BILLY FLYNN

Billy Flynn has a long and storied history playing Chicago blues. At age 14, he met Jimmy Dawkins in Green Bay, Wisconsin, while sitting outside a blues club and listening through the back door. Five years later, Dawkins invited Billy to hit the road in 1975, working with The Southside Blues All-Stars and its ensemble cast including: Eddie Shaw, Hubert Sumlin, Jimmy Dawkins, and Junior Wells. His discography includes over 70 recordings on Sony, Delmark, Alligator, Blind Pig, MC, Electro-Fi, Earwig, Severn, The Sirens, Big Eye, Random Chance, Ichiban, and Easy Baby labels. His 2017 Delmark recording, Lonesome Highway, was recently re-released and was #1 on AirPlay charts. His live performance and recording history includes: Jimmy Dawkins, Otis Rush, Deitra Farr, Billy Boy Arnold, Willie Smith, Kenny Smith, Pinetop Perkins, Willie Kent, Kim Wilson, Barrelhouse Chuck, James Wheeler, Bob Stroger, The Cash Box Kings, Chicago Blues A Living History Band, Bob Corritore, Demetria Taylor, Mud Morganfield, and more. He’s a 6-time Grammy nominated musician and winner of 2 Grammys–including one for his guitar work on Beyonce’s 2009 R&B Song Of The Year, At Last.. Flynn’s work was featured as the guitar sounds of Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry throughout the Grammy nominated soundtrack of the movie Cadillac Records. Billy was a backing guitarist for the Howling For Hubert (Sumlin) Tribute at the Apollo Theater, supporting Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Elvis Costello, Kim Wilson, Billy Gibbons, and Steve Jordan. He’s performed at the world’s greatest blues fests, including the Chicago Blues Fest, King Biscuit Fest, San Francisco Blues Fest, Lucerne Blues Festival (Switzerland), Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Cognac’s Blues Passion (France), Eutin (Germany), Notodden (Norway), and Bellinzona (Italy). Billy is an inductee of the Wisconsin Music Association’s Hall of Fame and a member of the Chicago Blues Hall Of Fame. Billy kicked off the Tribute to Otis Rush at the 2016 Chicago Blues Fest, which highlighted 30 musicians paying homage in an all-star tribute. Known as a musician’s musician, he is a multi-instrumentalist known for his innovative and unexpected solos steeped in history yet expressing today’s blues and beyond.