Billy Eli (born Billy V. Lambeth; 1962) is an

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

based

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana music, a genre or style of American music * Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1981 film), an American drama film * ''Americana'' (20 ...

singer and songwriter from

Livingston, Texas Livingston is a town in and the county seat of Polk County, Texas, United States. With a population of 5,640 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, it is the largest city in Polk County. It is located approximately south of Lufk ...

.San Antonio Express-News, by Jim Beal 1994

Career

Eli worked on oil and gas pipelines before starting to write and play music in his early twenties. His musical influences include

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

Steve Earle Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American country, rock, and folk singer-songwriter. He began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Earle's breakthrough album was his 1986 debut album '' ...

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...

Guy Clark Guy Charles Clark (November 6, 1941 – May 17, 2016) was an American folk and country singer-songwriter and luthier. He released more than 20 albums, and his songs have been recorded by other artists, including Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff ...

the Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles, six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s in ...

and

the Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...

. Eli began touring with various country and rock bands in 1984. He began fronting his own band and performing original music around 1990, and has toured throughout the country. His first album, ''Something's Going On'', was released in 1994.Austin Chronicle, April 21, 1994 The album was one of a number of Austin produced albums that helped establish Austin's national music reputation in that era. His album was among the first wave of music that eventually became known as Americana, but at the time of its release there was no single genre label that fit. Music journalists variously referred to Eli's music as "stand-and-deliver rock 'n' roll", "roots-rock" and "countrified pop songs". His album ''Hell Yeah!'' was listed in the Roots Music Report's Top 100 Roots Country Albums of 2011. Eli is involved in fundraising efforts for

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

groups, and has a son with autism. Among the many musicians Eli has had in his band over the last years was bassist Joseph Stack (ca. 2005–2007). Stack is now more widely known for flying his private plane into an Austin IRS office in 2010, killing himself and one other, as well as injuring 13.

Discography

*1994 ''Something's Going On'' (Music Lane/Club De Musique) *2001 ''Trailer Parker Angel'' (Dusty Records) *2006 ''Amped Out'' (Errant Records) *2011 ''Hell Yeah!'' (Errant Records) *2013 ''The UnExplainable Billy Eli'' (Errant Records)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eli, Billy 1962 births Living people 20th-century American singer-songwriters 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American male singers Americana musicians American alternative country singers American male singer-songwriters Autism activists Country musicians from Texas People from Livingston, Texas Singer-songwriters from Texas