One of Ireland’s finest…
As a full-time player Miskimmin’s Little Walter-influenced musicianship blossomed and his playing live and on albums like Give Me No Lip Child alerted the blues world to a major new talent.
Bruce Willis, himself a harmonica player, became a fan, hiring Nine Below Zero to play at the Hollywood premiere of his Twelve Monkeys film and even sitting in with the band.
Miskimmin’s reputation quickly spread beyond the blues world and he played sessions for Stiff Little Fingers, Marc Almond and others. An acclaimed solo album Billy Boy Comes Clean featured his songwriting and singing as well as showcasing some of the most thrilling harmonica playing of his career.
In 2003 The Yardbirds recruited Billy Boy, his soloing becoming one of the band’s most distinctive features, as the soloing of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page had been in earlier times. Live At BB King Blues Club provided irresistible proof of how integral Miskimmin’s playing had become to the band’s sound.
With The Yardbirds Miskimmin became part of rock and blues aristocracy, playing with legends like BB King and The Doors and earning accolades not only from Alice Cooper but from Jimmy Page, Scotty Moore and others
