Rich Layton & Tough Town serve up hillbilly rock, rhythm and the honky tonk blues drenched in the neon glow of an East Texas roadhouse. This is high octane music harmonica-fueled and swampified. Front man Rich Layton sings with all the conviction of firebrand rock and roll preacher determined to save your soul– and his.

Together over a decade now, the band has released three albums and performs throughout the Northwest at showcase clubs and festivals. The most recent album “Salvation Road” is on Portland’s Never Lucky Records label.

Rich also appears as a special guest with Lyle Lovett & His Large Band each summer when their tour hits the NW and has joined other long-time friends on their Portland tour stops, including Lucinda Williams, Dale Watson, Buckwheat Zydeco (R.I.P.) and many others.

Reference Points: for fans of Marty Stuart, Dave Alvin, JD McPherson.

Born and raised in Louisville, KY, Americana singer, songwriter, and guitarist Billy Stoops has called the Pacific Northwest home for over four decades.
 
The energetic and charismatic front man was named “Entertainer of the Year” and “Best Male Vocalist” by the Washington Blues Society, while his distinctive guitar style on both electric and acoustic along with his groove-oriented songwriting garnered him a Tacoma Music Award for "Male Performer of the Year".
 
His band, Billy Stoops & the Dirt Angels, features the tight and driving rhythm section of bassist Barbra Blue and drummer Trevor Cutler, with the incomparable Troy Moss on lead guitar. Billy’s long-time music partner Leanne Trevalyan, with her spot-on harmony and tasteful percussion is the icing on the cake.
 
Stoops 2024 release “Bad Decisions” - the long awaited follow up to his acclaimed 2021 acoustic based recording “Wolf Moon”, features Stoops’ rich, soulful vocals and poignant lyrics on 10 all-original, pure-D, roots rockin’ tunes. “Stoops is a world class, alt-country, Americana poet.” Polly O’Keary, Washington Blues Society
 
Stoops is also a founding member of the popular swamp/roots band Junkyard Jane, a group with a briefcase full of accolades that has released eight CD’s of original music in their 25+ year tenure.
 
A former president of the Wichita Blues Society, Billy served on the Board of Directors for LMIA (Louisville Music Association), MERF (Musicians Emergency Resource Foundation), and the Tacoma Music Awards Committee.  He is currently in his 27th year as Emcee of the semiannual “Sunbanks Festival”, and was promoted to Director of Festivals in 2001.
 
His other past and present festival involvement includes production coordinator for the “Untapped Brews and Blues Festival”, co-producer and emcee for the “Tacoma Jazz and Blues Festival”, talent coordinator and board member of the “Leavenworth Music Festival”, emcee and talent coordinator for “Moonfest”, and emcee and co-director of the “Emerald City Music Fest”.
 
And if all that’s not enough - the Reverend Billy Stoops is a wedding officiant and has performed over 35 unique and interesting ceremonies since 1999.  
 
A proud father and grandfather, Billy’s hobbies include cycling, cooking, and most of all hanging out in Sayulita, Mexico where his kids and grandchildren live.