About
Born in Camden, Tennessee, Billy Gibson's family moved to Mississippi when he was a baby. He first picked up the harmonica at a young age in his hometown of Clinton, Mississippi and enjoyed the sounds the instrument could make out of the box. Fun with harmonica just learning simple songs, having one in his pocket when the inspiration to play was there.
Graduating high school, Gibson’s desire for learning and improving as a musician took him to Clarksdale, Mississippi. In Clarksdale he came under the tutelage of blues guitarist Johnnie Billington and drummer Bobby Little (Earl Hooker Band), performing in Billington’s group The Midnighters. Gibson recalls Mr. Johnnie and Bobby taught him how to make music and about the "music business".
Like many before him, Gibson eventually left Mississippi for Memphis. “Beale Street was my university of blues,” recalls Gibson, referring to a decade of lessons learned as a Beale Street performer. “For a young musician, all you had to do was look and listen and you could learn so much.” He also learned to play chromatic harmonica during this period from harmonica maestro, Pete Pedersen. Gibson spent over two decades living and performing in Memphis, TN before returning to North Mississippi. Currently performs around Memphis and surrounding areas with acoustic duo partner Linear Smith.
Gibson’s talent and commitment to the instrument and music have not gone unrecognized. He received an endorsement from Hohner (his harmonica of choice) in 1999, a BA in music from the University of Memphis in 2003, has done extensive touring in the States and abroad including performances for Armed Forces Entertainment for US military stationed in Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, and Cuba. He is also a solo recording artist, harp teacher and first call session player who has made guest appearances on many regional/national recordings.
