First Nations Voice

PAGE 10 • FEBRUARY 2017 THIS WEEK ALBUM COVER ARTIST INFORMATION THIS WEEK ALBUM COVER ARTIST INFORMATION ENTERTAIMENT BEAT RoseAnna Schick. RAS Creative Anyone who knows the blues will know the name Billy Joe Green. An icon in the Canadian music scene, Billy Joe began playing guitar and making music even before his son Jesse Green was born in 1973. But it wasn't until Jesse grew into a man and started put- ting out his own music that Billy Joe began thinking about laying down his own tracks. "My first CD, Roughin' It, was released in 1996. It was after my son Jesse had released his band's Peace- maker CD that his poppa even got near a studio! It was a wakeup call of huge proportions," says Billy Joe, humbly re- flecting on an admirable music career that he likes to describe as "a runaway horse." Others would likely define it as successful, spanning 50 years as a professional musician, eight album releases, three JUNO Award nomina- tions, two Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards, and a Western Cana- dian Music Award in 2001 for Best Aboriginal Recording in 2001. And he's not done yet. This year, he'll be touring his latest album Fender Bender, released in January 2017 on Americuse Empire/ STRONGFRONT.tv Records, a label run by Jesse. The pre-released single Just to Get Close to You – sang by Don- ovan Bruyere – has already cracked the Top 10 on the National Aboriginal Music Countdown. "It's wonderful to know that the hard work is still being appreciated." No doubt it has been a lot of hard work to carve out a career as a full- time musician, and it's not getting any easier for the next generation. Billy Joe has definitely seen a lot of changes over the years – the most obvious be- ing how music is consumed. "Everything's digital and now. Ipods and such are taking over, and free downloads are taking dollars from the artist. Even those zillionaire musicians are complaining about it. Myself, I still sell CDs off stage which pays for my gas to get to the next gig. As long as that's in place, I'm still in business." The other big change Billy Joe has witnessed, sadly, is the fact that a lot of venue owners don't seem to care about live music – and musicians – anymore. "Musician wages have never been huge, but back in the day, a good club owner would run up on stage and shake all the musicians' hands and ask the crowd for extra applause for the good playing they've done. That doesn't happen these days." At the end of the day, though, and the start of every new one, it's the chance to play music in front of people who love it that keeps Billy Joe Green plug- ging away, and plugging in. "The promise of an appreciative audience is the biggest thing that keeps me motivated. The challenge of mustering up the energy to do another show is also huge. After getting past the first tune on a big show, it's like riding a bicycle – you don't forget how. It's getting on the bike that's the first hurdle." RoseAnna Schick is a freelance writer and entertainment publicist. If you'd like to see your story in next month's Entertainment Beat, please email her at rascreative@yahoo.ca Billy Joe Green RoseAnna Schick, RAS Creative Billy Joe Green

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