BLACKJACK BILLY

Patrick Cornell is a current American recording artist, songwriter and session/touring bass guitarist who has released three solo albums, is the bass guitarist in Blackjack Billy and Circus Diablo and has performed with such artists as Dave Navarro, Billy Duffy (The Cult), Matt Sorum (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver), Billy Morrison (Billy Idol), Rob Patterson (Korn, Filter), Ricky Warwick (The Almighty, Thin Lizzy), Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray), Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), Juliette Lewis, Dave Kushner (Velvet Revolver), American Idol’s John Peter Lewis, Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi, Steve Stevens (Billy Idol), Jeremy Colson (Billy Idol, Steve Vai), Kendall Payne, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and the celebrity cover band Camp Freddy. His music is available on iTunes and other digital music stores worldwide. Slumming at dives like Canal Street Tavern in his hometown of Dayton, OH, Cornell quit college after only one quarter at the Cincinnati Conservatory Of Music in 1998 where he was pursuing a music degree in jazz and studio music and moved to Los Angeles, CA–he soon after started working as a session bass guitarist. In 1999, one year after his arrival in Los Angeles he was asked to join LA punk rock band, Blindsided. Cornell accepted and Blindsided recorded a demo EP, which landed on the desk of Epitaph Records owner and founder, Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion. Gurewitz offered Blindsided a three album record deal. Negotiations ensued between the band and labels respective attorneys but neither party could reach a mutual agreement and a deal was not struck. They did, however, license two of their songs to the movie, Too Smooth, featuring Neve Campbell and Rebecca Gayheart. Blindsided disbanded and Cornell continued his session work, recording, writing, and performing with local signed and unsigned LA bands and artists. In July 2002, at the suggestion of a friend who also worked there, Cornell took a job at a recording studio owned by Microsoft co-founder/billionaire, Paul Allen, in addition to his freelance session work, assisting with the many recording sessions that came through the studio with classic artists like Yes, Heart, and The Blues Brothers. The studios head engineer, Patrick MacDougall, who had recorded such artists as The Replacements, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Dave Stewart, and Robbie Robertson, among many others, befriended Cornell and took him under his wing and taught him much of what he knows today about recording, mixing, and mastering. Cornell is credited as assistant engineer in the liner notes of the Blues Brothers album, Belushi/Aykroyd–Have Love Will Travel. Paul Allen, an accomplished guitarist in addition to co-founding Microsoft, has a full rock band that travels the world with him. Word about Cornell’s engineering and bass playing skills got to Allen’s band leader and Cornell found himself the new bassist in Allen’s band in the beginning of 2004. Cornell traveled the globe on Allen’s private jets, choppers, and yachts performing at his many parties with Bill Gates, Naomi Campbell, Puff Daddy, Giorgio Armani, Linda Evangelista, Robbie Robertson (The Band, Bob Dylan), Dan Aykroyd and many others. Cornell and Allen remain friends to this day and Cornell has worked as a bass guitarist in Allen’s studio since. In 2003, Cornell had joined LA alt-country band, Fanny Grace (performing with them during his off time from traveling with Paul Allen), after meeting Fanny Grace’s guitarist and songwriter, Paul Reeves (EG Daily), on a recording session in LA. In late 2004, Fanny Grace relocated to Nashville, TN and Cornell joined them–looking for a break from the LA scene. Upon arrival in Nashville they toured the country for a year sometimes playing three radio stations a day and a club that night. In just two years they’d gone from a small residency at Fox & Hounds pub in North Hollywood, CA to having a single on mainstream country radio, (starting with LA’s KZLA), performing at The Academy Of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, NV and ending their tour on the fourth of July 2005, opening for country superstars, Lonestar, for 13,000 people at the Idaho Center in Boise, ID. Cornell returned to LA to take a break from touring and return to session work. During this time he signed on for a few gigs with American Idol’s Jon Peter Lewis, performing with him at The Roxy Theatre in LA and played bass guitar on Capitol Record’s recording artist, Kendall Payne’s, Paper Skin, album. He also started a band called Chasing Aimee with friend and actress, Aimee Lynn Chadwick, who had recently appeared in the movie, A Cinderella Story, along side Hillary Duff. Chasing Aimee licensed their song, Something I Can Live Without, to the movie Ghost Game, which had its theatrical release in LA and DVD in Germany. In December 2006, Cornell made his first solo recording. During this time he became a virtual recluse, holed up in his Hollywood Hills bungalow and recorded, This Much Is True, a six song EP. Cornell performed all vocals and instruments himself. It received positive reviews and its opening track, Liquor And Drugs, was licensed to Direct TV’s channel, The 101, for use in its commercials. In 2007, Cornell’s name and solid reputation as a rock bassist attracted Billy Morrison (Billy Idol, Camp Freddy). Morrison was looking for a new bass guitarist for his band, Circus Diablo, as the current bassist, Brett Scallions, former lead singer of Fuel, was unable to continue on in Circus Diablo when he was hired as the new singer for The Doors. Cornell replaced Scallions and joined Circus Diablo along side its other members: Billy Morrison (Billy Idol, Camp Freddy), Billy Duffy (The Cult), Ricky Warwick (The Almighty), and Rob Patterson (Korn, Filter), playing gigs around LA and opening for Velvet Revolver and Alice In Chains at LA’s Universal Amphitheater. In March 2008, Cornell and Morrison, now friends from Circus Diablo, entered the studio to record Morrison’s solo EP, Be Yourself. Cornell co-wrote the EP along with Morrison and played bass guitar. It was released in Feb. 2011. Also in 2008, Cornell was asked to join Billy Morrison’s celebrity cover band, Camp Freddy, for a couple of LA gigs. Cornell joined the band for a sold out show at LA’s Viper Room and at the Sunset Strip Music Festival along side Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers), Billy Duffy (The Cult), Dave Kushner (Velvet Revolver), Matt Sorum (Guns ‘N Roses) Mark McGrath, Donovan Leitch, Warren DeMartini (Ratt), and Chris Cheney (Jane’s Addiction, Alanis Morrisette). In September 2008, Cornell released his second solo recording, a four song EP entitled, Juliana, recorded in the same fashion as his first, playing all instruments himself. It received positive reviews as well and features an alternate ‘Nashville’ version of the song, Black Beauty, a fan favorite from his debut EP. In 2009, while Circus Diablo was on hiatus, Cornell was invited to open for Ricky Warwick (The Almighty, Circus Diablo, Thin Lizzy) while Warwick embarked on a solo tour of the U.K. in support of his album, Belfast Confetti. Cornell and Warwick became friends while in Circus Diablo together and shared a common love of 60’s and 70’s rock n roll. Cornell opened each show solo on acoustic guitar. Following the U.K. tour with Warwick, Cornell headed out on his first solo tour. This was a thirteen-date tour of the American Midwest taking Cornell back to his homeland and even playing the club he started in at 16, Canal Street Tavern in Dayton, OH. By September 2009, after his UK and American Midwest tours, Cornell had written 18 new songs about the demise of his two-year relationship with his then ex girlfriend. Cornell called on long time friend and former Fanny Grace band mate, Paul Reeves, to produce his first full-length album. Reeves, still living in Nashville suggested Johnny Cash’s house/studio, the legendary Cash Cabin in Hendersonville, TN for the recording location, as Reeves was friends with Cash’s son, John Carter Cash, who now owned his fathers studio and had produced Fanny Grace’s last album, Rise And Shine. Cornell and Reeves both shared a love of 70’s rock n roll and wanted to make a record in the style of the Eagles and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. In April 2010, Cornell released his third solo recording and first full length album, Wrecking Ball–eight songs that tell the story of love lost, the struggle to find one’s self, and the healing after letting go. Cornell took a two year break from music following his Wrecking Ball release to go back to college. In August, 2010, Cornell launched his mobile app & web design boutique, Cornell Design Group LLC, and in September, 2011, completed his Bachelor Of Fine Arts in Web Design & Interactive Media and graduated from The Art Institute Of Tennessee–Nashville. A chance meeting with Rob Blackledge in Cornell’s Nashville condominium pool in the summer of 2011, led to Blackledge and Cornell becoming friends. Cornell took a listen to the country/rock music that Blackledge and his friend Noll Billings had been writing and recording with producer, Jeff Coplan, for six months prior and instantly loved it. For months after hearing the CD, Cornell introduced himself to people around Nashville as the bass guitarist in Blackjack Billy, which, he was not. However, when Blackjack Billy’s bass guitarist became unavailable in January, 2012, Blackledge and Billings asked Cornell to play bass guitar for them on a couple of gigs and eventually join the band–ending his two year break from performing and even listening to music. Cornell has been touring with Blackjack Billy ever since, recording on the forthcoming debut album and shooting the music video, Born To Ride. He also designed Blackjack Billy’s current EP artwork, concert posters, tour posters and website. Currently, Cornell is touring full time with Blackjack Billy as their bass guitarist and running his mobile app & web design boutique, Cornell Design Group LLC.