Billy Joe Winghead

The sleaze-rock outfit Billy Joe Winghead originated in 1993 when John Manson, one-time frontman of Kustom Kar Kommandos, first shaped the project as a solo effort. After leaving behind his long-term base in Chicago and heading back to his birthplace of Oklahoma, Manson brought in guitarists D.J. Eddie Lee and Dan Grilley, bassist Steve Jones, and drummer Dustin Reynolds to stage the group’s initial concert on New Year’s Eve. The debut cassette Because We Like You surfaced in fall 1994, followed that spring by the instrumental concept album Blood Surfer. The Motosports EP appeared midway through 1996, and Billy Joe Winghead delivered its first CD, Greetings from Beto Junction, the next year; Be Your Own Boss arrived in late 1999.