Billy Yates was born right up the road in Doniphan, Missouri, where he “put the ‘fun’ in Doniphan.” Growing up on the family farm, Billy was surrounded by music on all sides of the family. His parents both sang, his father played guitar, and the family would sing every Sunday on a local radio show. One of his uncle’s was also a songwriter, penning songs for George and Tammy, and the Wilburn Brothers.
When Billy was a teenager, he got a guitar and started taking music seriously. Following graduation, he started making trips to Nashville and eventually scored a developmental deal with RCA. Just 5 years out of high school, Billy made the full time move to Nashville.
While working on his music career, Billy also sang “demo” versions of songs that would be pitched to established country stars.
“I got there as a singer, then ‘boom,’ I’m in the studio singing demos,” Billy said.
“At that time, Garth Brooks, Joe Diffie, guys like that, were all doing demos back then. A lot of great artists got signed because they were singing those great songs.”
Having access to hit songs, as well as their writers, before they became hits, taught him lots about songwriting, and opened many doors.
“A lot of those guys kept asking me to write with them, and I never felt like I would be a songwriter,” he said. “So finally, I did it, and I started getting in the room with guys who did it well.”
One of those guys, legendary songwriter Frank Dycus, who teamed up with Billy and Kerry Kurt Phillips to write one of George Jones’ signature songs, “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair.”
Not only was it a Top 40 hit for The Possum, but the addition of Vince Gill, Mark Chesnutt, Garth Brooks, Travis Tritt, Joe Diffie, Alan Jackson, Pam Tillis, T. Graham Brown, Patty Loveless and Clint Black helped it take home the 1993 Country Music Association Award for Vocal Event of the Year.
A handful of years later, Billy and songwriter Mike Curtis teamed up to write another epic Jones tune, “Choices.” That song was a Top 30 hit, won George the Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, and stirred up a bit of controversy at the 1999 CMA Awards. The show’s producers invited George to sing a shortened version of “Choices,” to which he “politely” declined. Alan Jackson was so mad at how the CMA treated the Possum, halfway through his performance of “Pop a Top,” he and the band played the chorus of “Choices,” then stormed off the stage to a standing ovation.
Billy’s tunes have also been recorded by acts like Ricochet, Ricky Van Shelton, and Kenny Chesney. Canadian singer Leonard Cohen, “Hallelujah” songwriter, released a version of “Choices” in 2015. Billy has also performed on the legendary Grand Ole Opry many times. While Billy was having success writing songs, his performing career took an unexpected turn in the early 2000s.
He started his own record label, M.O.D., and released a tune called “Too Country and Proud of It,” which became a hit in Texas. According to Billy, “lots of folks in Europe love real country music and paid more attention to Texas music than what was coming out of Nashville.”
Billy ended up performing at a music showcase in Amsterdam, and once he laid down that signature Billy Yates sound, the promoters lined up to book him. He soon began touring and releasing singles, eventually snagging 13 No. 1 hits in Europe and was even named European CMA Male Vocalist of the Year.
“I’ve headlined so many music festivals, and I’ve performed in almost every European country,” he said. “Some of the household names over here aren’t as well-known there. I played a festival in Norway and Ricky Skaggs opened for me. It was crazy.”
Even though Billy still tours Europe every year, his home is the U.S.A. He headlined numerous tours and shows across the country before coming to Branson with “Raiding the Country Vault,” and his own hit show “Billy Yates’ Hit Songwriters in the Round.”
Earlier this year, Down Home Country Producer Extraordinaire Mike “Golden Throat of the Ozarks” Patrick was looking for someone who had the talent and the passion for the greatest country songs of all time.
“I love all those songs we do, and the schedule is perfect for me. It worked out right. God knows what he’s doing,” Billy said. “I love everyone there, and I look forward to going into work every morning. It’s like a family, and I love that. I feel so blessed because my career has allowed me to do what I want to do, not what I have to do.”
Billy Yates is married to Nancy, and they have a son, Grayson, who recently married Branson favorite Nadia Cole. No grandkids yet, but according to Billy, he and Nancy “are ready!” The Yates also have a cat named Seely, after Grand Ole Opry great Jeannie Seely.
Favorite Song – (Ask Billy to make sure, but we discussed “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”)
Biggest Musical Influences – Mom and Dad, Louvin Brothers, George Jones, Ricky Skaggs, Emmylou Harris and Jim Reeves.
Favorite Food – Country home cookin’ like Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes
Favorite TV Show – I’ve been watching The Resident. It’s great.
Favorite Book – I Lived to Tell It All by George Jones, Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson.
Have You Ever Been Starstruck – Meeting Dolly Parton when we were both performing on the Opry.
