Billy Bryans facts for kids

Billy Bryans (born William Taylor Bryans on September 15, 1947) was a talented Canadian musician. He played percussion, wrote songs, and produced music. He was also a DJ. Billy Bryans was best known as one of the people who started the band The Parachute Club.

He helped many different artists with their music. Some famous names he worked with include Dutch Mason, Raffi, and the Downchild Blues Band. Billy was born in Montreal, Quebec. But he lived most of his adult life in Toronto, Ontario. He loved world music and worked hard to share Caribbean, Cuban, and Latin American music with more people. He passed away on April 23, 2012, at 64 years old.

Billy's Music Journey

Billy Bryans grew up in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. His first professional band was called M.G. and The Escorts. They released three songs. This band played shows in cities like Montreal, Ottawa, and Kingston. They even performed at Expo 67, a big world's fair. They also opened for The Beach Boys at a concert in Montreal.

Billy was also friends with Jack Layton in high school. Jack Layton later became a very important Canadian politician. Billy gave him advice that helped Jack become president of their high school student council.

Moving to Toronto and Early Success

After finishing university, Billy moved to Toronto in 1970. He quickly became known as a great musician and producer. He worked with the Downchild Blues Band. He helped produce their first big hit song, "Flip, Flop and Fly". He also worked on their first album, Bootleg. This album was special because it was one of the first albums in Canada made and shared by the artists themselves.

Throughout the 1970s, Billy kept growing his skills. He worked on many records for different bands. Another famous producer, Daniel Lanois, even said that Billy's creative sound ideas inspired him.

The Parachute Club and Beyond

In 1979, Billy met Lorraine Segato. She was a singer and songwriter for the band Mama Quilla II. They started working together on music. Their first band together was called V. They played a mix of funk, soca, and reggae music. Billy sometimes played with Mama Quilla II too. Since he was the only guy in an all-female band, his bandmates jokingly gave him a T-shirt that said "Token Male."

Billy and Lorraine then formed The Parachute Club in 1982. They started the band after Billy was asked to play at a party for the Toronto International Film Festival. The Parachute Club became very popular.

While with Parachute Club, Billy also produced albums for other artists. He worked on Lillian Allen's reggae albums, Revolutionary Tea Party and Conditions Critical. These albums even won a Juno Award, which is a big music award in Canada. In 1987, he rearranged a song called "Curried Soul" by Moe Koffman. This version was used as the opening music for a popular radio show called As It Happens for many years.

Promoting World Music

After The Parachute Club broke up, Billy kept producing music. He worked with artists like AfroNubians, Raffi, and Buffy Sainte-Marie. In 1989, Billy and Aaron Davis were nominated for a Genie Award for their music in the film Office Party.

Billy loved world music. In 1991, he helped organize a concert series for world music artists. He also produced an album called The Gathering. This album featured Canadian world music artists. It won the first-ever Juno Award for World Music Album of the Year in 1992. In 1997, Billy helped produce the soundtrack for the Disney movie Jungle 2 Jungle, which had a lot of African music.

In the 2000s, Billy focused on sharing Latin music in Canada. He helped new artists like Laura Fernandez, Aline Morales, and Alex Cuba become well-known.

Later Years

In 2006, Billy shared that he had lung cancer. Many musicians in Toronto held a benefit concert to celebrate his recovery. In early 2012, his cancer returned. Another concert was held to help with his healthcare costs. Billy Bryans passed away a few days later, on April 23, 2012, in Toronto. He was 64 years old.