Bill Jo-

Bill  is a singer, songwriter and multi instrumentalist born in Hartford Ct in 1958. His career as an entertainer began at the age of four singing and dancing in local amatuer theater productions with his mother and siblings.  
As a teenager he sang and played bass in a local "Big Band", Avalanche. The group played regular shows at weddings and school dances in the Hartford Connecticut area until his dad moved the family to Indiana in 1976. The following year he recieved a grant in Graphic Arts from Indiana State University in Terre Haute. It was here Bill discovered his love of Bluegrass Music. A college roommate who played banjo, bass, guitar, and sang, exposing him to the music of Bill Monroe. Room 705 of ISU´s "Jones Hall" dormitory soon became a meeting point of local bluegrass pickers from the Terre Haute area and it wasn´t long before Bill joined his first bluegrass band, Buckskin. 
Led by Teddy Laughrey, a short time mandolin player for Jimmy Martins Sunny Mountian Boys, one of the first gig´s with the band was at Bill Monroe´s Easter concert at near-by Bean Blossom, Indiana. During the next 3 years Buckskin toured the midwest in a yellow "Dodge" school bus playing clubs and Bluegrass festivals as well as a summer at Cedar Point Amusement Park. The band split in the fall of 1980 and Bill  joined the Army for a 4 year tour. 
During the 2nd half of his tour, Bill was shipped to Nuremberg Germany and started his own country band, Cripple Creek, playing service clubs and parties.

Bill was honorably discharged in 1984 but remained in Germany making a name for himself as a professional musician with his own band, a house jazz trio moving to upright bass in the 90's playing live and doing studio session work, eventually becoming a member of the German Composers Union, Gema with scores of commercial songs and jingles to his credit.

From the mid to late 90's until 2005  Bill  toured and recorded with Shady Mix and then with 3 time Grammy winner John Ely until moving back to the states because of family obligations. Bill now lives in Killeen TX with his wife Inge. He still plays and teaches, is very active in the church and enjoys fishing and traveling.