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Billy Eli

“You know, man, life's pretty easy till you mess it all up.” – Billy Eli

  In the early eighties Billy Eli left behind a very promising start with the Livingston, Texas Future Farmers of America to go work in the oil patch. He spent that summer in Watertown, South Dakota, where all he was old enough to drink in the bars was 3.2 beer and there wasn't anything good on the jukeboxes anyways. So he ended up staying behind at the Scot's Inn Motel and learning how to play guitar.

  When he got back to Texas he hooked up with a band that played Merle Haggard and George Jones songs, all the time wishing they had the skill to play Alabama and Eagles covers. Then Billy heard punk rock. "That was monster cool that somebody thought to make that much noise. I said hell, country ought to have energy like that." So he started writing some of his own songs and put a different kind of energy into the set he had been playing. "Ring of Fire” to a Bo Diddley beat came out of that whole idea.

Since then, any song Billy and his band cover have gone through that blast furnace. For the next six years, until his twins were born, Billy pretty much made his living making music. "I didn't do anything else for money. Keep in mind I didn't have anything, owe anything, or want anything, though," he says.

Billy and his band traveled through the West and Southwest. "Not touring," says Billy, "mostly just playin' around. We didn't have anywhere to go or anything to do. Through no particular plan we ended up in LA." Billy spent a couple of months there. By all accounts he didn't do much. By all accounts he doesn't regret it. He had a good time. He wasn't ready to get serious just then.

Nowadays Billy sees his career as a fair and just development. He hooked up with guitar player Jim Hemphill and relaxed. "I got a lot happier when I quit worrying about how I was doing and just worried more about what was at hand. I'm having a good time now. Let's go play some dates. Hang out. Let's all go have some beers." That's the kind of honesty that comes through in the music. And that's the kind of honesty that ought to get Billy Eli and his music out in front of a lot of people.

And by the way: Billy is a Virgo. His favorite color is neon. Turn-ons include old pick-up trucks, little baby ducks, and women in spike heels with painted toenails. Turn-offs include money grubbing materialists and negativity.