A man synonymous with both Chicago blues and the blues harmonica, Billy Branch
has been a fixture of both circles since the early 1970s. Born William Earl
Branch near Chicago on October 3, 1951, Branch returned to the Windy City for
college after spending his childhood in California. While still in school, he
was recruited to play harmonica in Willie Dixon’s Chicago Blues All-Stars, so he
set aside academia and pursued a life in music.
After a stretch performing and touring with the Chicago Blues All-Stars, Branch
formed his own outfit, Billy Branch & the Sons of Blues, which ...