Billy Bacon And The Forbidden Pigs were formed in 1984 in San Diego Ca. amidst the southern California roots rock craze of the ‘80’s, which included such notables as; Los Lobos, The Blasters, Rosie Flores, Mojo Nixon, The Beat farmers, and The Paladins. Like these contemporaries, the emphasis was on solid song writing and raucous live shows consisting of an eclectic and vibrant stew of American roots music including Tex Mex, R&B, Rockabilly, Pop and classic Country which brought enthusiastic crowds throughout the region. Within a few short years “The Pigs” (as they are known to their fans) were playing the clubs, honkytonks, and festivals nationwide. They released their first single, Una mas Cerveza (a 45rpm record) on Mark Neill’s homespun San Diego label; Swingin’ Records in 1988. By 1991, with the help of friend and mentor Mojo Nixon, they landed a record deal with the Los Angeles based indie; Triple X Records. By the early ‘90’s with two full length albums under their belt they began to tour overseas playing to Americana hungry audiences in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Canada, and Mexico, thus expanding their fan base. The Pigs were playing over 250 shows a year at this point. They were a nonstop touring band taking an occasional break to record. They have released nine albums to date which boast a list of “honorary Pigs” such as: Joe Walsh, Michael Doucet, Dave Alvin, Evan Johns, Country Dick Montana, Mojo Nixon, Buddy Blue, Chris Gaffney, Wade Preston, John “Juke” Logan and Kandye Kane. In 1998 founder, singer/songwriter, bassist and front man, Billy Bacon (W. Seth Russell) was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, but this did not affect his ability to continue the rigorous touring schedule at first. By 2006 the condition had finally begun to worsen to the point that touring was no longer an option. The band was now only playing occasionally. Today, after several different treatments Billy is showing improvement in his condition. The band still plays from time to time in clubs and at festivals. There is no permanent line up these days. Billy draws from a sty of world class musicians from Ca., Tx., and the Midwest. There is also a new album in the works and the inclusion of the song, Are You Going Back There Tonight in the upcoming William Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection) film Killer Joe, starring Mathew McConaughey due to be released 7/12. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.