Bios

Obsessed with music from an early age, Billy started as a drummer at the age of 9, playing in Elementary and Junior High stage band until the age of 14 when he switched to guitar. Heavily influenced by the rock and blues guitarist's of the 60's and 70's, he spent countless hours jamming and playing with various local bands playing music from Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Alvin Lee, Johnny Winter, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, SRV, Robin Trower and many more. 

In the early 90's he got bit by the blues bug and began a musical journey to find out where rock and roll really came from. It was during that period in his life that the light bulb came on so to speak, and transformed forever the way he approached guitar playing and songwriting. Some of his biggest blues influences include the 3 Kings- BB, Albert and Freddie, Albert Collins, Muddy Waters,Robert Johnson, Howlin Wolf, Johnny Copeland,Willie Dixon and Elmore James, to name a few! 

During this time he played with a locally successful band, Smokin' Gun, which went on to record a CD " Bad Luck Blues" in which Appleton wrote and co-wrote the majority of the original Music on the project including the flagship track, "Don't touch my Girl". In 1998 collectively, as a band , they won the Washington Blues Society Award for Best Northwest Blues Recording. Later the Blues Society would use one of Appleton's songs on a blues compilation CD, " Best of the Northwest Blues", featuring Smokin' Gun and many other northwest blues bands. 

In the early 2000's he took the lead guitar job along side blues harp master Bill Mattocks, and played shows across the northwest for the next 6 years in that capacity. Finally, expressing a desire to front his own band, he has put together a group of stellar musician's performing the rock and roll and blues music he has loved for the last 40 years as well as a new crop of original music that is sure to please! He is also grateful to God for the love and support of his wife Linda of 31 years, all the many great musicians, and people he has had the pleasure to play with and know. Rock on!!

Larry started playing bass in high school and subsequently toured the west coast with Seth, a nine-piece Rock/R & B horn band. Settling in Seattle for a few years, he played in Rock/Funk bands Shea, Squeeze and Shadowfax. He then toured the east coast with Firehouse, featuring Freddie Salem, who went on to play with the Outlaws.

As a lover of all forms of music, Larry has played Country in the Everett Hootenanny’s Hometown Band, World Beat, R & B and Jazz in The Clouds Band, and Americana originals with Greg Pitsch & Special Delivery, and now he’s happy to provide the groove in the Billy Appleton Band.