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EARLY LIFE Bang's family moved to , accessed July 17 , 2007 . SECONDARY EDUCATION Bang studied the violin until he earned a hardship scholarship to a prep school in , published November 11 , 2004 , accessed July 17 , 2007 . VIETNAM AND AFTER Bang spent six months in Basic Training and another two weeks learning jungle warfare, arriving in Vietnam just in time for the Tet Offensive . Starting out as an infantryrman, he did one tour of combat duty,, rising to the rank of Sergeant before he mustered out. After Bang returned from the war, his life lacked direction. The job he had held before being drafted had been filled in his absence. He pursued and then abandoned a law degree, before becoming politically active and falling in with an underground group of revolutionaries. The group recognized Bang's knowledge of weapons from his time in the Army, and they used him to procure firearms for the group during trips to Maryland and Virginia , buying from pawnshops and other small operators who did not conduct extensive background checks. During one of these trips, Bang spotted three violins hanging at the back of a pawnshop, and he impulsively purchased one. MUSICAL CAREER After serving in Vietnam during the Vietnam War , he returned to New York and joined the Sun Ra Arkestra. In 1977 , Bang co-founded the String Trio Of New York (with guitarist James Emery and double bassist John Lindberg ). Billy Bang has most recently explored his experience in Vietnam in two albums: ''Vietnam: The Aftermath'' (2001) and ''Vietnam: Reflections'' (2005), recorded with a band which included several other veterans of that conflict. The latter album also features two Vietnamese musicians based in the United States (voice and đàn Tranh zither). SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY Solo:
As leader:
Collaborations:
(dates are recording, not release) EXTERNAL LINKS
Billy Bang discography
REFERENCES
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