Billy Thompson

Now living in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.
Virtuosic guitar works that have electrified audiences from coast to coast, throughout Europe and everywhere in between, set the tone for this veteran blues man’s sizzling performances, combining world class slide guitar and searing licks with soulful vocals and original music—a unique amalgamation of blues styles, with rock, funk and r & b.
His performance portfolio is stacked with all one could hope for—playing with blues legends such as Little Milton, Albert King, Earl King, and Art Neville, while opening for the likes of Robert Cray, B.B. King, Sonny Landreth, The Neville Brothers, and Joe Cocker to name a few. He has performed on Barbara Walter’s “The View”, with the San Diego Symphony, and for the 2002 Super Bowl celebration, as well as for the grand opening of the House of Blues – Los Angeles.
Billy has also done some impressive theatrical stints including lead guitar for the Broadway show Ain’t Nothin’ but the Blues and for Tony Award winning playwright Keith Glover’s Bluesical , Thunder Knocking on the Door, which he recorded with platinum recording artist Keb Mo.
Other credits include representing the DC Blues Society at the 2009 International Blues Challenge in Memphis and touring Germany while performing as featured guitarist with Queen Esther Marrow and The Harlem Gospel Singers.
Billy’s next cd, A Better Man, soon to be released, is being produced by Grammy award winning producer, Tony Braunagel, who plays drums on the cd, along with Mike Finnegan on keys, whose credits include Jimi Hendrix; Crosby, Still and Nash; and Joe Cocker// Grammy winner Johnny Lee Schell of the Phantom Blues Band on guitar//Kenny Gradney of Little Feat on bass//Hutch Hutchinson of Bonnie Raitt on bass// and Lenny Castro on percussion. The cd has been mixed by Ed Cherney and goes to press in September and will be available for purchase by December 2010.
Born: Fayetteville, NC
Home: San Diego, CA
Major Influences: like John Fogerty said, "Anybody good!"
Has Performed Live With:
Little Milton, Albert King, Art Neville, Earl King, Larry "Arkansas" Davis, Elvin Bishop, Chuck Berry, Sir Harry Bowens (Was Not Was, Bonnie Raitt, Lyle Lovett), Billy Branch, Leslie Uggams, Marva Hicks (Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson), Ivan Neville, Daryl Johnson (Daniel Lanois, Boz Scaggs, The Neville Brothers, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris).
Has Supported Shows Featuring:
B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Boz Scaggs, The Neville Brothers, Sonny Landreth, Robert Cray, Taj Mahal, John Hammond Jr., Bobby Womack, Robben Ford, Junior Walker and the Allstars, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Albert Lee, Joe Louis Walker, Anson Funderburg, Raful Neal, Kenny Neal, Jimmie Vaughan, Gallactic, Robert Walter's 20th Congress, Lucky Peterson, Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers, Debbie Davies, Angela Strehli, Cocoa Montoya, The Belairs, and many more.
Theater Performance:
2004 - Guitarist / Songwriter / Musical Supervisor for a new Keith Glover play entitled the Rose of Corazon.
2002 - Lead guitarist for Tony Award winning playwright Keith Glover's critically acclaimed "Bluesical", "Thunder Knocking On The Door" featuring original music by Keb Mo and Anderson Edwards.
2001 - Lead guitarist for the Broadway musical "It Ain't Nothin' But The Blues" directed by Randal Mylar (Love Janis). Musical direction: Dan Wheatman. Associate musical direction: Jim Ehinger. Written by: Dan Wheatman, "Mississippi" Charles Bevel, and Ron Taylor.
Original Albums:
Coat of many Colors - The Mighty Penguins 1994
Tangerine Sky - Billy Thompson 1998
Area 51 - Billy Thompson 2005
A Better Man - Billy Thompson 2010
Other Recordings:
"This World", co-written with Mighty Penguins keyboardist / arranger Bruce Donnelly. Recorded by former Fleetwood Mac / Savoy Brown producer Mike Vernon for the Atlantic / Code Blue album "Here And Now" performed by Sherman Robertson.
Original Music In Film:
"Out Of The Black" 2001. Directed by Karl Kozak.
"Making Contact" 1999. Directed by Molly Smith.
High Profile Dates Include:
Qualcomm Super Bowl International Media Event 2003 with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, ...King Biscuit Blues Festival 1991, ...San Diego Street Scene 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, ...SuperFest Superbowl Party 1998, ...Phoenix Blues Festival 1995, ...BB King's (Memphis), ...BB King Bar & Grille (New York), ...Los Angeles House of Blues grand opening week with Little Milton 1993, ...San Diego Blues Festival 1999 & 2001, ...Britt Festival 2000, ...Adams Avenue Street Fair 2001, ... Rockin' the Tetons (Alta, WY) 2001, ...
Quotes:
"hey guitar player, gimme your card. I wanna do some gigs w' you" -Albert King
"you're writin' the blues of the future" -Larry "Arkansas" Davis
"man, this CD is gold-blooded" -Art Neville (on Tangerine Sky)
"really fine guitar playin" -Bobby "Blue" Bland (Street Scene' 91)
"musical articulators like Thompson are so rare that they deserve our full attention" -San Diego Union Tribune
"impassioned singing and blazing guitar work" -Los Angeles Times
"his charismatic technique and dirty tone delivers a consistent barrage of spicy licks and scorching leads" -Cadence Magazine
"funkier than three day ole chitlin'" -Keb Mo
"hey, if you can stand this man's heat, come into his kitchen" -Southland Blues
"he writes blues for the present as well as the past, he sings without any barriers and literally, picks his ass off" -Vintage Guitar Magazine
"Ultra - Hip" -Blues Review Magazine
"Billy Thompson is not following in anybody's footsteps on his excellent Tangerine Sky" -Blues Access
"Tangerine Sky certainly deserves a place in any record collection" -Rootstown Music Magazine (Belgium)
A little known fact:
Late, great, Delta bluesman Frank Frost used to request Thompson's "Tangerine Sky" be played on KFFA radio in Helena, Arkansas from renowned deejay and "bluesicologist", "Sunshine" Sonny Payne!!!