2018 Reader Favorite Bassists – #1: Billy Sheehan
2018 was a special year for us where Billy Sheehan is concerned. During the 2018 Winter NAMM Show, we were given a stage to record the first-ever live recording of Groove – The No Treble Podcast. The conversation happened in front of a live audience at the NAMM Idea Centre.
Billy also shared an epic clip of him sitting in with Rush during a 1990 soundcheck, which then resulted in us finding a video of Rush and Mr. Big taking the stage together to perform “In The Mood” during the same tour.
But that wasn’t it for Billy in 2018. He also recorded and toured with Sons of Apollo and announced a new Winery Dogs tour is set for this year.
Billy Sheehan with Rush: 1990 Soundcheck
Billy shared this clip, saying “Years ago, Mr Big was on tour [with] Rush on their Presto tour, Geddy was late for soundcheck — stuck in traffic from LA to San Diego. They asked me to get up and jam [with] Neil & Alex for sound check, and recorded it. I played through Geddy’s rig on his bass and it was a blast! Great times.”
After we posted the Rush soundcheck clip mentioned above, Billy shared it on Facebook, and someone shared this video in response…
Groove – Episode #38: Billy Sheehan
Our first-ever live recording of Groove – The No Treble Podcast took place at the NAMM Show in Anaheim. Billy was our guest, and he and Mitch had one heck of a conversation…
Guthrie Govan & Billy Sheehan: Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers
My good friend Steve Lawson shared a video I hadn’t seen before. “More Billy Sheehan amazingness,” Steve shared. “His phrasing on the solo here is extraordinary…”
Pat Torpey and Billy Sheehan: Big Drums Jam
In February 2018, we lost the great Mr. Big drummer, Pat Torpey. Here’s an incredible jam taken from the drummer’s instructional video, Big Drums, with Billy tearing it up. It’s no wonder the duo’s musical connection helped propel Mr. Big into stardom…