Billy Constable (March 23, 1959 – August 22, 2015) was an Appalachian musician from

Spruce Pine, North Carolina Spruce Pine is a town in Mitchell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,175 at the 2010 census. History Spruce Pine was founded in 1907 when the Clinchfield Railroad made its way up the North Toe River from Erwin, Tennessee ...

, best known for his three-finger-picking banjo technique and his vigorous acoustic guitar leads. He came from a rich musical background and from a young age started performing with bluegrass greats, including Charlie Moore,

Josh Graves Josh Graves (September 27, 1927 Tellico Plains, Monroe County, Tennessee – September 30, 2006), born Burkett Howard Graves, was an American bluegrass musician. Also known by the nicknames "Buck," and "Uncle Josh," he is credited with introduci ...

, the Doug Dillard Band, Kenny Baker and Vassar Clements. Constable has remained a key player in the Appalachian and bluegrass music scenes for several decades. Constable developed a seizure disorder in 2011, found to be the result of a brain tumor which was surgically removed. His cancer later progressed, and he died peacefully on August 22, 2015.

Career

Constable grew up playing music as a part of the Wiseman family from western

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. He began his professional career playing guitar with his mother's husband, the accomplished bluegrass musician Charlie Moore. As a teenager, he found work touring with

Doug Dillard Douglas Flint Dillard (March 6, 1937 – May 16, 2012) was an American musician noted for his banjo proficiency and his pioneering participation in late-60s country rock. Biography Early life Dillard, who grew up on a farm near Salem, Missouri, ...

. He later moved to California to play with family band the Constables. Despite his equable bluegrass roots, Constable proved himself to be a versatile musician as the years went on. He worked repeatedly in more electric and psychedelic settings with

Jam band A jam band is a musical group whose concerts (and live albums) are characterized by lengthy improvisational "jams." These include extended musical improvisation over rhythmic grooves and chord patterns, and long sets of music which often cr ...

s Leftover Salmon and

String Cheese Incident The String Cheese Incident (SCI) is an American jam band from Crested Butte and Telluride, Colorado, formed in 1993. The band is composed of Michael Kang (acoustic/electric mandolin, electric guitar, and violin), Michael Travis ( drums and perc ...

. During his tenure with Hypnotic Clambake, he was found playing everything from

polka Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The term ...

s to

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

Bulgarian music The music of Bulgaria refers to all forms of music associated with the country of Bulgaria, including classical, folk, popular music, and other forms. Classical music, opera, and ballet are represented by composers Emanuil Manolov, Pancho Vladig ...

. The Blueridge National Heritage Area states on their website that Constable's banjo playing "can be deceptively eclectic. His influences begin at home and with his family, but Billy's repertoire is vast, and he is comfortable in most musical situations." Constable played regularly with mandolinist Mark Schimick, the Big Daddy Bluegrass Band, and guitarist Larry Keel. He often performed around Boone or Asheville, not far from where he grew up in western

. He played an active role in the music scene around many parts of

Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Constable, Billy 1959 births 2015 deaths Musicians from Appalachia Bluegrass musicians from North Carolina Guitarists from North Carolina American bluegrass guitarists American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists People from Avery County, North Carolina People from Spruce Pine, North Carolina Country musicians from North Carolina 20th-century American male musicians Hypnotic Clambake members Leftover Salmon members