Billy Montana (born William Schlappi on September 28, 1959, in Voorheesville, New York) is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer-songwriter. Between 1987 and 1995, Montana released one studio album and charted six singles on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. As a songwriter, Montana's songs have been recorded by

Lee Brice Kenneth Mobley Brice Jr. (born June 10, 1979), known professionally as Lee Brice, is an American country music singer and songwriter, signed to Curb Records. Brice has released five albums with the label: ''Love Like Crazy'', ''Hard 2 Love (Lee B ...

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American Country music, country singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him his immense popularity, particularly in the United States, ...

, Sara Evans,

Jo Dee Messina Jo Dee Marie Messina (born August 25, 1970) is an American country music artist. She has charted six number-one singles on the ''Billboard charts, Billboard'' country music charts. She has been honored by the Country Music Association and the ...

, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Jon Pardi, Sister Hazel and

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (born Kenneth Donald Rogers) (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particul ...

, among others.

Career

Singer

In the late 1980s, Montana and his brother, Kyle, formed a country music group with Bobby Kendall, Dave Flint and Doug Bernhard.Curb Music at BMI
/ref> Billy Montana & the Long Shots signed with Warner Bros. Records and charted three singles on ''Billboard'''s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart before disbanding without releasing an album. Their highest charting single, "Baby I Was Leaving Anyhow," peaked at No. 40 in 1987. After the group disbanded, Montana moved to

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

in 1989 to pursue his dream of songwriting. In 1994, Magnatone Records signed Montana to a solo record deal. allmusic ((( Billy Montana > Biography )))/ref> His debut album, ''No Yesterday'', was released in April 1995. Three singles were released from the project and charted on ''Billboard'''s Hot Country Singles & Tracks, the highest of which peaked at No. 55. One of the album's tracks, "A Clean Mind and Dirty Hands," was named Song of the Year by Farm Journal in 1996 as the song best depicting genuine farm life.

Songwriter

Montana was signed to a songwriting deal with Moraine Music in 1994. He was picked up by Curb Publishing in a joint venture in 2000. The following year, Jo Dee Messina released Montana's " Bring On the Rain" as a single. The song topped ''Billboard'''s Hot Country Singles & Tracks in March 2002 and was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

. Montana has since written No. 1 songs for Sara Evans (" Suds in the Bucket"), Lee Brice (" Hard to Love"), and Garth Brooks (" More Than a Memory"). "More Than a Memory" debuted at No. 1 on ''Billboard'''s

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart in September 2007, becoming the first song in the chart's entire history to accomplish that feat.Soulja Boy 'Cranks' Hot 100 No. 1 With Debut Single
/ref>

Family

Billy Montana's son,

Randy Montana Randy Schlappi (born September 23, 1985), known professionally as Randy Montana, is an American country singer signed to Mercury Records Nashville. His first album, ''Randy Montana'', was released in 2011. Early and personal life Randy Schlapp ...

, signed to

Mercury Nashville Music Corporation of America, formerly known as Universal Music Group Nashville, is Universal Music Group's country music subsidiary. It was officially opened in 1945 as #MCA Nashville, MCA Nashville and #Mercury Nashville, Mercury Nashville wh ...

in 2010. The younger Montana has reached Top 40 on the country music charts with "Ain't Much Left of Lovin' You" and "1,000 Faces".

Discography

Albums

Singles

*^ACredited to Billy Montana & the Long Shots.

Music videos

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Montana, Billy 1959 births Living people American country bass guitarists American male bass guitarists American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters People from Voorheesville, New York 20th-century American bass guitarists Country musicians from New York (state) 20th-century American male musicians Singer-songwriters from New York (state)