SSBA Member Band Spotlight – Billy Stapleton

I recently sat with Stapleton for a couple of hours at his home and it was truly a treat. We know of his guitar skills, but he is also a talented artist in other venues – his ink drawings and his woodwork are gallery worthy.

Stapleton began his musical expedition by taking accordion lessons at age seven and he still can play a bit. In High School he took up tenor and baritone saxophone and is known to sneak Hammond B3 parts onto his recordings. He received his first six string from his father as a graduation present – an SG special. The first song he learned to play was “Walk Don’t Run” by the Ventures.

He grew up in San Francisco’s Sunset District and worked at Don Wehr’s Music City, routinely deliver backline equipment to the Fillmore Auditorium. In the 80’s, in Seattle, he became manager of the legendary American Music. One of his great stories was of helping Chris Cornell and Soundgarden with their first big break, getting them their backline for the 1991 tour opening for Guns-N-Roses. Stapleton and Cornell became good friends, he even proudly displays one of Cornell’s guitars that was signed to him – after Chris had broken it.

Photo by Andy John, Bill Englehart with Billy Stapleton

When speaking to him about his career, the first thing you notice is that he spends most of the time praising all the players that he has worked with. Bill Englehart, Dick Powell and Tommy Morgan from the Bluenotes (all in the WBS hall of fame), were mentors and showed him what it meant to play Rhythm and Blues at another level. He speaks with glowing respect about his time with them.  There were more than a few hilarious stories that went with our time, but I leave those for him to share. The same respect goes to Mark DuFresne and his band as well as the Annie Eastwood Quartet – he currently plays with both as well as his trio Powerhouse.

I asked for stories from his early days, he shared how he played with Leroy Bell and opened for BB King. The band was really on fire and were brought back for an encore – an anomaly for an opening act. He said that BB was generous and kind to them as they were able to spend time with him and just talk and laugh. When I asked when he first thought that he might be good at this, he mentioned “Tuesday Audition Night” at the Fillmore West in SF in the 60’s. They got the crowd roaring, and he really felt the energy and applause from the audience.

When we spoke of his new band, Powerhouse, he lit up. I spent time listening to tracks of Don Wilhelm and Steve Peterson singing. Billy was like a little kid going on about how talented they area, by if you haven’t heard this band, get busy and reward yourself. The trio experience is exactly what Stapleton loves, he says he plays rhythm guitar in a trio like he is the horn section, just filling in where it feels right and sharing the space so that all three have room to explore and show off.

Dan Hill photo, Billy, with Don Wilhelm and Steve Peterson

More than a dozen times he expressed how blessed he feels playing with Don and Steve. He spoke of their maturity, no egos and their enthusiasm for sharing the stage with each other. He was like a kid in a candy store. When he put on a track of Don singing “Many Rivers to Cross” he just lit up and absorbed it – to be honest I did too, it was awesome.

All good things come to an end, and eventually the interview was over. I felt it was a gift to share the hours with him.  He really is an extremely talented musician and deserving of all the accolades – but I am more impressed with him as a humble guy who has truly been blessed.

The pacific northwest has long been a home for amazing musical talent. We have been blessed with legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, The Ventures, Heart, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Quincy Jones, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Robert Cray and Bing Crosby! That is a lineup of talent that rivals anywhere on the planet.

While the Seattle sound has certainly influenced (if not created) every form of music from Pop to Grunge to Rap, there is no denying that it has deep roots in the blues. One treasure that we can enjoy today is Billy Stapleton, an amazingly talented guitarist, and maybe an even nicer guy.

He is in the Washington Blues Society’s (WBS) hall of fame, played twenty years with the legendary Little Bill and the Bluenotes, guitarist and composer for the Mark Dufresne Band, bandleader for the Annie Eastwood Quartet and is now leading his rocking trio called Powerhouse.

Photo’s by Gordy Mitchell

https://billystapleton.com/