was born to Milton Rich and Callie "Chaney" Rich. Bill's brother, Herbie Rich, was one of the original members of Electric Flag and also worked with Jimi Hendrix. His sister, Carolyn, was a vocalist with various bands. All three were inducted into the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame together. Bill's father played the harmonica as a hobby. Bill said that his father was influenced by Sonny Boy Williamson and Lightnin’ Hopkins, and loved the song "Stone Fox Chase".[1] Another brother, Bob, sang and played percussion. Billy began playing guitar at the age of seven. Together, his father and siblings they started a band called The 7 Wonders Combo. Rich's first guitar was a Silvertone.
Bill played primarily guitar for about seven years. At one point he had a double neck Danelectro guitar with a bass on the bottom. He found he enjoyed the bass neck, and decided to switch. His first bass was a Japanese "knockoff" of a Fender Jazz called a Conrad. Rich states his guitar influences are Chuck Berry, Lonnie Mack, and Duane Eddy. His bass playing influence was James Jamerson, who played bass on many Motown recordings.[1]
Early career
Two months after graduating from high school, The Whispers were on tour in Omaha and were looking for a bass player, and Rich joined. A few months later, after a tour ended, The Whispers were doing local gigs in the San Francisco Bay area. Bill's brother Herbie, Buddy Miles and Stemsey Hunter (all from Omaha) were playing in Electric Flag in San Francisco at that time. Rich met Buddy, who invited him to join his new band, The Buddy Miles Express, along with his brother Herbie Rich in 1968. The three were inducted into the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame together many years later. Their first gig was at the Whisky a Go Go, a show in which Jimi Hendrix joined them on stage. Hendrix joined with Billy and with The Buddy Miles Express at various times during this period.[1] Billy Rich wrote the song "69 Freedom Special" for The Buddy Miles Express (on the album Electric Church), and Hendrix produced it.[2][3]
He was invited by Hendrix's producer, Allen Douglas, to play bass on Hendrix's Band of Gypsies album, but he had a prior engagement. Two months later, Douglas invited Rich to do the John McLaughlin Devotion album with him in New York, which he did.[1]
Taj Mahal
In 1972, Billy began playing with Taj Mahal, an association which has continued on and off until today. Along with Rich, this trio started with Mahal and Kester Smith on Drums, a lineup which has changed over time, but has quite frequently featured Rich.[1] With Taj, Bill has toured Europe, South America, Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Fiji Islands.[4]
Solo work and other associations
In the 1970s, Rich spent some time in Woodstock, New York. While there, he collaborated with Paul Butterfield and Geoff Muldaur. He toured with and recorded two albums with Butterfield's ‘Better Days Band’. He also toured and recorded three albums with Muldaur. His studio work includes recordings with John McLaughlin, Seals & Crofts, Maxayn, Jesse Ed Davis, Jackie Lomax, John Simon, Roger Tillson, James Van Buren, Alvaro Torres and others. As a session musician, Rich has gotten the chance to play different styles of music, including Reggae, Blues, Country Western, R&B, Jazz, Rock, Samba, Pop and Bluegrass. In 1993 Bill played violin for Christian Contemporary Music Top 40 Artist Daniel W Merrick on his album entitled "Aliyah" which helped inspire the singer/songwriter to release country songs in 2021 produced by "Beach Boys" cousin Randy Green of AudioTraxWest Recording studio in Portville, New York.[5] Bill toured for two-and a-half years with the bluegrass ensemble, The Tony Furtado Band.[1]
Rich's work was an influence on many other musicians, such as Jaco Pastorius and tuba player Howard Johnson.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Press Kit & Articles". BillRichMusic.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- ^ Jimi Hendrix - from the Benjamin Franklin Studios 3rd Edition Part 1, By Gary Geldeart, Steve Rodham - Page 26
- ^ Jimi Hendrix - From The Benjamin Franklin Studios Part 2, By Gary Geldeart, Steve Rodham - Page 90
- ^ Nebraska Music Hall of Fame website - BILL RICH
- ^ "Aliyah by Daniel W Merrick - DistroKid".
- v
- t
- e
- Are You Experienced
- Axis: Bold as Love
- Electric Ladyland
- The Cry of Love
- Rainbow Bridge
- War Heroes
- Loose Ends
- Crash Landing
- Midnight Lightning
- Nine to the Universe
- Voodoo Soup
- First Rays of the New Rising Sun
- South Saturn Delta
- Valleys of Neptune
- People, Hell and Angels
- Both Sides of the Sky
- Band of Gypsys
- Historic Performances Recorded at the Monterey International Pop Festival
- Experience
- Isle of Wight
- Hendrix in the West
- More Experience
- The Jimi Hendrix Concerts
- Jimi Plays Monterey
- Johnny B. Goode
- Band of Gypsys 2
- Live at Winterland
- Radio One
- Stages
- Live Isle of Wight '70
- Woodstock
- BBC Sessions
- Live at the Fillmore East
- Live at Woodstock
- Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight
- Live at Berkeley
- Live at Monterey
- Winterland
- Miami Pop Festival
- Freedom: Atlanta Pop Festival
- Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show
- Songs for Groovy Children: The Fillmore East Concerts
- Live in Maui
- Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969
retrospective
albums
- Smash Hits
- Soundtrack Recordings from the Film Jimi Hendrix
- The Essential Jimi Hendrix
- The Essential Jimi Hendrix Volume Two
- The Singles Album
- Kiss the Sky
- Live & Unreleased: The Radio Show
- Cornerstones: 1967–1970
- Lifelines: The Jimi Hendrix Story
- The Ultimate Experience
- Blues
- South Saturn Delta
- Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection
- The Singles Collection
- Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: Jimi Hendrix
- West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology
- Fire: The Jimi Hendrix Collection
and tributes
- Rainbow Bridge
- Jimi Hendrix
- Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
- Hendrix
- Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
- Room Full of Mirrors
- An Illustrated Experience
- Becoming Jimi Hendrix
- Jimi: All Is by My Side
and acts
- Curtis Knight
- Lonnie Youngblood
- Jimmy James and the Blue Flames
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- Noel Redding
- Mitch Mitchell
- Chas Chandler
- Eddie Kramer
- Roger Mayer
- Michael Jeffery
- Billy Cox
- Buddy Miles
- Alan Douglas
- Leon Hendrix
- Kathy Etchingham
- Monika Dannemann
- Category