Billy Jeter

Both Sides of the Riverbank

I sat on the bank of the Rio Grande River Thursday cleaning up and editing a new song, King of Duval County. On my left was my battered Gibson L-00 guitar, which is older than me.  On my right was my bird dog, Finn, and a Spanish double 28 gauge bird gun.  Around my neck hung my binoculars for birdwatching.

I had spent the last two days following a brace of English setter bird dogs that were searching for bobwhite quail. I had also spent the warm afternoons with Susan along the…

The second half of 2025 found me in an unusual state—caught thinking about what got away. One of those once-in-a-lifetime, historic music invitations dangled right in front of me, close enough to see but not quite to grab. I brooded for a couple of days, pacing around with the familiar soundtrack of what-ifs echoing in my head.

Then a little beam of light—quite literally—landed in my dulcimer case.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with some legendary singers and performing on some truly great stages, each…

Rollin' and Tumblin’, the great blues standard, was first recorded by Hambone Willie Newbern in 1929. It has been adapted by many of the greats of the blues world, from Muddy Waters to Dylan.  I like it for the title of this blog and future podcasts, hopefully, because Hambone is dear to my heart, and Willie is short for William. My father, my son, my grandson and I share the name.  Also, it describes my last year in music.

Delta Traces was released in October 2024, with a blast off from the Arkansas…