BILLY MITCHELL (KEYBOARDS)
Genres: RnB, Hard Bop, Pop, Art Song, Folk • United States

Born in Tarrytown and raised in Buffalo, New York, Billy Mitchell tinkered with the piano as a child but did not get serious about music until he entered Morehouse College. While pursuing a political science degree he joined the school jazz band and was soon playing gigs in and around Atlanta. In 1970 Mitchell moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career and was soon backing up such artists as Gloria Lynn, Ester Phillips, Randy Crawford and Linda Hopkins, to name a few. His first solo efforts, Blue City Jam (1984) and Night Theme (1987) captured the funky, urban flavored vibe of the Quiet Storm format just before the advent of smooth jazz, and Faces (1988) and the similarly styled In Focus (1991) rose high on Billboard’s contemporary jazz charts and continue to receive international airplay. After a few colorful excursions into swing and straight-ahead (Live All Night Long – 1994, read more...