Deák Bill Gyula / Deak Bill Gyula

Deák Bill Gyula is a Hungarian blues singer whose career spans several decades. Prior to embarking on a solo career in the mid-'80s, he was a member of the Hobo Blues Band, with which he released several albums. Born Deák Gyula on November 8, 1948, in Budapest, he grew up listening to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, the Doors, and other blues-influenced rock acts of the mid- to late '60s. In 1979 he joined the lineup of the Hobo Blues Band, which had formed one year prior, and he was a singer in the band for several years. He is credited with vocals on Hobo Blues Band albums including Középeurópai Hobo Blues (1980), Oly Sokáig Voltunk Lenn (1982), Még Élünk (1983), and Vadászat (1984), plus the latter-day releases Kopaszkutya (1993) and Csintalan Lányok, Rossz Fiúk (1994). Gyula made his solo debut in 1984 with Rossz Vér and released additional albums from time to time over the years, among them Mindhalálig Blues (1986), Bunön, Börtönön, Bánaton Túl (1993), Bort, Bluest, Békességet (1999), Bill Kapitány Blues Cirkusza (2001), and Hatvan Csapás (2008). In 2008, by which time he was considered something of a legend in his homeland, Gyula celebrated his 60th birthday with a triumphant concert later released on CD/DVD as 60. Születésnapi Jubileumi Nagykoncert (2009).