Biographies

The Boston Globe said Brendan Bulger makes “one fiddle sound like two” and is “prodigiously talented.” The Irish American News remarked that “Bulger's fiddle playing is perfect . . . and (try as we might) there is nothing more to say. He is wonderful. Period. Full stop.” His fiddle playing has been the subject of highly flattering articles in such publications as Treoir, Boston Magazine, Boston Irish Reporter, and the French language Trad Music Magazine.

Teaching Credits
Berklee College of Music Seminar (Boston, MA)
Boston College Gaelic Roots Festival (Chestnut Hill, MA)
Old Town School of Folk Music (Chicago, IL)
Montana State Old Time Fiddler Society (Great Falls, MT)
Swannanoa Gathering (Asheville, NC)
World Folk Music Company (Chicago, IL)

Awards
Top Ten Irish Traditional Album of 2003, Irish Echo
1990 All Ireland Fiddle Champion
1991 Runner-up All Ireland Slow Air Championship
9-time 1^st Place in North American Irish Fiddle Competitions
1991 Boston Music Award Nominee
Member of Championship Ceili Band, Midwest Region (2001-2003)

Audio Recordings
Music at the House, Marty Fahey, Kathleen Gavin, 2003
The Sprigs, Marc McGowan, James Conway, Bill Knox, 2003
Anish, Anish, 2001
Brendan Bulger, Brendan Bulger, 2001
Coll, Pat Broaders, Sean Ryan, 2000
Music for Your Favorite Dances, Noel Henry’s Irish Showband, 1993

Theatre
Arranged and performed music for Boston University’s Huntington Theatre production of “The Last Hurrah” by Edwin O’Connor, 1999

Film
Composed, arranged and performed music for soundtrack of independently released film, The Bounty, 2001 

Partial Performance Credits

USA
Irish Fest (Milwaukee, WI)
Celtic Fest (Chicago, IL)
Gaelic Park Irish Festival (Tinley Park, IL)
Stonehill College Festival (Norwell, MA)
Wolftrap Festival (Washington, D.C.)
Weiser (Weiser, ID)
Festival of American Fiddle Tunes (Pt. Townsend, WA)
Chamizal Border Folk Festival (El Paso, TX)
University of Alaska (Fairbanks, AK)
Savannah Irish Parade (Savannah, GA)
Blarney Star Concert Series (Manhattan, NY)
Berea Irish Festival (Cleveland, OH)
Iowa Celtic Festival (Fairfield, Iowa)
The Mucky Duck (Houston, TX)

Europe

The Hasselt Folkfest (Belgium)
Festival Boite e Bois (Caen, France)
Le Trois Marchands (Guemene Sur Scorf, Brittany)
Le Toucouleur (Tregastale, Brittany),
The Folk Club Twente (Enscende, Holland)
Casino du Palais (Le Touquet, France)
Den Ekster (Dranouter, Belgium)
Le Biplan (Lille, France)
O’Carolan’s Concert Series (Bergen Op Zoom, Holland)
McDade’s Concert Series (LeHavre, France)
Hazebrouck (France)
Estaminet des Damoiselles (Nieppe, Flanders)
The Scottish Weekend (Bilzen, Belgium)
Belfast Castle (Belfast, N.I.)

Billy Knox is best known as the lead guitarist for the popular European and North American touring band, Sprïgs which he heads up with Boston violinist, Brendan Bulger. Fareed Haque (Garaj Mahal) has described Billy's playing as "very intricate" and legendary French multi-instrumentalist Julien Biget (Ensemble de Gabriel Yacoub) has observed Billy's accompaniment as follows: “...sui generis, my most preferred traditional guitar style and the only one I can immediately identify". 

Billy Knox is the the exclusive North American endorser for master luthier, Risto Ivanovski. In addition to his guitaring, he plays the club melodeon using "Knox' Lucky Club System" a proprietary hybrid button/quasi-piano tone layout he invented to improve upon the limitations of the familiar British chromatic systems. Like Jim Conway of Sprïgs, he is also an avid throat singer focusing mainly on the Khoomei and Sygyt styles. Billy was awarded the coveted State of Illinois Ethnic Arts Council Grant and will be heard on Seamus Connolly's much anticipated and massive anthology of Irish music. 

Just look at some of the places Billy plays.
Hasselt Fest (Belgium)T
The Boston Folk Festival
Festival Boite e Bois (Caen, Normandy)
Le Trois Marchands (Guemene Sur Scorf, Brittany)
Le Toucouleur (Tregastel, Brittany)
Folk Club Twente (Enschnede, Holland)
Casino du Palais (Le Touquet, France)
Den Ekster (Dranouter, Belgium)
Den Heksenketel (Antwerpen, Belgium)
Le Boed Kafe (Glomel, Brittany)
Le Biplan (Lille, Flanders)
BOZ Traditional Concert Series (Bergen Op Zoom, Zeeland)
LeHarve Traditional Concert Series (Normandy)
Hazebrouck Concert Hall (France)
 (Estaminet des DamoisellesFlanders)
The Ho (Chicago)
The Blackstone River Theatre (Rhode Island)
Cafe Paradisio (Iowa)
The Chamizal Border Festival (Texas)

In addition to Sprïgs, here is a partial list of the fine musicians who have dueted with Billy Knox.

Tommy Peoples (The Bothy Band)
John Williams (Steam and Solas!)
Larry Nugent (The Larry Nugent Band)
Jimmy Keane (bohola)
Jacky Moran (Comas)
John Creavan
Seamus Connolly
Chico Welch
Steve West
Mack McGowan
Bernie Conneely (London Lassies)