William 'Billy' Sheehan (born on March 19, 1953 in Buffalo, New York) is an American bassist known for his work with bands like Mr. Big, Niacin and Talas, Billy Sheehan is often referred to as the "Eddie Van Halen of the Bass". He played in Steve Vai's band for a few years and currently has a project called Devil's Slingshot with guitar virtuoso Tony MacAlpine and drum virtuoso Virgil Donati. They released an album in October 2007 called Clinophobia. Sheehan has won the "Best Rock Bass Player" readers' poll from Guitar Player Magazine five times for his "lead bass" playing style. Guitar Player has likened his soloing on the four-string instrument to Eddie Van Halen's on the six-string guitar. Sheehan's repertoire includes the use of chording, two-handed tapping, right hand "three finger picking" technique and controlled feedback. However, Sheehan is also noted as a steady "true" bassist, fulfilling the traditional supportive role of the electric bass in the rock rhythm section. He has been a member of the Church of Scientology since 1971 and appeared on the street offering to defend it during Project Chanology. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.