Billy Kemp

A Baltimore native, Billy Kemp is a song and music maker, mostly roots music. Kemp has recorded six solo records and written over two hundred songs. He lives on the edge of the Cumberland Plateau in middle Tennessee with his partner, Sue Griffiths and their cat Minnie and their dog Maya. His latest record, The Craig Demos can be heard on Spotify: spotify:artist:0hrVTozNnJWc25wULwdj5n.

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The last five miles or so was a one lane windy road, slow going. We stopped at a parking area just before we arrived and changed into our wedding clothes. Then it was back in the car and onward to our destination. “There it is.” Nestled in amongst the pines and parking lots, we found the Drive Thru I Do wedding chapel and parking lot.

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That night, with the power out, we sat in the basement near the woodstove to stay warm. I decided to crack some of the black walnuts I had gathered last October that were used to make ink. I had about one hundred nuts to crack. They are a bit harder to crack than English walnuts. In fact, they make nut crackers specifically for black walnuts. Since we don’t have one of those I used a hammer, and it worked just fine. It was a crackin’ evening, the fire and the walnuts.

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So if you are in need for a gift of song, stories and music, you needn’t look any further. Here on the LifeSaverBridge we are ready to send your holiday bundle of song to you or anyone who is lucky enough to know you. Just send an email to: billykempmusic@gmail.com, let me know how many you would like and where to send them. I will send you an invoice from Paypal and your gift will be on its way. If you don’t use Paypal, we can find another way. I can even gift wrap it if you’d like. The holiday bundle for the three records will be $25 plus shipping and handling, which should’t be more than five dollars or so in the US.

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In the spring of 1986, I got a call from Ansley. He was Jeanne’s bandleader, and he asked me if I would be interested in playing rhythm guitar and back-up singing with her band. It had been a dream of mine to play the Opry since 1975 when I first listened to it in my 1960 Rambler on the AM radio. On a good night I could pick up the WSM Grand Ole Opry signal when I parked my car up near the Westchester Community Center in Oella, Maryland near Ellicott City. I told Ansley YES, YES, YES!!!

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And speaking of new records, many of you know I recently announced a new record I’ve released, The Craig Demos on June 18. The physical CDs arrived on July 1 and I wanted to let you know they are available now from my website. Please visit and have a listen. I hope that you enjoy it. These are recordings I wasn’t thinking about releasing when I tracked them, so this is my first unintentional record.

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