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Bret Billings
Steel guitar, dobro, harp and vocals
Bret Billings, a.k.a. the Man of Steel, is a Denver native
with an extensive and impressive background in the local country
music scene. His parents bought him his first steel guitar
while he was a teenager, and he became a student of local
steel guitar legend Dick Meis when he was 16. Bret has played
locally and regionally since 1977 with the Deperados, Kenny
Brent and the Texas Express, Briar Rose, the Red Eye Band
and many others.
Bret is the only member of the Hi-Beams to have appeared
on stage with Willie Nelson. He was heavily influenced by
the California country rock scene of the 70's--the Eagles,
Linda Ronstadt, Poco, New Riders of the Purple Sage and a
little later Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, Rodney Crowell,
and others. His steel influences included players from that
scene--Buddy Cage, Dan Dugmore, Rusty Young, Sneaky Pete,
J.D. Maness, Tom Brumley , Ralph Mooney and Lucky Oceans with
Asleep at the Wheel. |
