Hailing from New Zealand Billy TK Jnr has toured internationally since 1993 and has earned himself a reputation as a genuine guitar hero in the electric guitar blues scene as well as having video hits with ‘mainstream’ songs.
He has toured and worked with artists like George Thorogood, Jimmy Barnes, The Neville Brothers, Ian Moss and Junior Wells and has performed in the USA, Japan, Australia and around the pacific and has just returned from performing at the Fiji 2012 International Jazz and Blues Festival.
Billy TK Jnr with the Groove Shakers made such a great impression with the promoter and punters at the Sydney Blues Festival in 2010 they have asked him to return to the festival in 2012 to be one of the headline acts.
Billy first came to prominence in Australia in 2006 via a standout perfromance at the Narooma blues festival, following this Billy made an indent on the Australian tour circuit.
Billy will release his new album the amazing ‘Blues Benediction’ through MGM Australia in September 2012, just in time for the tour.
This album has had it’s own story behind it with the sudden and tragic death of his producer BenStockwell, just before finishing the final product.
Billy has dedicated one of the album tracks‘Stevies Good Night Blues’ to Ben. After Ben’s tragic death Billy then had to make some serious decisions about the album and it’s direction.
He met up with engineer producer of the year Andrew Buckton of 203 Studios in Auckland and decided to re record all the tracks. Billy feels he has a totally polished album ready for the global market place.
“They say that everything is about timing and this album feels like it has ‘arrived’ at the right location at the right time – I have recorded 2 albums in the past but none of them have ever felt or sounded as good as this – it is kind of a reflection of where I am at in my life' ‘The album took 12 months to do – we recorded a first version of it and then lost the use of almost all of those tracks when Ben died’. ‘Sooo we re recorded everything in 4 days and what we have now is better than what we had before' – 'A strange and sad story but with a wonderful ending – I am very proud of this album and what I now have for the world to listen to is up there with the music of my heroes who inspired me to play.” Billy TK Jnr
Billy Tk Jnr has performed with the best in the blues business and extensively toured the US, Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand. (Words taken from Billy TK's website)