Billy Hector (born 1956) is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter from

Orange, New Jersey The City of Orange is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 30,134, reflecting a decline ...

.Coyne, Kevin
Still Strumming and Rocking After All These Years
September 7, 2008. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

.'' Retrieved July 2011.

History

Hector considers himself a working man's musician. He was initially lured into the music world after seeing the Beatles on the ''Ed Sullivan Show''. He says this changed his world. He soon found himself drawn to the blues. He started taking guitar lessons at age 9, and later studied jazz guitar and music history at William Paterson University. Hector started playing regularly in a blues band in 1985. He has been producing albums for over 20 years while performing primarily in small clubs.DeMasters, Karen
"JERSEY FOOTLIGHTS; Album Party for Billy Hector"
''

'', April 1, 2001. Retrieved July 9, 2011. Hector's guitar style is a combination of

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May P ...

blues and rock n roll.Selzer, Hal B
Local Noise: Billy Hector – Stayin' Alive
March 26, 2010. ''

The Aquarian ''The Aquarian Weekly'' is a regional alternative weekly newspaper based in New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1969, its focus is rock music and related events in the New Jersey/New York City/Eastern Pennsylvania region. From 1986 to 1992, it ...

.'' Retrieved December 20, 2011. As of 2013, his band consisted of Hector on guitar and vocals, Timmy Tindall on bass, and Dan Hickey on drums. Hector received the Best Guitarist Award from music critic Bob Makin of ''

The Aquarian Weekly ''The Aquarian Weekly'' is a regional alternative weekly newspaper based in New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1969, its focus is rock music and related events in the New Jersey/New York City/ Eastern Pennsylvania region. From 1986 to 1992, i ...

''s East Coast Rocker section twice.Billy Hector Band
. Jersey Shore Jazz Blues Foundation. Retrieved July 9, 2011. He is also the recipient of three

Asbury Park Music Awards {{Infobox award , name = Asbury Park Music Awards , image = Sarah Tomek at APMA.jpg , imagesize = , caption = Sarah Tomek of Days Awake, recipient of three Asbury Music Awards, on drums at the 2007 Asbury Music Awards ceremo ...

: "Best Guitarist", "Best Blues Band" and the "Living Legend." Hector and his band were billed alongside

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporate ...

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

's "Tribute to

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post- war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicag ...

". Hector has played with

B. B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaug ...

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from ...

, and

The Fabulous Thunderbirds The Fabulous Thunderbirds are an American blues band formed in 1974. Career After performing for several years in the Austin, Texas blues scene, the band won a recording contract with Takoma/Chrysalis Records and later signed with Epic Recor ...

, but is most at home in small clubs. He was the touring guitarist for

Hubert Sumlin Hubert Charles Sumlin (November 16, 1931 – December 4, 2011) was a Chicago blues guitarist and singer, best known for his "wrenched, shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and daring rhythmic suspensions" as a member of Howlin ...

and

Joe Louis Walker Joe Louis Walker, also known as JLW (born December 25, 1949) is an American musician, best known as an electric blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer. His knowledge of blues history is revealed by his use of older material and playi ...

. He appeared in the movie ''Hellhound on My Trail'' backing Sonny Landreth, and in ''One Way Out''.

Discography

*1988 (45 rpm single) "Your Time Is At Hand" / "If You Love Me Like You Say (You Wouldn't Treat Me Like You Do)" *1989 ''All The Way Live'' *1993 ''Wild, Wild Beast'' *1993 ''And The Crowd Went Wild!!!'' *1994 ''Cold Wind'' *1997 ''Hard to Please'' *2000 ''What Can a Poor Boy Do?'' *2001 ''Duct Tape Life'' *2002 ''Busy Man'' *2002 ''Undertow'' *2003 ''Stonehenge'' *2003 ''Out of Order'' *2005 ''Alive and Kickin *2007 ''Hard Rockin' Blues'' *2009 ''Traveler'' *2013 ''Choice Cuts'' *2014 ''Fire Within'' *2015 ''Old School Thang'' *2019 ''Someday Baby'' *2022 ''Rock Night in Jersey''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hector, Billy 1956 births Living people American folk singers American male singer-songwriters American rock guitarists American blues guitarists American male guitarists Jersey Shore musicians People from Orange, New Jersey Singer-songwriters from New Jersey Guitarists from New Jersey 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians