Billy Yates (singer)
Billy Wayne Yates (born March 13, 1963) is an American country music artist. He has released ten studio albums and has charted four singles on the Billboard country charts, including "Flowers" which reached number 36 in 1997. Yates also co-wrote George Jones' singles "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair" and "Choices", which were released in 1993 and 1999 respectively. Other artists who have recorded Yates' work include Ricochet, Ricky Van Shelton, and Kenny Chesney. In addition to his work as a singer and songwriter, Yates is the owner of the songwriting and publishing company Smokin' Grapes, which was founded in 2006. Yates' musical style is defined by neotraditional country and honky-tonk influences, and has been favorably compared to artists such as Gene Watson.
Billy Yates
Billy Wayne Yates[1]
March 13, 1963[2]
Doniphan, Missouri, U.S.
Singer-songwriter
Vocals
1992–present
- Curb
- Almo Sounds
- Columbia
- M.O.D.
Biography[edit]
1963–1992: Early life[edit]
Billy Wayne Yates was born on March 13, 1963, in Doniphan, Missouri.[2] He was raised on his family's farm, where he took inspiration from the various country music artists to which his family listened, such as Jim Reeves and Ernest Tubb.[4] His father was a barber and would often pay his son to shine customers' shoes at his barber shop.[5] Yates and his father would also sing every Sunday on a local radio show hosted by the town's radio station, KDFN.[4] He did not otherwise perform publicly until he gave an impromptu performance of "Crying My Heart Out Over You" at a local show in Wappapello, Missouri, as a teen.[4][3] He continued to perform at this show for three years until his father encouraged him to also get a barber's license. After doing so, Yates began working at a barber in Doniphan during the daytime while also working as a nighttime disc jockey at KDFN.[6]
Musical styles[edit]
In an interview with Country Music News International, Yates cited Keith Whitley, Webb Pierce, Lefty Frizzell, and Buck Owens among his main musical influences. He also stated that he preferred to record on his own label instead of on a major label, because of the amount of control he is able to maintain over his own music in terms of songwriting and production.[12] With regards to his songwriting style, Yates cites Harlan Howard as an influence as well.[11] Brian Wahlert of Country Standard Time and Bobby Peacock of Roughstock both compared Yates' voice favorably to that of Gene Watson.[13][20] Writing for AllMusic, Todd Sterling called Yates' singing and songwriting style "traditional", stating that his songs were "real people singing about real things".[26] He also noted the frequent use of fiddle, acoustic guitar, and steel guitar in Yates' production.[26]
Personal life[edit]
Billy Yates has been married to his wife, Nancy, since the release of "Flowers" in 1997.[12][29] They have one son named Grayson, who was ten years old when he provided guest vocals on Just Be You.[12] In 2015, Yates had a section of U.S. Highway 160 outside his hometown of Doniphan named after him. State senator Mike Cunningham attended the naming ceremony, which also included musical performances by Jimmy Fortune and Buddy Jewell.[30]