Billy Boy Arnold interview

Billy Boy Arnold joins me on episode 53.

Today we have a little part of blues harmonica history, as Billy lived through the heyday of the blues in Chicago and was a peer of the many great players at the time, being born just five years after Little Walter himself. He took a couple of lessons with John Lee Williamson, aka SBWI, at just 12 years of age. 

Billy released his first record at the age of 17 and then went on to release two songs with Bo Diddley, including coming up with possibly the most well known harmonica riff ever on I’m A Man. Shortly afterwards Billy went on to record his harmonica classic, I Wish You Would. 

Billy took some time off from touring for a few years before he came back strong with two albums released through Alligator records in the 1990s. He has continued to record and release great albums until recently, and his passion for the harmonica is as infectious as ever after over 70 years of playing.

Links:
Discography:
https://www.wirz.de/music/arnoldbb.htm

More Blues On The South Side album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML3xmmjhItU

The Blues Dream of Billy Boy Arnold book (by Kim Field):
https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/B/bo119945396.html

Kim Field website:
https://www.kimfield.com

Videos:

Tom Jones playing I Wish You Would live:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CgmJgQzcrI

American Blues Legends Tour 1975:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvUa_56XysM

Studio recording of song from SBWI album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmqHIjTenHw

John Peel session with BBC from 1977:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAL-0nwbzZ8

Three Harp Boogie song with James Cotton and Paul Butterfield:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkHchw-sHzk


Podcast website:

https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:

If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist: 

Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com  or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
and Blows Me Away Productions: http://www.blowsmeaway.com/

Chapters

• 1:39 Billy was around in the heyday of Chicago blues
• 1:57 Billy was inspired to take up harmonica when he heard John Lee Williamson (SBWI)
• 2:43 Had two lessons with SBWI, when he was 12
• 3:43 SBWI taught Billy how to ‘choke’ (bend) the harmonica in the lessons
• 4:16 What was SBWI like as a person
• 4:43 Didn’t pay anything for the lessons to SBWI
• 5:48 Blues popularity in Chicago
• 6:24 Billy released his first record at age 17, Hello Stranger
• 7:20 When Little Walter was becoming popular in Chicago, leading to every band in the city having a harmonica player
• 8:35 Billy has been a singer as well as harp player since the beginning
• 10:05 Where Billy got his stage name of ‘Billy Boy Arnold’
• 10:53 The importance of making records to gain recognition
• 12:15 Recorded two tracks with Bo Diddley
• 12:42 How Billy was involved with coming up with the name Bo Diddley
• 13:39 Played on I’m A Man with Bo Diddley, coming up with possibly the most famous harmonica riff ever
• 15:43 How Billy left Chess Records to sign for Vee Jay records in order to record under his own name
• 16:45 Recording of first version of I Wish You Would, Billy’s most well know song
• 18:35 More on how Bo Diddley got that stage name
• 19:17 I Wish You Would established Billy Boy and he was a regular on the Chicago blues scene
• 20:13 Billy was a contemporary of some of the other big names in blues harmonica
• 22:12 Some of the albums Billy released in the 1960s
• 23:30 British Blues boom in 1960s, with The Yardbirds recording two of Billy’s songs
• 24:51 David Bowie released a version of I Wish You Would, and Tom Jones played it live
• 25:22 Billy was part of the American Blues Legends tour
• 25:54 Came back with release of two albums with Alligator Records in the 1990s
• 28:03 How Billy approaches writing his songs and importance of performing own songs
• 30:02 Started touring around the world following success of two Alligator albums
• 30:32 Boogie and Shuffle album in 2001, not on Alligator label
• 31:26 Album with Rusty Zinn in 2005 and Billy playing blues chromatic
• 32:51 Checkin’ It Out album recorded in the UK with Englishman Tony McPhee
• 34:21 2008 tribute album to John Lee Williamson (SBWI)
• 35:27 How John Lee Williamson influenced Billy’s playing, and how he evolved beyond it
• 36:22 Billy Boy Arnold Sings Big Bill Broonzy album in 2012
• 37:33 Appears on the 2013 album: Remembering Little Walter, with various contributing harp players
• 38:44 Secret to longevity of Billy’s career
• 39:22 Recorded a session on the BBC John Peel radio show in 1997
• 39:34 Recorded a song with James Cotton and Paul Butterfield, and emergence of white harp players
• 42:17 A book has just been published about Billy’s life,
• 44:11 Blues nominations for Billy
• 44:30 10 minute question
• 45:35 How Billy approached practising
• 46:17 Billy’s harmonicas of choice
• 46:32 Different positions
• 47:05 Embouchre
• 47:44 Amps and mics used in the early days
• 49:16 SBWI was first to use amplifiers for harmonica
• 49:43 Most recent choices of amps and mics
• 50:29 Effects pedals
• 50:39 Billy still hoping to get out playing when pandemic eases
• 51:01 How he kept himself busy over the pandemic
• 51:16 Which harmonica players does Billy listen to now