William Murray Bremner (born 4 August 1946, in

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

) is a Scottish

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

, best known for his work in the band

Rockpile Rockpile was a British rock and roll band of the late 1970s and early 1980s, noted for their strong pub rock, rockabilly and power pop influences, and as a foundational influence on new wave. The band consisted of Dave Edmunds (vocals, gui ...

and on many of

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having many hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has alwa ...

' albums. He has also played with

The Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Fa ...

Shakin' Stevens Michael Barratt (born 4 March 1948), known professionally as Shakin' Stevens, is a Welsh singer and songwriter. He was the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s. His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, althoug ...

Carlene Carter Carlene Carter (born Rebecca Carlene Smith; September 26, 1955) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter Cash and her first husband, Carl Smith. As of 2020, since 1978, Carter has recorded 12 album ...

and The Coal Porters, as well as issuing four solo albums.

Career overview

Bremner first became known playing with The Luvvers, who served as

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, a C ...

's backing band. However, by the time Bremner joined the group in 1966, they were on the wane; Bremner did not play on any of Lulu's recorded material, and joined just after the group recorded their only single without Lulu ("The House on the Hill"/"Most Unlovely") for

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

in 1966. The Luvvers disbanded in 1967. In 1971, Bremner added some guitar work to ''March Hare'', the first solo album from ex-

Honeybus Honeybus were a 1960s pop group formed in April 1967, in London. They are best known for their 1968 UK Top 10 hit single, " I Can't Let Maggie Go", written by group member Pete Dello who also composed their previous single "(Do I Figure) In Y ...

member Colin Hare. He then became a member of the

Neil Innes Neil James Innes (; 9 December 1944 – 29 December 2019) was an English writer, comedian and musician. He first came to prominence in the pioneering comedy rock group Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and later became a frequent collaborator with the Mon ...

band Fatso, which went on to record the soundtrack for the original ''

Rutland Weekend Television ''Rutland Weekend Television'' (''RWT'') was a television sketch show on BBC2, written by Eric Idle with music by Neil Innes. Two series were broadcast, the first consisting of six episodes in 1975, and the second series of seven episodes in ...

'' series. As "Bill Murray" he released two singles produced by Kris Ife: "Downtown Hoedown" / "Rhyme And Reason" (Polydor 2058 881, 1977) and "Heart and the Stone" / "I Don't Wanna Be No Hero" (State Records STAT 72, 1978). Next, he joined

, who only released one album under their own name, but also served as the band for most of

' albums in the 1970s. In addition to his guitar playing, Bremner occasionally sang lead, as he did on "Heart" and "You Ain't Nothing But Fine" on the 1980 Rockpile album ''

Seconds of Pleasure ''Seconds of Pleasure'' is a 1980 album by Rockpile, a band consisting of guitarists/vocalists Dave Edmunds and Billy Bremner, bassist/vocalist Nick Lowe, and drummer Terry Williams. The band had played together on various solo albums by Edm ...

''. He also wrote Edmunds' hit "Trouble Boys" (which Edmunds would let him sing live), but used an alias, Billy Murray, on the writing credits, so as not to be confused with the more famous Scottish

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

, of the same name. "Trouble Boys" was covered by

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or some ...

on a single in 1981. Another song by him, "The Creature from the Black Lagoon", appeared on Edmunds' third solo album, ''

Repeat When Necessary ''Repeat When Necessary'' is the fifth album by Welsh rock musician Dave Edmunds. Recording and release Produced by Edmunds, it was released in 1979 by Swan Song Records (see 1979 in music). It was recorded and released at the same time as Ni ...

''. After Rockpile split in 1981, Bremner released two solo singles on

Stiff Records Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London, England, by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007. Established at the outset of the punk rock boom, Stiff ...

"Loud Music In Cars" / "The Price is Right" (BUY 125) and "Laughter Turns to Tears" / "Tired and Emotional" (BUY 143). Bremner then played lead guitar on

' 1982 hit single "

Back On The Chain Gang "Back on the Chain Gang" is a song written by Chrissie Hynde and originally recorded by her band the Pretenders, and released as a single by Sire Records in September 1982. The song also was released on '' The King of Comedy'' soundtrack album i ...

" / "

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" and later provided lead guitar for their 1990 album '' Packed!''. Bremner released his first solo album, ''Bash!'', in 1984, containing songs co-written with

The Records The Records were an English power pop band formed in 1978. They are best remembered for the hit single and cult favourite "Starry Eyes". Music career The Records formed out of the ashes of the Kursaal Flyers, a pub rock group featuring drumme ...

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, and covers of songs by

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, and

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and

Glenn Tilbrook Glenn Martin Tilbrook (born 31 August 1957) is the lead singer and guitarist of the English band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid-1970s who broke through in the new wave era at the decade's end. He generally wrote the music for Squeeze's son ...

of Squeeze. ''Bash!'' featured a

rhythm section A rhythm section is a group of musicians within a music ensemble or band that provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse of the accompaniment, providing a rhythmic and harmonic reference and "beat" for the rest of the band. The rhythm sec ...

of Dave Kerr-Clemenson from Fast Buck on bass and Terry Williams from Rockpile on drums. Bremner played all the guitar parts and sang the harmonies with Kerr-Clemenson. After stints in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, (where he played in the bands of

Pat McLaughlin Pat McLaughlin is a singer-songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. He was raised in Waterloo, Iowa, but moved to San Francisco, California in the early 1970s. There McLaughlin began to write songs, playing alone at open mic nights and in the ...

and

Rosie Flores Rosie Flores (born September 10, 1950) is an American rockabilly and country music artist. Her music blends rockabilly, honky tonk, jazz, and Western swing along with traditional influences from her Tex-Mex heritage. She currently resides in Au ...

) and

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Bremner moved to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

in the 1990s where he met The Refreshments, producing and playing on their album ''It's Gotta Be Both Rock 'n' Roll''. A second solo album, ''A Good Week's Work'', followed in 1999 and a third ''No Ifs, Buts, Maybes'' in 2006, both recorded in Sweden. His most recent solo album, ''Rock Files'', was issued in 2012. Bremner was also a member of Stockholm-based band Trouble Boys with Sean Tyla and two Swedish musicians, who released an album called ''Bad Trouble'' in September 2012

Album discography

Solo

*''Bash!'' (1984) *''A Good Week's Work'' (1998) *''No Ifs, Buts, Maybes'' (2006) *''Rock Files'' (2012)

As a member of
Rockpile Rockpile was a British rock and roll band of the late 1970s and early 1980s, noted for their strong pub rock, rockabilly and power pop influences, and as a foundational influence on new wave. The band consisted of Dave Edmunds (vocals, gui ...

*''

'' 1980 *''Live at Montreux 1980'' 2011

As a sideman

;With

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having many hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has alwa ...

*''

Tracks on Wax 4 ''Tracks on Wax 4'' is the fourth album by Welsh rock musician Dave Edmunds. The record was the first Edmunds solo effort to feature all four members of the band Rockpile: Edmunds, Billy Bremner (who also wrote two of the album's songs under t ...

'' 1978 *''

'' 1979 *'' Twangin... 1981 *''Pile of Rock: Live'' 2001 ;With

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,Jesus of Cool ''Jesus of Cool'' is the solo debut album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Lowe, it was released in March 1978 by Radar Records in the UK. In the United States, the album was reconfigured by Columbia Records and retitled ''P ...

'' (UK) / ''

Pure Pop for Now People ''Jesus of Cool'' is the solo debut album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Lowe, it was released in March 1978 by Radar Records in the UK. In the United States, the album was reconfigured by Columbia Records and retitled ''P ...

'' (US) 1978 *''

Labour of Lust ''Labour of Lust'' is an album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Also produced by Lowe, it was released in 1979 by Radar Records in the UK and Columbia Records in the US. It was recorded and released at the same time as Dave Edmunds' ''Rep ...

'' 1979 *'' Nick the Knife'' 1982 *'' Nick Lowe & His Cowboy Outfit'' 1984 ;With

*''

Learning to Crawl ''Learning to Crawl'' is the third studio album by British-American rock band The Pretenders. It was released on 21 January 1984 after a hiatus during which band members James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon died of drug overdoses. The album's ...

'' 1984 *'' Packed!'' 1990 *''Pirate Radio'' 2006 ;With

*''

Give Me Your Heart Tonight ''Give Me Your Heart Tonight'' is an album by Welsh rock and roll singer Shakin' Stevens, released in October 1982 by Epic Records. To date, it is his last studio album to reach the Top-Ten in the UK, peaking at number 3 on the Album Chart. ...

'' 1982 *''Hits and More'' 2003 *''Collectable'' 2004 *''Collection'' 2005 ; With

*'' Musical Shapes'' 1980 *''

Blue Nun Blue Nun is a German wine brand launched by the company H. Sichel Söhne (Mainz) in 1923 with the 1921 vintage, and which between the 1950s and 1980s was a very popular international brand. For most of its existence, Blue Nun was a single Germ ...

'' 1981 ; With The Coal Porters *''Land of Hope and Crosby'' 1994 *''London'' 1995 *''Rebels Without Applause'' 1996 ;With

*'' Taking Off'' 1977 *''

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'' 1976 ;With

Jim Lauderdale James Russell Lauderdale (born April 11, 1957) is an American country, bluegrass, and Americana singer-songwriter. Since 1986, he has released 31 studio albums, including collaborations with artists such as Dr. Ralph Stanley, Buddy Miller, and ...

*''Persimmons'' 1996 *''Other Sessions'' 2000 ;With Trouble Boys *''Bad Trouble'' (2012) Ball and Chain Records ;With other artists *

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– ''Look to the Left'' 1989 *

Anne Sofie von Otter Anne Sofie von Otter (born 9 May 1955) is a Swedish mezzo-soprano. Her repertoire encompasses lieder, operas, oratorios and also rock and pop songs. Early life Von Otter was born in Stockholm, Sweden. Her father was Göran von Otter, a Swe ...

– ''For the Stars'' 2001 *

Any Trouble Any Trouble are a British rock band, originating from Crewe, England, best known for their early 1980s recordings.

– ''Wrong End of the Race'' 1984 *Bob Young – ''In Quo Country'' 1980 *

Deke Leonard Roger Arnold "Deke" Leonard (18 December 1944 – 31 January 2017) was a Welsh rock musician, "serving a life sentence in the music business".Elvis Costello & the Attractions – ''

Trust Trust often refers to: * Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality It may also refer to: Business and law * Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another * Trust (bus ...

'' 1981 * Foreigner – '' Mr. Moonlight'' 1995 *George Ducas – ''George Ducas'' 1995 *Howard Werth – ''Six of One and a Half Dozen of the Other'' 1996 *John Gorman – ''Go Man Gorman'' 1977 *

Kelly Willis Kelly may refer to: Art and entertainment * Kelly (Kelly Price album) * Kelly (Andrea Faustini album) * ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap * "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland * ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadi ...

– ''Kelly Willis'' 1993 *

Kieran Kane Kieran Kane (born October 7, 1949) is an American country music artist, as well as the owner of Dead Reckoning Records, an independent record label. Between 1986 and 1990, he and Jamie O'Hara comprised The O'Kanes, a duo which charted seven si ...

– ''Find My Way Home'' 1993 *

Mickey Jupp Michael Graham "Mickey" Jupp (born 6 March 1944, in Worthing, Sussex, England) is an English musician and songwriter, mainly associated with the Southend music scene. Career Jupp played in several Southend bands after leaving art college in 196 ...

– ''Juppanese'' 1978 *

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

– ''To Markos III'' 1969 *

– ''Pat McLaughlin'' 1988 *

Paul Kennerley Paul Kennerley (born 1948) is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer working in the American contemporary country music industry. Biography Paul Kennerley was born in Hoylake, Cheshire (now Merseyside), England in 1948. In 1 ...

– ''Misery with a Beat'' 1998 *

Phil Everly The Everly Brothers were an American rock music, rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (Januar ...

– ''Phil Everly'' 1983 *

– ''Honky Tonk Reprise'' 1996 *Snake Farm – ''What Kind of Dreams Are These'' 1989 * The Refreshments – ''It's Gotta Be Both Rock 'n' Roll'' 2006 *

Totta Näslund Erik Torsten "Totta" Näslund (1 April 1945 – 19 June 2005) was a Swedish blues musician and actor. Biography Näslund was born in Sandviken and grew up in the small northern town Köpmanholmen, but moved to Gothenburg in 1970 to find wo ...

– ''Totta, Vol. 3: En Dare Som Jag'' 2008 *Roadwork – ''Round Two'' 2013

References

External links

Therockandrollarchive.com – Q&A session
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bremner, Billy 1946 births Living people Scottish rock guitarists Scottish male guitarists The Pretenders members musicians from Aberdeen Rockpile members Scottish singer-songwriters 20th-century Scottish male singers Scottish expatriates in the United States Scottish expatriates in Sweden Lead guitarists Rhythm guitarists British rockabilly musicians