"I first heard Tony Williams when I was in the army band. That was in 1963 and Tony had just joined Miles Davis. He was only seventeen and I couldn't believe how he expressed himself so differently than other drummers!
That encouraged me to use some of his ideas such as play in the moment, react to what the other musicians did and to lead the band in other musical directions.
To this day that's my philosophy of drumming. That means learn the basic skills and then throw them away! That's what Tony did to create freedom in his playing and that's what I strive to do in mine!"
Drummingly Yours,
Billy, Mr. Clean, Arnold
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Born in South Bend, Indiana in 1942, Billy Arnold began playing the drums professionally at age 16. Later with the U.S. Army Band, Billy honed his skills for two years playing in a wide range of musical situations. Jazz is Billy's first love... Yet, he can play effortlessly in a wide variety of styles.
Billy has played with Junior Walker and the All Stars, The Whispers, Billy Taylor, Reggie Workman, Fred Tillis, Charles Greenlee, and Archie Shepp.Over the years, Billy has also worked with Bill Doggett, Teddy Wilson, Zoot Sims, Charlie Ventura, Ray Bryant, John Scofield , Herb Ellis, Buddy Tate, Wilson Pickett, and Jimmy McGriff. He also performed with The Springfield Symphony Orchestra under the direction of famed Boston Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler, and also played for President Ronald Reagan in 1988.
Billy is presently on tour with the internationally recognized Young@Heart Chorus under the direction of Bob Cilman. Their Twentieth Century Fox documentary 'Young@Heart' is the highest grossing British documentary ever released in the US. The film directed by Stephen Walker is a best seller as is their CD "Mostly Live" which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008 winning numerous awards ever since.
"Lots of movies make me cry—it’s not that hard to do—but this moment cut so deep, it left me gasping for air."
— DAVID ANSEN, Newsweek
"Deeply moving, sometimes hilarious, and always wonderful."
— DAVID BYRNE, Talking Heads
Billy is also a Jazz faculty member at numerous schools and colleges... Including, Holyoke, (MA) Community College, Springfield, (MA) College, Suffield (CT) Academy, and the Community Music School of Springfield, Massachusetts. He also has a large number of private students studying at his home studio.
https://youngatheartchorus.com/
https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/billy-arnold
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1652051778157853
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_3Jh4VHBTU
https://www.notsomoderndrummer.com/not-so-modern-drummer/2018/3/20/announcing-billy-arnolds-book
https://www.levellerspress.com/product/so-you-want-to-be-a-musician/
https://www.communitymusicschool.com/faculty/billy-arnold/
https://www.facebook.com/bill.arnold.14418
"Billy Arnold has been the rhythmic force behind Junior Walker to Archie Shepp. While those achievements alone are impressive, more importantly he continues to mold the lives of hundreds of kids through his teaching and contributions to his community."
- Rick Drumm