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Billy Boy Arnold

 


Billy Boy Arnold | Vee Jay Records | tc092


William “Billy Boy” Arnold was born on September 16, 1935 in Chicago. John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson was a neighbour and gave him harmonica lessons! He played harmonica on the March 2, 1955 recording of Bo Diddley’s “I’m a Man” and recorded some tracks under his own name in the same session. The tracks were not released at the time because he was signed to Vee Jay Records.

During the 1970s he toured extensively including Europe and on 5 October 1977 appeared on the BBC Radio 1's John Peel programme. For a while he worked as a bus driver and as a parole officer. He continues to record. His autobiography was published in 2021. The bassist Jerome Arnold is a younger brother.

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