BILLY STOKES: AN ARMY WOUNDED WARRIOR BECOMES A ROCK STAR! EXCLUSIVE ZOOM TV INTERVIEW WITH AN AMAZING GUITARIST & SONGWRITER

 

 

B I L L Y

S T O K E S

AN AMAZING DREAM COME TRUE STORY

FROM WOUNDED WAR VETERAN 

TO ROCK STAR GUITARIST AND SONGWRITER

HEAR BILLY'S AMAZING STORY ON A EXCLUSIVE ZOOM TV EVENT ON INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS

CLICK BELOW TO WATCH

 IN ITS ENTIRETY

Billy Stokes is a rock guitarist & songwriter from Tucson, Arizona.  He went to So Cal and tried to make it but ended up in the military... the army to be exact.  He traded his guitar for a gun and found himself in Germany. In 1997, Billy Stokes was injured in the line of duty. When he was released from the hospital he decided to pick up where he left off decades before and began writing the songs that appear on his powerful album Muscle & Blood. The album features rock legends … Frank Marino, Pat Travers, Les Dudek, Barry Sparks, and Marc Storace of the Swiss rock giant Krokus. The album received the Producers Choice Awards 2020 Best Rock Album.

Pat Travers plays lead guitar on the songs “Firestorm” and “Money Slave” while Les Dudek plays lead guitar on “Down On Me” and “Fort Stockton Boogie.”  The amazing Frank Marino of Mahogany Rush plays lead guitar on “The Beast.”  Storace sings all 16 songs including the Robin Trower classic “Twice Removed From Yesterday.”

Guitarist Billy Stokes has also worked with Legendary Drummers Carmine and Vinny Appice, Heavy Metal Bassist Rudy Sarzo and Drumming great Corky Laing.

Stokes recently teamed up with Mike Varney producer, guitarist, and label owner. They are scheduled to record a new album with such greats as drummer Ansley Dunbar and special guests. They are finalizing the song arrangements and are very excited.

On a personal note, Billy recently rescued his in laws from the Ukraine.

PURCHASE

THE LATEST RELEASE

By

BILLY STOKES

Entitled

MUSCLE & BLOOD

Featuring

Rock Legends

PAT TRAVERS

FRANK MARINO

LES DUDEK

MARK STORACE

BARRY SPARKS

available

at AMAZON.COM

IT’S HARD ROCK EUPHORIA AT ITS VERY BEST! 

(5) STARS!

It’s like All the great hard rock bands of the 70s rolled into one album...

Shades of Humble Pie ...Nazareth...

Judas Priest... and AC/DC

Reviewed by Music Journalist 

Ray Shasho

FOR MORE INFORMATION

ABOUT

BILLY STOKES

VISIT

www.facebook.com/billystokesmuscleandblood

Facebook

https://communityfundraising.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Wounded Warrior Project

www.allusionstudios.com/about-us

Allusion Studios

BILLY STOKES APPEARS

WEEK OF APRIL 12TH 2022

on INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS

with RAY SHASHO

NOW STREAMING ON

The Classic Rock Music Reporter   

 Classic Rock Here and Now

Music Tried and True  

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RAY’S BEST-SELLING BOOK

ENTITLED

THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

SERIES ONE

CHRONICLES, TRUTHS, CONFESSIONS AND WISDOM FROM THE MUSIC LEGENDS THAT SET US FREE

BY RAY SHASHO

 …Order yours today on (Collector edition) Hardcover or E-book  at bookbaby.com and amazon.com

Featuring over 45 intimate conversations with some of the greatest rock legends the world will ever know.

CHRIS SQUIRE... DR. JOHN... GREG LAKE... HENRY MCCULLOUGH... JACK BRUCE … JOE LALA…  JOHNNY WINTER... KEITH EMERSON... PAUL KANTNER...  RAY THOMAS... RONNIE MONTROSE... TONY JOE WHITE... DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS… MIKE LOVE... TOMMY ROE... BARRY HAY... CHRIS THOMPSON... JESSE COLIN YOUNG... JOHN KAY... JULIAN LENNON... MARK LINDSAY... MICKY DOLENZ… PETER RIVERA ...TOMMY JAMES… TODD RUNDGREN... DAVE MASON... EDGAR WINTER... FRANK MARINO... GREGG ROLIE... IAN ANDERSON... JIM “DANDY” MANGRUM... JON ANDERSON... LOU GRAMM... MICK BOX... RANDY BACHMAN… ROBIN TROWER...  ROGER FISHER... STEVE HACKETT... ANNIE HASLAM… ‘MELANIE’ SAFKA... PETULA CLARK... SUZI QUATRO... COLIN BLUNSTONE… DAVE DAVIES... JIM McCARTY... PETE BEST

THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

BOOK TRAILER

 

BOOK REVIEW

-By Literary Titan (5) STARS

The Rock Star Chronicles, by Ray Shasho, is a splendid book written by a music enthusiast who has poured their heart and soul into it. It’s a story of a boy who loved rock music, and his obsessive passion of it earned himself the name Rock Raymond. He went to school but instead was schooled in all matters of music while his peers were buried chin-deep in coursework. He then became a radio DJ and has now compiled a book on all interviews he held with Rock gods who raided the airwaves back in the 70s and 80s. It’s a compilation of interviews with outstanding vocalists, legendary guitarists and crazy drummers in the rock music scene. Each interview gives a reader an in-depth view into their personal lives and the philosophies that guide their lives which all serve to humanize these great icons. For readers who are old enough to call themselves baby boomers this book will bring old memories back to life. Millennials, on the other hand, may think of this book as a literal work of the Carpool Karaoke show. 

The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music fan. 

Ray Shasho masterfully gets the interviewees talking. He smartly coaxes answers from them with crafty questions designed to get a story rolling out of them. The artists talk about diverse issues ranging from music, politics, and their social engagements. Having been on the music seen all his life, Ray Shasho knows the buttons to press, how to get them comfortable about talking about their lives. 

The book’s cover is befitting of its subject matter with the leather look offering a royal background to the golden letter print. It speaks to how high a level rock music holds in the pecking order- arguably, modern music as we know it has originated from blues and rock music.  The second noteworthy thing is the use of high-definition pictures to reference the musician being interviewed in every sub-chapter. This ensures that the book is for both original rock and roll lovers and aspiring new ones. Together is makes for a refreshing and consistently enjoyable read.

I recommend this book to rock music enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious to learn new things by going back in time.

https://literarytitan.com/2020/05/03/literary-titan-book-awards-may-2020/   Gold Award Winner

MORE BOOKS BY RAY SHASHO

Ronnie MONTROSE Interview: “We’re Going Out and Tearing It Up!”

Hagar and Montrose

Ronnie Montrose

By Ray Shasho

MONTROSE invades the Largo Cultural Center on Thursday October 20th with ticket prices set at a mere $25.00 in advance and only $30.00 on the day of the show. Michael Lee Firkins will open this must see show presented by Guitar Player Magazine.

Guitar virtuoso Ronnie Montrose launched his brilliant career with Irish rocker Van Morrison. Montrose played on the albums Tupelo Honey and Saint Dominic’s Preview. And Ronnie’s guitar riff on Morrison’s huge hit “Wild Night” will forever be cemented as one of the most memorable in classic rock history.

Montrose left Van Morrison to join The Edgar Winter Group and enjoyed commercial success with the release of They Only Come Out at Night. The album climbed up to Number 3 on the Billboard charts and spawned the enormous Top 40 hits “Frankenstein” (# 1 hit) and “Free Ride.” (# 14 hit)

In 1973 Ronnie felt the desire to orchestrate his own band and so he formed the hard rock group that bears his own signature MONTROSE. The combination of Ronnie Montrose on Les Paul and Sammy Hagar on vocals created a hard driving rock and roll machine that churned out monster releases Montrose and Paper Money and Hard Rock Classics like “Rock Candy,” “Bad Motor Scooter,” “Space Station No 5,” “I Got the Fire” and “Rock the Nation.”

After Sammy Hagar left the band, Montrose released several albums before forming Gamma in 1979 with Robin Trower’s current lead vocalist Davey Pattison. The group released four cutting-edge rock albums.
After Gamma, Ronnie Montrose released a string of great albums and a return to the road as Montrose including a triumphant reunion appearance with ex frontman Sammy Hagar in 2005.

Over the years Ronnie Montrose has shared his electrified guitar wizardry with legendary artist like Herbie Hancock, Boz Scaggs, Gary Wright, Nicolette Larson, Paul Kantner and The Neville Brothers.

And now MONTROSE is back with what Ronnie calls “My dream band.”
I caught up with Ronnie Montrose while on the road to his next gig in California.

Here’s my chat with guitar prodigy/songwriter/producer/ Ronnie Montrose.
Ronnie, thank you for spending some time with me today.

“Yea we’re driving in the car and it’s a perfect time to call.”

What’s the current lineup for the MONTROSE tour?

“The lineup is Dan McNay on Bass, Steve Brown on drums, Kevin Casey on vocals and Ronnie Montrose on guitar. But this is my dream band that I’ve finally got to put together and I’m taking this band out for at least a year and we’re going out and it’s working out so well we’re going out and just tearing it up.”

NOTE: After this interview was conducted it was announced that veteran Montrose lead singer Keith St John had rejoined the band for the tour.

I watched a reunion show that Montrose did in 2005 on a You Tube video and you played “Rock the Nation” with your old bandmate Sammy Hagar.  

“You know anything anybody does now is on You Tube. If you stop at McDonalds it’s on You Tube.”

I think it’s great though.

“I do too. It’s just a different world nowadays and everybody has to get use to it."

Are you a fan of the cyberspace world?

“I like it because especially all these You Tube things I mean everybody has their iPhone cameras their BlackBerry cameras and I see those cameras pointed up at me all the time now which is actually really good because of what it does for me and my band that we talked about it is that there is no time for us not to be on our toes because they’re on all the time whenever you’re playing and I think it’s very healthy. And you know there’s no monetary gain from it but it’s certainly is something that shows that when you come and play live that you’re going to be delivering one hundred percent and let’s face it there’s no amount of a You Tube video that can ever match coming to see any strong and powerful show live.”

Unfortunately the quality of many of those live You Tube videos are pretty shabby.

“Well you know that’s the nature of cell phones but at least it’s getting out there and when we come to a town and then into a venue and we deliver a super powerful show I like it being out there on these not  good quality cell phones but at least it’s getting it around.”

What musicians did you admire while growing up?

“Wait a minute; let’s get this straight I have not grown up yet. I’m 63 and I’m still a big kid. My first experience with music was my father, he was like a stereo buff and he built his own little Hi-Fi center with recorders and everything and I listened to a lot of jazz, I mean he listened to big band and jazz and singers Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Sara Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Dave Brubeck with Paul Desmond a phenomenal instrumental player, Gerry Mulligan, Thelonius Monk he listened to everything on that side of it which gave me a sensibility for melody but when I started reaching teenage years in the 60’s I listened to everything that was on the radio like everyone else did which was Chuck Berry, Beach Boys and then of course Beatles, Stones all of the cool stuff Paul Revere & the Raiders all of the cool stuff that was there and of course in the 60’s I was completely blown away like everyone else by Hendrix and Cream and Deep Purple and Jeff Beck and all of that so those were my influences.”

What made you pick up a guitar and start playing one day?

“What made me pick up a guitar? It weighed a lot less than a piano.”

Laughing

“A friend of mine had the instrument when I think I was seventeen and I picked it up and I just resonated with the electric guitar immediately so it was just something where I knew I was going.”

Did you learn to read music when you first started to play the guitar?

“I’ve never known how to read music in my life.”

I find that amazing because there are so many legendary artist who in fact did not read music and somehow composed musical masterpieces. (The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix for example)

“Many ethnic musicians who play just from their heart and soul who read and write music they don’t do it. Reading and writing is a wonderful way of getting ideas in your head down to someone else who reads and writes but if you don’t read and write and the other musician you’re playing with are trying to express something to doesn’t read and write than it’s a question of “I wrote” so that you must learn from listening and from understanding where that’s coming from.”

I was always fascinated how brilliant musicians like yourself can play so well and figure out all the numerous hand positions on the guitar fret and play all the various chords by ear. I play guitar by ear and it’s not easy man. I recently sold my 1974 Fender Telecaster to cover the editing costs on my new book.

“Good for you because you can always get another Tele.”

I still find it amazing how you can play by ear the way you do. It’s like you have a musical sixth sense or just really remarkable ears. 

“I feel very fortunate to have my ears. I’d share them with everybody but I only have two to go around.”

Do you have a nice collection of guitars? These days it’s a better investment than the stock market.

“My philosophy is honestly never collected anything that I don’t play. I know a lot of people that collect guitars but for me I want instruments that I play. And if I don’t play them I don’t’ want to have them sitting in a closet collecting dust.”

When you played in The Edgar Winter Group you guys released the monster hit album They Only Come Out at Night. And you had joined Edgar Winter after playing with Van Morrison. How did you hook up with Edgar Winter?

“I got a call to go to New York, they had heard about me in California after Van Morrison and got a call to go to New York and try out for his band and the rest is history.”

So you left The Edgar Winter Group at the peak of their success?

“We were all just experiencing growing pains and it was time for me to go back to California and start my rock band. And that’s when I came back and started Montrose.”

What was it like working with Edgar Winter?

“Just incredible, I mean Edgar Winter is one of my heroes one of my favorite musicians and I consider him to be a big brother and a mentor because he’s always helped me throughout the years and it was always such a privilege to play with him. And really I’m just a kid playing with this really talented musician and given tutelage.”

Yea Edgar Winter is still rockin’.

“Big time, I’m going to Jam with him next Sunday.”

I met Rick Derringer and Mark Farner after the Hippiefest show in Clearwater last week.

“ I just toured a few shows with Mark Farner we all used Pat Travers Band and I love Mark he’s a great guy. I just jammed with Pat last week he was on the bill with me and we jammed Bad Motor Scooter together.”

I know this was probably just a rumor but were you ever asked to join Mott the Hoople?

“That’s a myth that’s been around forever and the fact is Ian Hunters management flew out to California and knew about me and was looking for a guitar player they did investigate if I was available and it never went any further than that because I was actually putting Montrose together. In fact I didn’t turn down a job or an audition the fact was I just wasn’t available.

How did you start the band Montrose?

“Put the word out in the Bay area where I lived in the San Francisco Bay area. And Sammy Hagar had seen me play at Winterland with Edgar Winter and Sam got my number from a guy and said I was looking for a singer called me up told me I’m your man and I went to see him at a club he was playing at in San Francisco and realized he’d be the perfect guy for my lead singer in my new ensemble and that’s how that happened.
But I’m having so much fun now simply going around and playing Montrose and Gamma music.”

Any chance of you and Sammy hooking up again in the future?

“Every once in awhile I wouldn’t be surprised if Sammy and I hit the stage again just for fun and play some of our tunes but it all depends on what each one of us is doing.”

You guys are definitely going to blow the roof off the Largo Cultural Center.

“From my mouth to God’s ear.”

Ronnie thank you so much and I’ll see you at the Largo Cultural Center on October 20th.

“It’s absolutely my pleasure.”

I want to thank Leighsa Montrose for arranging this interview with guitar hero Ronnie Montrose.

Buy tickets for the MONTROSE concert on October 20th at the Largo Cultural Center right here.
Or call the box office at 727-587-6793.

Ronnie Montrose website-   http://www.ronniemontrose.com/
Largo Cultural Center website-  http://www.largo.com/department/division.php?fDD=15-105


Order author Ray Shasho’s great new book called Check the Gs -The True Story of an Eclectic American Family and Their Wacky Family Business. Get your copy today at http://rayshasho.com/
“Normalcy is a myth and anyone who tells you differently isn't very normal. "Check the Gs" is a memoir from Ray Shasho who tells of his own offbeat upbringing working in the family business art gallery, from a young age. Of Cuban and Syrian descent, he tells a very American story of coming from everything, seeing everything, walking the line of the law and much more. A fun and fast paced memoir, "Check the Gs" is a worthwhile addition to many a memoir collection.” ~~ MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW

Contact Ray Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com

 

Pat Travers …Boom, Boom, turn those lights back on I want to rock!

By Ray Shasho

“Our band has been through the ringer. We have gone into some bad situations with our heads held high and came out looking good. We’ve had a lot of willpower. I think a lot of others would have given up where we kept going”   …A recent interview with Pat Travers.  

At the impressionable age of 13, Toronto native Pat Travers witnessed Jimi Hendrix perform his guitar-wizardry live on an Ottawa stage. By age 15 Travers was playing in his first rock band.

While playing in a band called Merge, he was recognized by “Mr. Dynamo” Ronnie Hawkins. (“Hey, Bo Didley”, “Marylou”) Hawkins had a reputation for recruiting and grooming noteworthy Canadian talent. Hawkins became a permanent resident of Canada in 1964.  Pat Travers toured with Hawkins as his lead guitar player.

In 1976 Polydor Records signed the guitar virtuoso to his first record deal. His band toured the U.K. in support of his self titled- debut album. The album conceived Travers classic battle-cry and crowd pleaser- “Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights)” 

In ‘77 Pat Travers released the good time rock ‘n roll album “Putting it Straight.”
While in England, Pat Travers performed at the annual Reading Festival. Travers released two more albums before concentrating his efforts on the U.S. music scene.

The best of times for the Canadian-rocker came in 1979 with the release of his first- Live album “Go For What You Know.” The Live album recruited droves of new fans after listening to Travers dynamic- rock and roll performance transpire on stage.

Travers is both an outstanding lead and rhythm guitar player.

The Live album was followed by the 1980 brilliant release “Crash and Burn.”

Some thirty albums later, the monster- guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist, composer, producer and arranger, continues to record and tour with his Paul Reed Smith- Modern Eagle electric guitar.

Pat Travers has certainly ridden a rock and roll rollercoaster through the years, but lately the rocker is having some fun by marketing himself through the electronic media. And why not-what better way is there to get your message out instantly- while networking and attracting new fans? Especially during the contemptible- state of the music business these days. Pat promotes regularly on Twitter and Facebook.

He’s also got a fan club on his website called The Hammerhead Club.
Some of the member perks include- a discussion forum which usually includes the guitar –hero himself, a private- video stash from Pat’s secret vault, participation in live interviews, shows and mini-concerts, and members only- music downloads. Pat would also like to release some of the material that gets recorded but never makes it to a record on the site. (Membership is only $2.95 a month)

But the cleverest offering on the site has got to be the live one-on-one guitar coaching sessions with Pat via Skype. (You can download- Skype on Pat’s website) Learn from the master or as Pat would prefer to be called “Sensei” for guitar players. You see, Pat Travers is also a Black Belt in the style of Isshin- Ryu Karate.
Hammerhead Club Members pay $250 for a 30-minute session and Non- Hammerhead Members pay $300 for a 30-minute session.

Visit Pat Travers official website for more information. http://www.pattravers.com/

Hold on…I haven’t even scratched the surface yet on Pat Travers recent updates. Listen to this, book your next cruise NOW! On December 1st of this year, the fabulous- Liberty of the Seas will set sail for 4 nights on the “Rock Legends Cruise.” It’s a floating rock festival leaving from Fort Lauderdale with a stop at a private beach island and Nassau, Bahamas. The event is sponsored by Sioux Native Americans living on reservations in South Dakota.
Headliners performing on board the ship are- ZZ Top, George Thorogood and The Destroyers, John Kay and Steppenwolf, The Marshall Tucker Band, Dickey Betts & Great Southern, Foghat, Johnny Winter, Molly Hatchet, The Outlaws, Blackfoot, SwampDaWamp and PAT TRAVERS. Each band will be playing multiple sets in an array of ship board venues.  It’s a floating Woodstock!

Visit here for more information on how to book your Rock Legends Cruise- http://rocklegendscruise.com/

And there’s more great news…Floridian- Pat Travers will be performing live on stage- March 17th at “The Local 662” (State Theatre) in St. Petersburg. Tickets go on sale this- Friday March 4th at 10am and are available here or at Ticketmaster outlets. You can call the Local 662 club (Formerly The Garage) for more information.

Travers also announced that he may be playing some shows this year with fellow guitar- whiz Ronnie Montrose.

The Pat Travers Band’s latest power-rock album -Fidelis can be purchased on Amazon.com

Got a classic rock story you’d like to share? Email me at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com I may feature your story in my next article.

Continue reading on Examiner.com:http://www.examiner.com/classic-rock-music-2-in-st-petersburg/ray-shasho