Magda Piskorczyk (PL) & Billy Gibson (USA) 2010 EUROPEAN TOUR (19.08 - 22.09.2010) Billy Gibson Harp virtuoso, energetic frontman and excellent vocalist from Memphis. In this "Home of Blues" he is called "The Prince of Beale Street". 2009 Winner of the very prestigious distinction for bluesmen (former W.C. Handy Award) Blues Music Award Instrumentalist Of The Year - Harmonica. He has realised one DVD and 6 CDs - two of them present his jazz fascinations and capabilities. Album "The Billy Gibson Band" was nominated to the Blues Award. www.myspace.com/thebillygibsonband www.billygibson.com Magda Piskorczyk Young singer with a mature, low and unusual voice timbre. Called "Black voice in a white costume". Guitar, bass guitar and percussion player. Two-time Semifinalist of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, USA. Blues Vocalist of the Year 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2009 in Poland. Well-known for her great contact with the audience. Fascinated with the Afro-American and African music. www.myspace.com/magdapiskorczyk www.magdapiskorczyk.com Billy Gibson and Magda Piskorczyk have met a few times: during Magda's visits in Memphis and at the Gastroblues Festival in Hungary. Each performance showed that they feel wonderful together on stage, complementing and inspiring each other. Their joint shows guarantee a double portion of boundless energy, lots of fun and the highest rank of musical craft. Billy Gibson will perform in Poland and Germany for the first time. He comes at the invitation of Magda Piskorczyk. The tour, organized by Magda's Menagament, will start on August 19 and last for one month. They will play in Poland, Germany and Czech Republic. During this tour they will be accompanied by the members of Magda's band: Aleksandra Siemieniuk (guitars), Adam Rozenman (percussion) and Marcin Jahr or Bartek Kazek (drums). VIDEO: Magda and Billy on stage together www.youtube.com/piskorczyk TOUR LINE-UP: Magda Piskorczyk (vocal, bass, acoustic guitar) with her band: Aleksandra Siemieniuk - electric, acoustic and dobro guitar; Bartek Kazek / Marcin Jahr - drums; Adam Rozenman - percussion and Magda's guest: Billy Gibson - vocal and harmonica    TOUR INFO WITH PRESS KITS: www.magdapiskorczyk.com/bg-D ======================================= BILLY GIBSON Harp virtuoso, vocalist, called „The Prince of Beale Street”, 2009 Winner of the Blues Music Award Instrumentalist Of The Year – Harmonica (very prestigious distinction for bluesmen, former W.C. Handy Award) Billy Gibson first picked up the harmonica at a very young age. “It was cheap and I could easily make sounds with it.” After high school, Gibson’s desire for learning and improving as a musician took him to Clarksdale, Mississippi, where he played with blues guitarist Johnnie Billington and drummer Bobby Little in Billington’s group The Midnighters. Like many before him, Gibson eventually left Mississippi for Memphis. “Beale Street was my university of blues,” recalls Gibson, referring to the lessons learned as a Beale Street performer. “For a young musician, all you have to do is look and listen and you can learn so much.” Billy Gibson was the member of bluesrock band Junkyardmen. He has made guest appearances on national recording artists’ CDs including Deborah Coleman’s Soft Place To Fall (Blind Pig 2000) and Michael Burks’ I Smell Smoke (Alligator 2003). Around the same time, Gibson received a BA in music from the University of Memphis. He is the author of six CDs (two of them show his jazz fascinations) and one DVD. Gibson’s career has been a constant progression and immersion into many genres of music, with blues being the foundation and primary inspiration of his artistic endeavours. Gibson’s talent and commitment have not gone unrecognized. In 1999 he received an endorsement from Hohner, his harmonica of choice. In 2005 he got the title of the Beale Street Entertainer of the Year. Next year he became Nominee to the Blues Award as Best New Artist Debut for the CD: “The Billy Gibson Band“ and in 2009 he received the Blues Music Award for the Instrumentalist Of The Year - Harmonica. In 2009 he took part in the Bluzapalooza Tour visiting the American troops in Iraq and Kuwait. Discography: DVD Billy Gibson - The Prince of Beale Street: Live at the North Atlantic Blues Festival DVD [2008] CD The Billy Gibson Band - Live at Rum Boogie Café [2007] The Billy Gibson Band - Southern Livin' [2006] Billy Gibson - The Billy Gibson Band [2005] Billy Gibson - In A Memphis Tone [2004] Billy Gibson - Nearness Of You [2001] Junkyardmen - Keep on Workin' [1999] Junkyardmen - Scrapheap Full of Blues [1998] Billy Gibson - Billy Gibson [1996] as a guest (chosen): Slowride - The Daddy Mack Blues Band [2006] Charlie Wood - Lucky [2006] Michael Burks - I Smell Smoke [2003] David Bowen - Where There's A Will There's A Way [2000] Deborah Coleman - Soft Place to Fall [2000] Multimedia: Billy Gibson on the BBCs "Destination Music": www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MFik2-eeYs www.myspace.com/thebillygibsonband www.billygibson.com ======================================= MAGDA PISKORCZYK (pronounce: peas-KOR-chick) is a young singer with a mature, low and unusual voice timbre. Described in France as “la voix noire et au costume blanc" (Black voice in a white costume). She is a guitar, bass guitar and percussion player, as well as a song writer. Magda performs music of Afro-American and African heritage. She is a two-time Semi-finalist of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, USA. Readers of the Polish blues quarterly chose her the Female Vocalist of the Year 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009. Magda has released two CDs: "Magda Live" (nominated to the Fryderyk Award, the most prestigious award of the Polish Phonographic Industry) and "Blues Travelling" featuring Michal Urbaniak, a renowned jazz violinist. In 2009 she was invited to play with Konoba, an international band performing traditional West African music. Magda regularly performs with her band and has given shows at many festivals almost all over Europe. MUSIC OF MAGDA PISKORCZYK is her tasteful arrangements of funk, blues, gospel, soul, rock and jazz classics and her own original compositions as well. Despite her music being deeply set in the Afro-American tradition, it is very personal and innovative at the same time. Joy and humour, great emotions and energy are mixed with deep messages, melancholy and moving sincerity. An unusual, very expressive usage of voice and perfectly matched sounds of guitars, a Hammond organ, a saxophone, percussion or other instruments make this music unique and captivating. Magda is known for the excellent contact with the audience, which is alternately involved in spontaneous amusement (collective singing, emotional shouting, hand-clapping or snapping their fingers) and deep reflection. She has performed with many famous musicians, such as Bob Margolin, Bob Brozman, Greg Zlap, Slidin’ Slim and Engerling group. www.youtube.com/piskorczyk www.myspace.com/magdapiskorczyk www.magdapiskorczyk.com ======================================= TOUR ORGANIZATION: Magda Piskorczyk Booking and Management Irek Graff (+48) 606-141-688; media@magdapiskorczyk.com www.magdapiskorczyk.com