“Billy Harvey is the most famous person you’ve never heard of.” — AJ Croce. His pursuit of “the dream” started at 17, when he left his Chicago home in a VW van bound for northern California. San Francisco’s scene, he reasoned at the time, would have to be easier to break into than LA’s. This wasn’t exactly the case.
After living out of his van for six months—eating cheese sandwiches and oranges he picked off of neighborhood trees—he eventually found his break, joining the popular Bay Area glam-band Flame on guitar. The band put out two records before breaking up, the second of which was released on a Warner Bros imprint called Giant. Since then, he has worked steadily as a musician, accompanying the likes of Patty Griffin, Kim Richey, The Forest Rangers, and The Courtyard Hounds. He’s been the recipient of the International Songwriters Award for Best Rock Song “Frozen Through,” and he broke into the Top 100 on the CMJ charts with his hauntingly soulful release Bearsick . A caffeine-addled do-it-yourselfer, Billy has translated this well of experience into a career of quietly directing, editing, animating, recording, and producing everything in sight. He’s produced records for artists like Crystal Bowersox (finalist on season nine of American Idol ), Charlie Mars, Bob Schneider, Pat Byrne (winner of the first series of The Voice of Ireland ), Salim Nourallah, Slaid Cleaves, and Steve Poltz, to name a few. As a writer, his work is just as far-reaching: without knowing it, you’ve probably heard his work leaking through your speakers in TV shows, commercials, movies, and even Super Bowl 50.
You’ve probably never heard of Billy Harvey, but you should.
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