Billy Bean

Who was Billy Bean?

William Fredrick "Billy" Bean was an American jazz guitarist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bean was born into a musical family; his mother played piano, his father guitar, and his sister was a professional singer. Bean studied privately on his instrument and played locally in Philadelphia in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He moved to California in 1958, where he became associated with the West Coast jazz scene.

He only recorded a handful of albums in his short career, two of which were with fellow guitar legend, John Pisano in the late 1950s as well as an album with the Trio featuring pianist Walter Norris and bassist Hal Gaylor. Bean played as a sideman with Zoot Sims, Paul Horn, Buddy Collette, Charlie Ventura, Calvin Jackson, Bud Shank, and Les Elgart,Herb and Lorraine Geller. His influence is heard in many players including Pat Martino. Larry Coryell wrote a tune entitled "Billy Bean" in tribute to him.

A biography about Bean's life entitled Billy Bean: The Life and Music of a Jazz Guitar Legend was published in 2013 by Midoriyama Publishing. Authored by musicologist Seth Greenberg, two editions were released: a two-volume unabridged and a single-volume abridged.