# Billy Oskay > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Billy_Oskay > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Billy_Oskay.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Oskay > Source revision: 1296754429 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|American violinist and record producer}} '''Billy Oskay''' is an American violinist and record producer. ==Biography== Billy Oskay was born and raised in [Kingston, New York](/source/Kingston%2C_New_York), where he first learned to play the violin at the age seven.{{cite web|last=Ankeny |first=Jason |title=Billy Oskay |publisher=AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/billy-oskay-mn0000769652/biography |accessdate=August 21, 2014}} In 1970, he began studying under Eugen Prokop at the International Academy of Music in [Palma de Mallorca](/source/Palma_de_Mallorca), Spain and in 1971 earned his master's degree in music from [Ball State University](/source/Ball_State_University) in [Indiana](/source/Indiana). Oskay was the head of the music department at Oregon's [Mt. Angel College](/source/Mt._Angel_College), and later joined the swing combo Everything's Jake. In 1983, he met Irish guitarist [Mícheál Ó Domhnaill](/source/M%C3%ADche%C3%A1l_%C3%93_Domhnaill) who was an influential figure in the Irish traditional music scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s, having performed for seven years with [The Bothy Band](/source/The_Bothy_Band) and collaborated for several years with the master fiddler [Kevin Burke](/source/Kevin_Burke_(musician)). Oskay and Ó Domhnaill began to collaborate on a new and innovative music that integrated traditional Irish, jazz, and classical chamber music. They composed and recorded some songs in Oskay's [Portland, Oregon](/source/Portland%2C_Oregon) home and were pleased with the unique understated sound they had created, which had a "rough but fresh quality that engendered a serene atmosphere". Ó Domhnaill signed a contract with William Ackerman at [Windham Hill Records](/source/Windham_Hill_Records), and the tracks he and Oskay had recorded in Portland were mixed and released in 1984 under the title ''[Nightnoise](/source/Nightnoise_(album))''. In 1987, Oskay and Ó Domhnaill were joined by Mícheál's sister, Irish pianist and vocalist Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, and Irish-American flutist [Brian Dunning](/source/Brian_Dunning_(flautist)) to found the musical group [Nightnoise](/source/Nightnoise). The group toured the world and recorded three additional albums: ''[Something of Time](/source/Something_of_Time)'' (1987), ''[At the End of the Evening](/source/At_the_End_of_the_Evening)'' (1988), and ''[The Parting Tide](/source/The_Parting_Tide)'' (1990). During that time, Oskay emerged as a prolific session musician appearing on projects by harp guitarist [John Doan](/source/John_Doan), bluegrass guitarist [Dan Crary](/source/Dan_Crary), and others. Oskay also produced many albums at his Oskay Recording studio in Portland.{{cite web|title=Billy Oskay |publisher=Big Red Studio |url=http://www.bigredstudio.com/about/ |accessdate=August 21, 2014}} In 1992, Oskay left Nightnoise to focus on record production. In 1993, he purchased {{Convert|26|acre}} of land in [Corbett, Oregon](/source/Corbett%2C_Oregon), where he built the Big Red Studio from 1997 to 2000. The studio's centerpiece was a 1979 Trident TSM console, once owned by [José Feliciano](/source/Jos%C3%A9_Feliciano).{{cite news |last=D'Antoni |first=Tom |title=Big Red Studio's Billy Oskay on a lifetime of recording music |newspaper=Oregon Music News |date=November 26, 2013 |url=http://oregonmusicnews.com/2013/11/26/video-big-red-studios-billy-oskay-lifetime-recording-music/ |accessdate=August 21, 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821184703/http://oregonmusicnews.com/2013/11/26/video-big-red-studios-billy-oskay-lifetime-recording-music/ |archivedate=August 21, 2014 }} Since 2000 Oskay has produced numerous musical artists at his Big Red Studio in Corbett, including ''[Drum Hat Buddha](/source/Drum_Hat_Buddha)'' (2001) by [Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer](/source/Dave_Carter_and_Tracy_Grammer), ''Blu di Genova'' (2003) by [Beppe Gambetta](/source/Beppe_Gambetta), and ''Renaissance of the Steel-String Guitar'' (2004) by [Dan Crary](/source/Dan_Crary). He still performs violin occasionally with [Seattle](/source/Seattle)-based singer-songwriter [Jim Page](/source/Jim_Page_(singer)). ==Discography== * ''[Nightnoise](/source/Nightnoise_(album))'' (1984) * ''[Something of Time](/source/Something_of_Time)'' (1987) * ''[At the End of the Evening](/source/At_the_End_of_the_Evening)'' (1988) * ''[The Parting Tide](/source/The_Parting_Tide)'' (1990) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.bigredstudio.com/ Big Red Studio] {{Nightnoise}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Oskay, Billy}} Category:Living people Category:Record producers from New York (state) Category:American male violinists Category:Musicians from Portland, Oregon Category:Musicians from Kingston, New York Category:Nightnoise members Category:20th-century American violinists Category:20th-century American male musicians Category:21st-century American violinists Category:21st-century American male musicians Category:Year of birth missing (living people) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Billy Oskay](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Oskay) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Oskay?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.