Billy Galewood is an American singer, songwriter and

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

from

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, Ohio. At the age of nine, Billy entered a youth theater group called "Kids on Broadway". Ten years later Billy migrated to New York City, where he studied musical theater at the

American Musical and Dramatic Academy The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) is a private conservatory for the performing arts located in New York City and Los Angeles, California. The conservatory offers both Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees and two-year certificates in prof ...

. There he met

Jason Mraz Jason Thomas Mraz (; born June 23, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single " The Remedy (I Won't ...

at a party and they subsequently became roommates. After years of honing their own musicianship, the two then moved from New York to Mraz's native

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, then California where they performed together as often as they could. Among their collaborations is " Curbside Prophet", a track from Mraz's album ''

Waiting for My Rocket to Come ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' is the debut studio album by the American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, released on October 15, 2002, by Elektra Records. It was his only studio release on that label before he moved to Atlantic Records. By Decem ...

''. Billy eventually ended up in California where he continued to hone his eclectic acoustic/ hip-hop sound. Known for his freestyle skills on the microphone, Billy has toured extensively throughout the U.S., independently releasing his album ''Ghetto Blaster'', which features the likes of

Spooner Oldham Dewey Lindon "Spooner" Oldham (born June 14, 1943) is an American songwriter and session musician. An organist, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, at FAME Studios as part of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section on such hit R&B songs as Percy S ...

Speechwriters LLC A speechwriter is a person who is hired to prepare and write speeches that will be delivered by another person. Speechwriters are employed by many senior-level elected officials and executives in the government and private sectors. They can also be ...

, and

’s rhythm section. Billy's shows blend hip-hop, acoustic rock, funk, improvisation and comedy. His performances also incorporate circus tricks such as hula hooping, fire breathing, face balancing, juggling and balloon art. Throughout 2006, Billy and his band had a regular gig every Sunday at Twiggs Coffeehouse in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

. These Sunday shows quickly garnered cult-status, as Billy always had special guests with him on stage, including

, Dawn Mitschele,

Aaron Leibowitz Aaron Leibowitz is an American-born Israeli rabbi. Rabbinic and political career Aaron Leibowitz is a noted educator, and started Hashgacha Pratit, a kosher certification independent of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate The Chief Rabbinate of Israe ...

, Keith Benton,

Ainslie Henderson Ainslie Thomas Henderson (born 28 January 1979, Edinburgh, Scotland) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and animator. He became known to the public via his appearance on the BBC's television programme, ''Fame Academy'', and his subsequent UK top 5 ...

, Jessie Payo, Carlos Olmeda, Toca Rivera, and many more. In 2006, Billy traveled around the country to people's houses for private Living Room Concerts (LRCs). Billy (as Bushwalla) formed the 1-2-3 Band with around 10 of his closest friends. Their live performances were dynamic, very spontaneous and extremely humorous.

was an unofficial member of the band, and often joined them on stage. In April 2008, Billy was part of the Music, Magic, Make Peace Tour with headliner Jason Mraz, The Makepeace Brothers and magician Justin Willman. He subsequently toured with Jason Mraz in 2009 playing for thousands of people. Autodidactical Freestyle and Radical and the Old Street Ep were released in 2007 and 2008. The Man Who Invented the Sky was released in summer 2010. Billy tours constantly throughout the US, Europe, Australia and Asia. Billy released his last album "Ordinary Tales of Madness", and simultaneously retired the name Bushwalla in September 2016.

Discography

* '' One A.M.'' * '' Sessions'' * '' GhettoBlaster EP'' * '' Autodidactical Freestyle and Radical'' * '' Old Street EP'' * '' The Man Who Invented the Sky'' * Ordinary Tales Of Madness

References

External links

Official SiteBushwalla Uncle Crispy VideosBushwalla's MyspaceFeelingAnxious.com interview11 Burning questions with Bushwalla
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bushwalla Living people Rappers from Cleveland 21st-century American rappers Year of birth missing (living people)