If you stopped by Muddy Waters in Oslo in the early 2000s, you couldn\u2019t help but notice a burly American expat with a firm grip on his bass guitar on the small stage at the back of the narrow venue. Billy was the leader of the house band that backed a number of major American artists, and he thus became an important bandleader for some of the greatest guitarists we have in this country. <\/p>\n\n
The New Yorker started his first band with Paul Stanley, who would later join Kiss, and had a background with Eddie Kirkland\u2019s band and the Tom Russell Band back in the U.S. when he \u201cended up\u201d in Norway. Around the same time Muddy Waters closed its doors, he started his own band, so we can still reminisce about the Muddy Waters era. They\u2019ve released five albums, the latest of which was launched at the Notodden Blues Festival last year. Two of the albums have won Spellemann Awards, and the bandleader himself received the Notodden Blues Award in 2021. They\u2019ll be performing at Dark Season Blues with their regular lineup: guitarists H\u00e5kon H\u00f8ye and Ian Fredrick Johannessen, and bassist and vocalist Troiani, while Martin Windstad is filling in for Alexander Pettersen on drums. <\/p>\n\n
Dark Season Blues\u00a92023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n