RIP BILL HOWL-N-MADD PERRY  It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Bill Howl-N-Madd Perry in May 2023. Bill was a true blues musician, and a master at all types and genres of music. But the most important thing about Bill is that he loved his family more than anything else in the world. The Perry family are an example to everyone when it comes to love and commitment to each other. They are the Gold Standard in setting an example of how a family should be. They traveled the world together as a unit. I was fortunate to be Bill’s manager for a number of years and to work with him on several albums. Bill Howl-N-Madd Perry was always positive, creative, and determined. He was optimistic and greeted everyone with that great big laugh. Bill was on the Mississippi Delta Blues, Inc. for 20 years.

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Bill’s last performance was in Luanda, Angola. Bill Howl-N-Madd Perry with his son Bill Perry and Shy Perry performed at the International Jazz Festival 2023 in Luanda, Angola. Pauline Perry accompanied them on the trip.  The show was an astounding success, which is not a surprise for those who know the Perry’s.  They represented all that is true and great about the Blues and about Mississippi.

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Billy Joe Perry (better known as) Howl-N-Madd was born in Tula, MS. Howl-N-Madd's slave ancestors lived in the same shack where he was born. His mother always worked, and she carried him on her cotton sack while she picked cotton. His father was a sharecropper and pulp wood hauler. But his dad's real job was moonshining.

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​Howl-N-Madd's family moved up north to Chicago and that's where he really began to cut his teeth in music. At only 14 years old, he got the opportunity to play and record with gospel greats like the Clefs Of Calvary and The Salem Travelers. Howl-N-Madd recorded "Keep On Marching" with the Clefs of Calvary (HOB Records 268) and The Salem Travelers- “Wait On The Lord” with Chess Records. The Salem Travelers played at The Apollo Theatre for 12 days. He worked with Mildred Clark and the Melodyaires on ABC Records (Changing The World), Rev. Columbus Mann, Rev Earnest Franklin, The Violenaires, and

Albertina Walker, and ("I'm Leaving The Choice To You" and "It Sure Is Good"- Jewel Paula Records).

​Little Milton Campbell gave Howl-N-Madd his first opportunity to sing and play professionally in a blues band. He's had an extremely impressive career working with musicians like Johnnie Taylor, Little Johnnie Taylor, Freddie King, Cash McCall, and T-Bone Walker to name a few.

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​Howl-N-Madd went by the name Billy Easton in the 1960s and had a song that got major airplay called “I Was A Fool” with Dispo. He was one of the first people to be on the long running TV show Soul Train as Billy Easton. He led his own bands like Bill Perry and Rammit with Fantasy Records.

​After a few years away from music while living in California, Howl-N-Madd decided to go back to his roots. He and his family moved to Mississippi where he joined a group called The Relaxations. He inspired his kids to play music and started a family band called The Perrys'. Howl-N-Madd was on lead guitar, his son Bill was on lead keys, his daughter Sharo played bass keyboard, and a drummer. The Perrys performed for 5 months in Hong Kong, China and 3 months in Jakarta, Indonesia. They toured across America and played many festivals and tours.

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​Bill then formed The Bill Howl-N-Madd Perry band. He also performed as a duo with his daughter Shy Perry, becoming one of the most popular Duo groups performing in clubs and festivals nationally and internationally. 

​Howl-N-Madd is noted on several Mississippi Blues Markers. He is also the subject of an exhibit at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale. He was a music teacher at the Delta Blues Museum for 5 years and he helped educate many young children about the blues.