25 Feb 2012 - 21:00

It’s a long way from the back streets of Belfast to rubbing shoulders at a Hollywood Premier with actor Bruce Willis. Billyboy’s musical career started in the summer of 1987 when he was watching Belfast blue’s man Jim Daly with whom Van Morrison started his career. In one of the kinder twists of fate, Daly strode towards Billyboy when the band took a break and asked if he played, Billyboy answered, “I own one but I don’t really play it.” Daly invited him on stage and from that moment the ‘blue’s bug’ bit. He formed R&B outfit Black and Blue Jam within a month of that meeting. —————————————————————————————————————– BBJ were essentially a Nine Below Zero cover band with some Stone’s songs thrown in to break up the set a bit. They played very successfully for a semi pro band until 1991when NBZ reformed and ruined everything! When NBZ came to Belfast in 1991, Billyboy knew the promoter and promptly claimed the support slot. As Paul Jones was to say later in an interview with Billyboy, ‘nice booking’. —————————————————————————————————————– In another twist of fate, that’s two now, Mark Feltham (NBZ’s original harmonica player) had just left. When the band strode into the gig without him, Billyboy was gutted but saw a window of opportunity. In the sound check he played every NBZ tune that time would allow and Dennis Greaves (NBZ’s front man) spotted the raw talent and kept in touch. —————————————————————————————————————– Hailing from the rough streets of Belfast, Billy-Boy Miskimmin is regarded among the very top echelon of young harmonica players in the UK and internationally. Now Billy-Boy has upped the ante with a brilliant debut album ‘Billy-Boy Comes Clean’. Eleven original songs to be released on Zed Records and there is something for everybody on this album. From the funky “God on their Lips Blood on their Hands”, to the soulful “I Don’t Yet Know” and the rocking “De Ja Vu All Over Again” The Musicians Billy-Boy (The Yardbirds, NBZ) Vocals, Harmonica Dennis Greaves (NBZ, The Truth) Guitars, Bass Brendan O’Neill (NBZ, Rory Gallagher Band) Drums, Percussion Lou Martin (Rory Gallagher Band) Piano Being engineered by Kenny Jones and produced by Billy-Boy makes this album a ‘Cracker!’ For bookings and sales online visit www.billyboyharp.com or email zedrecords@btopenworld.com Billy-Boy is currently playing and touring with The Yardbirds.

MERCY LOUNGE ARE …

LOU CAMPBELL – GUITAR

Massively experienced, after 25 years dedication to playing blues, Campbell is one of the most authentic-sounding blues guitarists in the country, gloriously upholding the traditions of musicians like Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers and Jimmy Reed. Campbell, who is Miskimmin’s co-writer, has worked with blues legends like Muddy Waters’ guitarist John Primer and Chicago legend Phil Guy and has supported the likes of Dr. Feelgood, The Blues Band and Peter Green.

MATT MARTIN – PIANO, HAMMOND

Indiana-born musical maestro Matt Martin played a dizzying range of instruments – how about piano, organ, flute, alto flute, alto sax, tenor sax, guitar and bass, for starters? – in  classical, rock, jazz and bluegrass ensembles in America before moving to Northern Ireland where he became a founder member of the United Song Makers collective. Martin has worked with highly-rated New Country band Romeo Texas and blues bands such as The Pontiax and The Lee Hedley Band.

AARON LOUGHRAN – BASS GUITAR

Gifted multi-instrumentalist Loughran first captivated audiences playing the Irish circuit with blues, rock‘n’roll and rockabilly bands like The Outsiders and The Strutts. Years of gigging in America, all down the East Coast and into the blues heartland of the Deep South, helped Loughran to hone his thunderous, floor-shaking style, which has led to his playing being compared to that of Rick Danko (The Band), Larry Taylor (Canned Heat) and Duck Dunn (Booker T and The MGs).

Since returning to Belfast Loughran has backed John Primer and Phil Guy and has toured Italy, France and even Libya.
HAL GORDON – DRUMS
Like so many great Irish blues musicians, such as Van Morrison and Rory Gallagher, Gordon learnt his craft playing in showbands, but he also developed his chops in rock bands with the likes of Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell.
A classically-trained pianist, Gordon went on to tour and record with Romeo Texas and after dropping out to travel round Europe on his Harley Roadking he worked with highly-regarded blues band The Pontiax, before being handpicked by Miskimmin to join Mercy Lounge.

 Support on the night is from Daryl G Bellis and there will be a fire act during the interval