Roots Country sure to make audiences hoot, holler, belly laugh and maybe even shed a tear.
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Festivals/ Conferences
Bill has performed at the 2021 and 2022 Tales Trails Tunes Festival in Norris Point NL. In addition to this he has performed at several festivals and conferences as a side musician including:
Festivals: Lawnya Vawnya, Home County (London ON), Supercrawl (Hamilton ON), Summerfolk (Owen Sound ON), In The Soil (St. Catharine’s ON), River Rock (St. Mary’s ON), Toronto Bicycle Festival
Conferences: Contact East, Ontario Contact, Folk Alliance International, Folk Music Ontario
With Artists: The Rangers, Raine Hamilton String Trio, Abigail Lapell, Piper Hayes, The Lifers, Sarah Beatty, Shawn William Clarke and The Hamilton Children’s Choir
Contact
For bookings and inquiries contact Bill at
billsimmsmusic [at] gmail [dot] com
Bio
Get ready to hoot, holler and hit the dance floor! Ol Billy Bob Boy is a St. John’s-based artist putting a unique spin on traditional country and roots music. Leading the way on upright bass and backed by a stellar group of musicians, Ol Billy Bob Boy’s tunes blend the sounds of old-time country, honky tonk and Americana with signature tongue-in-cheek humour and moving lyrics inspired by life in Newfoundland and beyond.
Released in 2020, Ol Billy Bob Boy’s debut album, Sweltering Sun, led him to be nominated for MusicNL rising star of the year and country artist of the year. He has been featured on CBC and campus and community radio, and has toured across Newfoundland and Canada, performing at festivals, summer concert series and local venues.
He’s played upright bass for notable artists like Abigail Lapell, Raine Hamilton, The Heavy Horses and Matthew Hornell. He has also performed as a side musician at festivals including Summerfolk, Home County, In the Soil, River Rock and Supercrawl, and was a member of the Stephenville Theatre Festival band.
Upbeat, playful and quirky one moment and poignant the next, Ol Billy Bob Boy is sure to keep audiences on their toes and contemplating his lyrics – both witty and profound – long after the show is over. If you love country and roots artists like Corb Lund, Old Crow Medicine Show, John Prine, and Hank Williams III, then you’ll love Ol Billy Bob Boy.
“Ol Billy Bob Boy dropped by with his brand new CD, "Sweltering Sun". Featuring all originals, self-produced and with the help of a fine cast, Bill Simms serves up a strong mix of C&W/Folk infused numbers, some cheeky-humorous, some back-porch casual and some truly poignant. "Darlin You Look Great" could almost pass as a John Prine and female guest duet while "Snow Angel" has a Fred Eaglesmith vibe and "Carrie Ann" a touch of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. But it's "Your Wife Said You Were Gone" that jumps as the sheer beauty on this very charming and delightful debut.”
For fans of John Prine, Jim Stafford, Louden Wainwright III and Roger Miller. Thanks for supporting our artists.
-Tony Ploughman of Fred’s Records
