Mama Winslow: Press

Camden County College music Professor Michael Billingsley is releasing his first pop album after a lifetime of performing jazz. His band’s name is Mama Winslow, and it consists mostly of fellow CCC instructors.
Billingsley, who lives in Delran, began his musical studies at the age of 9. Following his father, the fourth-grader picked up the trumpet and knew that knew that he would play music for the rest of his life. Thanks to the influence of school band director Bill Garton, he soon knew that he also would enter music education.

Billingsley began private studies with local teacher Rick Kerber, who solidified Billingsley’s decision to pursue music and education, during high school. Following Kerber’s advice, Billingsley attended the University of Arts in Philadelphia and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Throughout his own studies, he began giving lessons and playing trumpet professionally in dance bands, with small jazz groups and as a church soloist.

Billingsley next followed his mother, a longtime administrator at Camden County College. He began teaching at CCC as an adjunct instructor right after graduate school and became a full-time faculty member in 2001.

Since coming to CCC, Billingsley has introduced student recitals for the “Commercial Ensemble” courses he teaches and brought a number of jazz events – festivals, performances, competitions, etc. – to fruition. He also created the music recording technology study option that the college now offers and is working to capitalize on the industry’s Philadelphia resources and opportunities and develop new possibilities in that realm for CCC students.

Billingsley’s first students at CCC got him to venture into pop. Because most had no training in jazz or classical music, he decided to have them play the genre of music with which they were most comfortable – popular rock’n’roll. To get them playing together, he would incorporate chords, grooves and songs that he was writing along with chords and songs that they already knew.

To be able to do this, Billingsley had to become familiar with a lot of popular songs and the way they were constructed. During this process, he began falling in love with their simplicity and storytelling capabilities.

Mama Winslow’s first album can be described as funky pop. According to Billingsley, influences included The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest, Ben Folds Five, Stevie Wonder and The Beatles.

The band’s Web site – where three songs can be heard – is located at www.myspace.com/MAMAWINSLOW.