Billy Gibson first picked up the harmonica at a very young age in his hometown of Clinton, Mississippi. Gibson recalls liking the feel of the harp in his hands, and could easily make sounds with it. Graduating high school, Gibson’s desire for learning and improving as a musician took him to Clarksdale, Mississippi. In Clarksdale he came under the tutelage of blues guitarist Johnnie Billington and drummer Bobby Little, performing in Billington’s group The Midnighters. Gibson recalls Mr. Johnnie and Bobby taught him how to make music and about the "music business". Like many before him, Gibson eventually left Mississippi for Memphis. “Beale Street was my university of blues,” recalls Gibson, referring to a decade of lessons learned as a Beale Street performer. “For a young musician, all you had to do was look and listen and you could learn so much.” He also learned to play chromatic harmonica during this period from harmonica maestro, Pete Pedersen.
