Ed Begley From Tattoo Billy Talks to Fanbase Music Magazine about the band’s Latest Single Frisky Whiskey, And How The Band All Started

Intro

Tattoo Billy was founded in the late 1980s by Hurstel Begley and son Ed Begley who is the last living member. Over the years the band has had a few line changes including Ed’s wife joining the lineup, the band has just released a new single, namely, Frisky Whiskey, which is a song about an older guy who lost everything and is trying to start over. The song was produced and guitar work was performed by Matt Gerace drums John Kathman and backup Vocals Sheri Landrum Begley John and Matt

We Catch up with Ed, Begley to get the exclusive

Enjoy The Read

Interview

Hi Ed, Welcome to Fanbase Music Magazine, Can you start by telling us where you are from?

Thank you for having me, I’m from Hamilton Ohio, the area I was from was the tallest point in the area and had the nickname the Knob….it was a poor area at the time with alot of homes with no indoor plumbing , so most had outhouses we had one local celebrity in the neighborhood we named Chicken George who walked around carrying his prized rooster from the Chicken coop that he lived in you may think I’m talking about living In in the country but no this was a urban area

what got you into music?

yes, My father Hurstel Begley was a renowned underground country singer and had the nickname Little Waylon because of his sound…but he could sing anything Percy Sledge, Ben E King, and do it without changing his voice…he didn’t imitate he sang one way and it worked in anything he put it too.

I joined him at 17 1/2 to start getting paid gigs, and we played a lot of ruff joints but most of my career was in what was deemed Honky-tonks or gun and Knife clubs. One my dad played was called the Bloody Bucket Jerry Lee Lewis played there and he mentions it in one of his interviews … my mom when she was 15 dated one of his drummers for a minute lol

How would you describe your genre?

In the past, we just did what we wrote most of it Country to Southern Rock. At some point, we were calling ourselves Gothic country because we had a song in Kiss of a Vampire movie with Daniel Goddard Martin Kove, and Mathias Hues in it. Directed by Joe Torantore. Then we had a song on a few Halloween radio stations called Black Hearted Lady back then so we were all over the place…now I would call it very modern country rock with a very original sound.

Tattoo Billy is quite an interesting name, can you tell us how that band name came about?

Yeah around 1995 we had run through several names and we were trying to find one to live with permanently. I was saying let’s call it Psycho Hillbilly and my dad was like let’s call it Tattoo Billy and it stuck. At the time I was the only one with tattoos so everyone thought I was Billy so it stuck as a band name and stage name.

Your wife is also in the band, can you tell us how it is to be in a band with your wife and how you separate family life from band life?

Yes, Sheri Landrum and she does the primary vocal for most of the 4-hour shows we mix covers with me doing signature originals. She did a version of Frisky-whiskey on YouTube check it out.

Do you feel some of the bands you listen to influence your writing and the music you do?

No, I hear the songs in my head then put them down then my producer Matt Gerace helps develop them. But the music I like is all over genres, I love Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash but I like Senses Faile, Taking Back Sunday, The Smiths, The Cure, Foxy Shazam, and right now I’m jamming out to Blame My Youth, their new track Stupid Human. Also love 3 Doors Down Stained yeah It All Over…love the Animals the Beatles ext. a lot of 60s Herman Hermits even lol

Tupac and Biggie even picked up on rap when I was a prize fighter out of Winton Terrace Cincinnati and Millvale Gyms.

Okay let’s talk about the new single Frisky Whiskey, what is the song about?

It’s about a working man whose world is turned upside down when his wife divorces him…he starts drinking then gets a DUI and is trying to turn things around. The breakdown when it says I’m Looking back on Lukenbach,

Is my reflection of me at 51 looking back at all these years playing trying to keep the memory of 3 original members who have passed on and tattoo Billy’s legacy alive.

Where was the track recorded and who worked on it?

I recorded at my producer’s studio Matt Gerace, he played guitar backup vocals John Kathman played drums and backup vocals and my wife Sheri Landrum did backup vocals and I Ed Begley did bass and lead vocals.

What was the recording process like?

Recording was a blast Matt keeps things fun and timely.

How does it differ from what you have released before?

Taking the time to make sure things are right with a producer who cares. most of Tattoo Billy’s Older recordings were one-take recordings.

You also have a cool music video out can you tell us more about it?

Yes Jonathan Joss liked the song and said he would like to do a video for it. It was awesome as Jonathan is a well known talented actor being the voice of John Redcorn From King Of The Hill and Badface in Tulsa King. So he filmed his part in Texas and filmed mine in Ohio and mashed it together. It was a real honor to work with him.