Sunday, March 19: Tig’s Rock Birthdays
Happy Birthday today (March 19) Billy Sheehan. The current bassist for The Winery Dogs and Mr. Big is 64. Also celebrating is drummer Brann Dailor of Mastodon (42) and drummer Zach Lind of Jimmy Eat World (41).
Billy Sheehan is in my opinion, the most most bad ass bass player on the planet. His performances are mesmerizing. Sheehan was in David Lee Roth’s solo band along with guitarist Steve Vai and drummer Gregg Bissonette. The album Eat ‘Em and Smile was a commercial success going platinum in the U.S. when it was released in July of 1986. Several hit singles were released including “Yankee Rose” and “Goin’ Crazy!”. An extensive arena tour in support of the album followed. The same lineup recorded the album Skyscraper. Released in January 1988, the album would also go double platinum with the hit single “Just Like Paradise”.
Billy Sheehan left David Lee Roth’s band soon after Skyscraper‘s release due to musical differences. In addition to his work with the band Mr. Big, he also currently performs in the supergroup The Winery Dogs along with drummer Mike Portnoy and singer/guitarist Richie Kotzen. Check out Billy Sheehan’s official website here.