Billy Cross

Billy Cross (born in Manhattan, New York on July 15, 1946) is an American guitarist, singer and producer who has lived in Denmark since 1980. He has been part of the Danish bands Delta Cross Band, Cross-Schack-Ostermann and Everybody's Talking.

Career

Billy Cross started as a professional musician in the United States in 1960 as a studio musician and helped produce many albums. He played briefly with the 50's nostalgia act Sha Na Na and played guitar in the Broadway show of Hair. He became the musical director of the National touring company of Hair in 1972. Cross also played in Jim Rado's after Hair show, Rainbow in NYC. He played guitar on Jobriath's two albums and was a member of his live band. He first visited Denmark in 1974, giving concerts in Copenhagen and subsequently returned there often, although he worked with Bob Dylan and Meat Loaf at the time. Billy Cross was a member of Dylan's band from late 1977 to the spring of 1979 and took part in recording the live LP by Dylan in 1978, the live LP Bob Dylan at Budokan and the studio LP "Street legal". He was also a member of the New York based trio Topaz that released one LP in USA in 1977. He also played guitar on Robert Gordon/Link Wray's first two albums, "Robert Gordon & Link Wray" and "Fresh Fish Special". He also played on Link's album "Bullshot".

In 1979, Billy Cross recorded the album No Overdubs with the Danish blues/rock band Delta Blues Band of which he became a regular member, with the band name slightly changed to Delta Cross Band to welcome him. With Delta Cross Band, Billy Cross released four more albums: Rave On (1979), Up Front (1981), "Astro Kid" (1982) and Tough Times (1990). The greatest hits CD "Dirty Trax" was released some time later.

In 1980, Billy Cross produced Danish rock singer C.V. Jørgensen's Tidens tern, while also playing guitar and co-writing the music on the recording. He simultaneously remained committed to Delta Cross Band, who had slowed their activities down considerably after 1983, with fewer concerts.

In 1983, he wrote "Take Me Back" to Bonnie Tyler's signature-album Faster Than the Speed of Night.

Billy Cross also followed a solo career and an album, although he remained better known as a producer and a studio musician. In this capacity, he produced works by Anne Dorte Michelsen, C.V. Jørgensen, Björn Afzelius, Allan Olsen, Henning Stærk, Søs Fenger, Henrik Strube, Jørn Hoel, Pretty Maids, Johnny Madsen, Lars Lilholt and the Danish band Dalton made up of Lilholt, Madsen and Olsen.^[1] In recent years, he has been part of the trios Cross-Schack-Ostermann and Everybody's Talking. Everybody's Talking released four CD's: "Everybody's Talking", "Talk of the Town", "Louisiana", "Now We're Talking" between 2003 and 2010. In 2017 they released "We Need to Talk".

In 2004, he released his second solo album Life Is Good, followed by another album So Far So Good, released in 2009. He came back with his album The Dream Hasn't Changed in 2012. In 2015 he released his fourth solo LP, "Goodbye to the 60's".

Billy Cross has written two books, the American cook book "Mit amerikanske køkken" (2001) and a book of memoirs "Så langt så godt – et liv med rock" (2010), both in Danish.^[2]

Bibliography

• Mit amerikanske køkken, cook book (2001)
• Så langt så godt – et liv med rock, memoirs (2010)

Discography

Albums

References

External links

• Official website