Billy Gibbons: Emmy Award-winning online music series Skyville Live has announced the initial lineup for a special Guitar Greats show

GUITAR GREATS BILLY GIBBONS, ROBERT RANDOLPH AND BLACKYBERRY SMOKE FRONTMAN CHARLIE STARR ANNOUNCED FOR SKYVILLE LIVE ON MAY 4

NASHVILLE – (April 24, 2017) – Emmy Award-winning online music series Skyville Live has announced the initial lineup for a special Guitar Greats show on May 4 featuring Billy Gibbons, Robert Randolph and Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke. These celebrated singers, songwriters and guitarists will bring some of their biggest hits to the Skyville Live stage as they showcase the genre-defying power of the instrument. With additional artists to be announced shortly, full details on the May 4 show, including streaming details, can be found at SkyvilleLive.com.

“Billy, Robert and Charlie are all guitar heroes and speak to the wealth of great guitarists across genres that captivate us and steal the stage with their exceptional skill,” comments Wally Wilson, creator of Skyville Live. “We wanted to celebrate the wonderful legacy of these impassioned players and vocalists with this electrifying lineup.”

Beginning at 7 PM CT on Thursday, May 4, the latest edition of Skyville Live will also feature the Skyville Live band of industry elites. Led by guitarist Kenny Greenberg, the band features the best session musicians around including Steve Mackey (bass), Fred Eltringham (drums), Mike Rojas (keys) and a horn section conducted by Roy Agee and backup singers.

Unique and unexpected pairings will add to the growing list of once-in-a-lifetime collaborations delivered only by Skyville Live, from Lady Antebellum, Jason Isbell, Jewel, Brandy Clark and Amanda Shires bringing down the house with Kris Kristofferson on his classic “Me and Bobby McGee” to a fiery take on “Come to My Window” with Cam joining Melissa Etheridge on stage to the impassioned performance of Steve Earle’s “Pilgrim” featuring the acclaimed songwriter alongside Emmylou Harris, Brothers Osborne, Margo Price and Colter Wall.

A legendary master of the six-string, Billy Gibbons is widely regarded as one of America’s finest guitarists working in the blues-rock idiom. A centerpiece and one third of ZZ Top, the band’s sound owes much to his uncanny knack to squeeze unheard of sounds from his electric guitar that resonate with the blues, pop, R&B, country, gospel, western, hillbilly and West African influences that coalesced when Rock ‘N’ Roll was born. As a vocalist, his down and dirty growl is unmistakable; he sounds ominous and mirthful at the same time as listeners to such hits as “La Grange,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” and “Cheap Sunglasses” can attest. Coming together in 1969, ZZ Top is the longest running major rock band still composed of its original members and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

In 2015, Concord Records released Perfectamundo, the debut solo album from Gibbons, with backing by a handpicked group of stellar musicians. The album received both critical laudation and commercial success, topping the Billboard’s blues chart for a number of weeks.

Robert Randolph is a renowned pedal steel guitarist, vocalist and songwriter who is credited with taking sacred steel music from the church into the mainstream, fusing traditional sounds with elements of rock, funk, soul and jazz. On “Got Soul” - which features guest artists Anthony Hamilton, Darius Rucker and Cory Henry - Robert Randolph & the Family Band walk that line deftly, displaying their virtuosity within the context of a dozen smartly crafted tunes. Robert has shared the stage with guitar legends like Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana. In 2010 Rolling Stone Magazine named Robert one of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”

Charlie Starr is the lead singer and guitarist of the acclaimed American country-rock band Blackberry Smoke. The 5-piece band's acclaimed new album “Like An Arrow,” which features special guest Gregg Allman, recently debuted at No. 1 on both Billboard’s Country Albums and Americana Albums charts as well as No. 3 on Billboard’s Rock Albums chart. Known for their impressive live performances, the band has toured relentlessly, building a strong and loyal community of fans.



For more information and to learn about upcoming shows, visit SkyvilleLive.com