Andy Billups

Infobox musical artist
Name = Andy Billups


Img_capt =
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Landscape = yes
Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name = Andrew James Billups
Alias = Ms Zsa Zsa Poltergeist
Born = birth date and age|1953|11|7
Boston, Lincolnshire, England
Died =
Origin = Spalding, Lincolnshire, England
Instrument = Guitar, bass, keyboards
Genre = Blues-rock, country rock, progressive rock, ambient
Occupation = Musician, songwriter, producer
Years_active = 32
Label = Rockin' Rodent Recordings
Associated_acts = The Hamsters, Eddie and The Blizzards, Whisky Mac, Academy
URL = [http://www.thehamsters.co.uk/ www.thehamsters.co.uk]
Notable_instruments = American Fender 5-String Jazz Bass

Andy Billups (born Andrew James Billups, November 7, 1953 to Joan and Harold Billups) also known as Ms Zsa Zsa Poltergeist, is the bass player for the The Hamsters.

Andy was born in Boston, Lincolnshire, England but at a young age his parents moved to Spalding, Lincolnshire where he lived until the age of 19.

Early interests

Aside from a solid interest in the guitar from the age of eight, Andy embarked on learning to play the trumpet during first year at Gleed School, continuing to do so to the point of opting for a music course at Boston College on leaving school in 1969. Within weeks of the course, his brass teacher suggested he consider switching to trombone on account of his embouchure being more suited to a larger mouthpiece. The switch was made without complication, and in 1973 he went on to study at Trinity College of Music, London specializing in the bass trombone. It was during the Trinity years that Andy first became involved with fellow Hamster members Slim and Otis, playing in Southend based band Eddie and The Blizzards circa 1973/74. The project was short lived, its members going their separate ways.

On graduation from Trinity, and with no real desire to teach or pursue a career in playing trombone, Andy promptly turned all his attention to a career in his first love, playing the guitar.

Going pro

After 'treading water' for twelve months as Music Librarian for Chappell Music, Bond Street, London, in 1977 Andy joined Whisky Mac, a club band that had just won ITV's "New Faces" [ [http://www.granthamjournal.co.uk/viewarticle.aspx?sectionid=835&articleid=495809 'Allo, 'Allo star at the Guildhall] Grantham Journal: article about former Whisky Mac member Keith 'Paddington' Richards. 1 May, 2003] , enjoying rare praise indeed from the show's most critical panel member, Tony Hatch. Within months, the drummer was replaced by Alan Parish, aka Otis from The Hamsters.

Fifteen months later in 1979, Andy and Alan decided to leave Whisky Mac to pursue the dreams of Academy, a band they'd started outside Whisky Mac. Academy likened themselves to bands such as Genesis and Renaissance, but the venture was ill-timed as punk was dominating the music scene, and Academy had pretty much missed the boat!

During the period 1979 - 1981 Andy earned a crust doing a variety of jobs including lorry driving, teaching guitar and bass (old pupils included Dave Randall, now guitarist with Faithless, and Tim Vogt, one time bass player with Bad Manners), session musician on both guitar and bass for many varied projects, ranging from background library music for Rediffusion (which later became AEI). He wrote and recorded over sixty titles for AEI, and has been a long-standing member of the Performing Rights Society (PRS). He sessioned on numerous albums for Christian artists (one of which was alongside the late great Alan Jarvis, drummer for Cliff Richard for many years) producing and playing acoustic and electric guitar on an album for Dave Bilbrough, played guitars on other albums for Graham Kendrick [ [http://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/kendrick/discog1.htm Graham Kendrick discography.] "Cresta Run" Album credit] , Eddie Kendricks [ [http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/album/album.cgi?ALBUMID=854201 Eddie Kendricks discography.] "People...Hold On" album credits] , Dave Bryant, Barry Compton, and played both guitars and bass on an album for Alan Clayton called "Fate Accompli". At the end of the 80s Billups spent a year playing guitar with a barn dance band called the Bucket Band.

The Hamsters years

From 1983 to 1988 Andy made a living as manager of a well-known Southend music shop called Honky Tonk Music. It was towards the end of that period that he received a phone call from The Hamsters' singer Slim telling him that their bass player, Andy Farrell, had resigned quite suddenly after a show. Slim asked Andy if he knew of a bass player they could call. Though Andy and Slim had been friends for years, Slim didn't know that Andy played bass as well as guitar. Andy informed Slim of this fact and he got the job straight away such was the urgency.

It was decided in the early days, by all concerned, that it would be a giggle if they had nom-de-plumes for stage purposes. They of course had to be witty and silly. The original name selected for Andy was "Blind Boy", but as it wasn't funny... and he didn't wear glasses Andy didn't think it appropriate. Slim, being a fan of the 1960s BBC radio comedy show "Round The Horne" remembered a character's unusual name [ [http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/kwas/rth/series2.html Round The Horne series 2 credits] ] , thus Andy became known as "Ms Zsa Zsa Poltergeist".

Andy joined The Hamsters in January 1988, In 1993 he decided to leave the band after he was diagnosed with focal dystonia (affecting his right hand) and felt that he couldn't play to the standard fans expected. He was replaced by Dave Bronze who had left the band to join Eric Clapton. He returned to the band 15 months later, in 1994, after developing a different technique using a thumb pick and re-educating his right hand [ [http://www.thehamsters.co.uk/interviews/dystonia.php Dystonia Debilitation In Musicians] A case study of musician Andy Billups from The Hamsters by Marc Sallis.] . Andy has remained with the band ever since.

olo work

Currently, in off-time between The Hamsters' hectic schedule he is midway through writing and recording a totally solo project of varied material (completely removed from that of The Hamsters) due for release mid 2008. The musical style of the new CD is totally different from the style he is most well-known for with excursions into ambient and folk-rock. Andy is also a UK endorsee of several instrument manufacturers.

Interests

Non-musical interests include photography, working with wood, and pretty much anything to do with boats. Twice married, Andy has four children by his first marriage, and two step-children with his second. He and his wife, Laura (an Holistic Therapist), reside on the South Coast of England.

References