Page 37 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2022

legendary names. And that was the very first day I saw the
blues. But having taught myself to play the harmonica, I’m like,
‘Wow!’ It blew me away, man. And that was the beginning.”
Branch's official entrée came at a January 1975 blues
harmonica contest sponsored by Little Mack Simmons at the South
Side’s Green Bunny Lounge. Simmons ran ads on WVON
radio offering $500 first prize to anyone that could outplay
him. Billy took up the challenge.
“I came there with about a 12-inch Afro and overalls.
Lonnie Brooks was in Little Mack’s band, and he was also
the emcee,” says Branch. “After I played, the crowd said,
‘Give him the money! Give him the money!’ And Mack said,
‘No, no!’” he continued. “Mack had a hit of an instrumental
version of ‘Rainy Night In Georgia,’ so Mack played that. He
said, ‘Now, he’s got to play this.’ I said, ‘Okay.’ Well, I have
a good ear, and I’d been hearing it on the radio. I played it,
and the crowd said, ‘Give him the money!’ And Mack said,
‘No, he didn’t play it note for note.’”
Mack then insisted Billy play the Four Tops’ “Ain’t No
Woman (Like The One I’ve Got)” to win the $500. “I started
playing it, and then I cut the band. I said, ‘Look, I can’t play
this note for note. But if I can play something, and then Mack
plays what I play…’ And then Mack ran up, grabbed the mic,
and said, ‘The bar said it’s closing time!’ And the whole place
went up. Pandemonium. I didn’t get the money, but I got an
unmeasurable amount of publicity,” says Billy. “Jim and Amy
O’Neal wrote it up in Living Blues.”
Photo by Ÿ Marilyn Stringer

Before long, Branch joined the band of veteran pianist
Jimmy Walker. “He could be cantankerous a little bit in his
way, but he was a great guy,” says Billy. Not long after
that, he was chosen by Willie Dixon to replace Carey Bell
in Dixon’s Chicago Blues All Stars. “When I joined Dixon, I
was pretty good. But I found out quickly I wasn’t as good as I
thought I was. And I had to step it up really fast, because I had
some big shoes (to fill) – at that time, Carey Bell was probably
at the height of his playing. He was just masterful. But Dixon
had a lot of faith and confidence in me. Fortunately, I was
able to ultimately prevail.”
Jim and Amy O’Neal assembled a troupe of blues
youngbloods to perform at the 1977 Berlin Jazz Festival.
“There were 15 of us, comprising three rhythm sections,”
says Branch, who played with Lurrie Bell, Freddie Dixon
and drummer Garland Whiteside. “That became the Sons of
Blues,” he says. “Everyone except for me was the son of a
famous blues musician.”
With Jeff Ruffin replacing Whiteside, the Sons of Blues
(SOBs) debuted on Alligator’s Living Chicago Blues anthology
series in 1978. Branch sang a topical “Berlin Wall,” written
by Barner for him to do at the festival. “A very deep song,
very apropos even for right now,” says Billy.
Carlos Johnson replaced Bell on guitar and Mose Rutues
had settled in on drums for his stay of 30-something years by
the time Branch and the SOBs cut Where’s My Money?, their
Photo by Ÿ Howard Greenblatt 1984 album on Pete Crawford and Erwin Helfer’s Red Beans

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