Here's to You Billy

Billy Cowsill died on Friday February 17th at his home in Calgary AB,Canada at the age of 58.

I knew Billy, and I liked him, he was not only a fellow addict he was a fellow musician.

I took some lessons from him back in the late 90's, we jammed about 3 times.

The fondest memory I have of Billy is him sitting in my living room, one afternoon, playing song after song for me on his big bodied Larrivae guitar.

Some of the songs were standards and some were his own, some not even published or recorded.

He taught me not to step on the vocalist in a song, which I did while we were playing a tune together and I was playing slide. I never forgot that lesson and my playing got better as a result, now I am more into the song than the lead, which is the way it should be.

Billy was about the song, he was a master of rhythm, he knew more about music than anyone I ever met.

He is a loss to the music world as well as his friends and family, who recently lost their other brother Barry Cowsill.

I kind of lost touch with Billy over the last few years but would run into him on the street in Calgary from time to time, we'd catch up a bit and then be on our separate ways.

Billy was a private person, kind of a loner in a way, but not lonely, he valued his solitude and I respected him for it.

If there is a heaven, he is surely jamming with Barry and the rest of the musicians that have made their way there.

So here's to you Billy, we'll miss you.