William Pollak (born November 10, 1949, in

Fair Lawn, New Jersey Fair Lawn is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, and a bedroom suburb located northwest of New York City. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough’s population was 34,940, which constituted a 7.7% increase from 32, ...

, United States) known by his stage name of Billy Price, is an American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singer. He has lived in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, since the mid-1970s.

Career

Price attracted national attention in the mid-1970s during his three-year collaboration with blues guitarist

Roy Buchanan Leroy "Roy" Buchanan (September 23, 1939 – August 14, 1988) was an American guitarist and blues musician. A pioneer of the Telecaster sound, Buchanan worked as a sideman and as a solo artist, with two gold albums early in his career and two lat ...

. The pair toured the US and Canada, playing

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, the

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hire ...

, the Roxy and Troubadour 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' ...

, and the Spectrum in Philadelphia. After leaving Buchanan, Price formed the Keystone Rhythm Band, which toured the Eastern US on a circuit that stretched from Boston to Atlanta with large followings in Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and North Carolina. Sustaining several personnel changes, the band performed until 1990. He then formed The Billy Price Band, which currently consists of Lenny Smith (guitar), Tom Valentine (bass), Dave Dodd (drums), Jimmy Britton (keyboards), Eric Spaulding (tenor saxophone), and Joe Herndon (trumpet). The Billy Price Band won the Pittsburgh City Paper Reader's Poll award as Best Blues Band or Performer in 2021 and 2022. In April, 2016, Price received a Legends of Pittsburgh Rock 'n Roll Award as a Modern Era Inductee. His 2015 recording with

Otis Clay Otis Lee Clay (February 11, 1942 – January 8, 2016) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and Soul music, soul singer, who started in gospel music. In 2013, Clay was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame. Early life Clay was born in Waxhaw, Miss ...

, ''This Time for Real'', received a 2016

Blues Music Award The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy, " ...

(BMA) in the category of Soul Blues Album. His 2018 album ''Reckoning'' was nominated for a BMA in the category of Soul Blues Album. His most recent studio album, ''Dog Eat Dog'', was also nominated for a BMA in the category of Soul Blues Album in 2020. Price was also nominated as Best Male Soul Blues Artist in 2020. In 2022, Price released a 3-CD compilation of recordings from throughout his career titled ''50+ Years of Soul'' on GetHip Recordings.Mervis, Scott
"Pittsburgh Legend Billy Price Looks Back on 50+ Years of Soul"
/ref> Though he works part-time in corporate communications at the

Software Engineering Institute The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is an American research and development center headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its activities cover cybersecurity, software assurance, software engineering and acquisition, and component capabil ...

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

, he continues to perform regularly in Pittsburgh, the eastern United States, and in Europe.

Discography

*2022: ''50+ Years of Soul'', 3-CD compilation; GetHip Recordings *2019: ''Dog Eat Dog'', recorded at Greaseland Studios, San Jose, CA; Gulf Coast Records *2018: ''Reckoning'', recorded at Greaseland Studios, San Jose, CA; Vizztone label group *2017: ''Alive and Strange'', live recording of the Billy Price Band at Club Café, Pittsburgh, PA, September 2016; Vizztone label group *2015: ''This Time For Real'', with

; Vizztone label group *2013: ''Strong'', featuring the Billy Price Band and special guests Monster Mike Welch, Mark Wenner and Mark Stutso of

The Nighthawks The Nighthawks are an American blues and roots music band, based in Washington, D.C. As of 2018, The Nighthawks are Mark Wenner (vocals and harmonica), Dan Hovey (lead guitar), Paul Pisciotta (bass guitar), and Mark Stutso (drums). History F ...

, and Fred Chapellier. *2010: ''Billy Price and Fred Chapellier Live on Stage'', CD and DVD documenting the May 2009 Night Work tour, featuring French guitarist Fred Chapellier and his band and Billy Price Band keyboard player Jimmy Britton; recorded live at Espace Manureva, Charleville-Mézieres, France. *2009: ''Night Work'', DixieFrog Records (France), with French guitarist Fred Chapellier and special guests

and Mark Wenner of

. *2006: ''East End Avenue'', 14 songs (13 original), including six co-written with

Jon Tiven Jon Tiven (born January 3, 1955) is an American composer, guitarist, record producer, and music journalist. He has produced albums by Wilson Pickett, Frank Black and Don Covay as well as a series of tribute albums paying tribute to the songwriti ...

. *2003: ''Funky, Funky Soul'', DVD of performance at the

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Rhythm & Blues Festival. *2002: ''Sworn Testimony: The Billy Price Band Live'', Double-CD of April 2002 performance at the Ram's Head Tavern in Annapolis, Maryland. *1999: ''Can I Change My Mind'', Collection of songs written specifically for Price by Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams. *1997: ''The Soul Collection'', CD containing 16 soul songs including a duet with

, "That's How It Is." *1993: ''Danger Zone'', Price's first album without the Keystone Rhythm Band. *1988: ''Free At Last'', Album with the Keystone Rhythm Band featuring songs written by Price and other members of the band. *1984: ''Live'', Recording of Billy Price and the Keystone Rhythm Band live at the

Wax Museum A wax museum or waxworks usually consists of a collection of wax sculptures representing famous people from history and contemporary personalities exhibited in lifelike poses, wearing real clothes. Some wax museums have a special section dubbe ...

in Washington D.C. *1981, 1979: ''Is It Over?, They Found Me Guilty'', CD of Price's first two albums with the Keystone Rhythm Band.

References

External links

Official website

Billy Price Pittsburgh Music HistoryBilly Price, Pittsburgh's Soul Man, Pittsburgh Post-GazettePittsburgh Legend Billy Price Looks Back on 50+ Years of Soul, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
{{DEFAULTSORT:Price, Billy 1949 births Living people Carnegie Mellon University alumni Musicians from Pittsburgh People from Fair Lawn, New Jersey American soul musicians