About
The Bill Reid Trio in Your venue!
This is not your standard band! We play blues, Americana, and some pretty nice Austin (Texas) standards, but if you’re looking for serious kickers, that’s not us. (No offense to our country and honky-tonk friends!)
We settle into the music. Sometimes we focus on serious blues. We pick it up when it gets too slow. We play it so your patrons can hear it, but still eat, drink, and talk to each other (not too loudly, please). Folks sitting near the stage aren’t blown away, and those ‘way in the back can enjoy . . . well, whatever they came for.
Bill Reid (guitar & vocals) started playing in Midwestern blues joints and coffeehouses over 50 years ago. His recent albums include Double Lucky Blues, Blues for Lost Dreams and A Place Inside My Heart (with two of his Austin Songwriter Competition winners). His last four albums have been on the Grammy® ballot. His recording of “Georgia on my Mind” was nominated for a 2014 Texas Music Award.
Duke Davis, often with Bill on stand-up bass, has played for decades with the likes of Lightnin’ Hopkins and The 13th Floor Elevators. He’s a seasoned musician and recording artist who has worked with the very best, and won Vocalist-of-the-Year and Band-of-the-Year honors.
The third musician varies with your needs. Blues harmonica, cocktail percussion (snare & hi-hat) or maybe one of our lead guitar friends. Wherever you are, nearby or a tour stop, you won’t be disappointed!
Send us an email. Set up a gig. Arrange a house concert. Or just come out and see us the next time we’re playing near YOU!
solo blues & Americana with Bill Reid
When the venue calls for a solo show (or the band’s off doing something else), Bill performs great blues and American roots all by himself. The show features tunes from our recent full-band CDs, such as Blues for Lost Dreams (about which national Grammy® Board president Christine Albert wrote, “. . . world-class musicians . . . playing with heart, integrity and respect for the music . . . (in ‘Miss Otis Regrets’), we hang on every word.”), Double Lucky Blues (“beautifully performed and produced,” said Grammy®-winning flutist Wouter Kellerman), and soon-to-be-released The Blues This Time.
Bill started playing in Midwestern blues joints and coffeehouses some 60 years ago, and now lives in central Texas. In over six decades of writing and performing, he says, “I’ve played blues with the best, folk with the folksiest, and Americana all over America.”
His first album, The Folk Singer Cometh, was recorded in Minneapolis ‘way back in 1964. Fast forward to 2010, when he went back into the studio to record A Place Inside My Heart, featuring two of his Austin Songwriter Competition winners and the early Fewer Sorrows Band (Chris Reeves, Ron Knuth, Tony “Little Sun” Glover on blues harp, and background vocalists Christine Albert and Mike Blakely).
His first trip to Nashville, in 2011, led to a whole new Fewer Sorrows Band and a whole new sound on Country Blues and Story Songs, produced by Grammy® nominee and million-seller Brian Collins. It showcased hard blues, country blues and ballads, some written by Bill and his friends. The “new” band, evolved over more than a decade, now includes A-list players Bill Hullett (lead guitar and sometime producer), Clayton Ivey (piano & B-3), Glen Duncan (and recently Wanda Vick) (fiddle), Dow Tomlin (bass), Denis Solee (reeds), Wes Little (percussion) and wonderful background vocalists Vickie Carrico, Etta Britt and Michael Black. Two of our best, Michael Douchette (steel & blues harp) and Tommy “Tommy Boom” Wells (percussion) have passed away (may they rest in peace). Our upcoming early-2024 album, The Blues This Time, features Charlie McCoy on harmonica & vibes and Jeff Taylor, accordion. Hilltop Studios in Nashville has been our s recording home since 2011.
But now we’re talking solo, just Bill — and if the venue’s tiny or a house concert, maybe even no amp — but solid, professional serious stuff from a man who’s been doing it, and living it, since before you were born.
House Concerts with Bill Reid or The Bill Reid Trio!
“House concerts are my favorite shows,” says long-time blues and Americana performer, recording artist and singer-songwriter Bill Reid. “They’re intimate showcases for the music, everyone’s among friends, and there’s hardly ever a drunk or a heckler!”
What’s a “house concert”? It’s your concert! The host invites 15-50 guests to his or her home for an evening of music, snacks, and drink (often pot luck), or may promote the concert as a fee or donation event. We (Fewer Sorrows Music) provide all stage and PA equipment. We’ll schedule the concert for your convenience and supply preparation details to make the process fun for everyone. It’s a great way to have a party, celebrate a special event, or even kick off a political campaign! (Contact us HERE to make it happen in your home!)
Whether you choose Bill solo, duo or the Bill Reid Trio, you and your guests will hear great blues and American roots music. The show often features tunes from our widely-praised albums, such as Country Blues & Story Songs, Blues for Lost Dreams, Double Lucky Blues and 2024’s The Blues This Time.