StreamLINE Artist Feature & Interview: BILLY VERA
StreamLINE INTERVIEW SERIES -billy vera
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Hello everyone, hope you enjoyed your weekends! StreamLINE has the absolute pleasure of presenting you an in-depth interview with legendary singer, songwriter, musician and producer Billy Vera, most known for his seminal ballad “At This Moment”, which skyrocketed to the top of the charts in the 80’s.
Billy has worked with some of the most iconic names in music, is also a GRAMMY Award winner and was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame amongst a slew of his many accomplishments in music and other facets of the entertainment industry.
We really appreciate Billy taking the time to speak with us and providing tremendous insight into his extremely accomplished career in music which has spanned almost six decades as well as other facets of the entertainment industry; taking us on a trip down memory lane as well as current projects. Read on to catch the entire interview below.
Enjoy!
Hi Billy, please tell us a bit about your background and early music influences. What motivated you to pursue a career in music professionally?
My parents were in show business. My dad, Bill McCord, was an NBC staff announcer
for over 30 years and my mom was a singer on the Perry Como show & his hit records.
I loved the usual rockers, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Frankie Lymon and wanted to do
what they did. I also listened to the music my mother brought home, Sinatra, Duke
Ellington, Nancy Wilson. One day my dad brought me my first jazz album, Meet The
Jazztet with Benny Golson & Art Farmer. These opened my mind to more
sophisticated music. This would influence my songwriting, so that my songs were
more nuanced than your typical rock’n’roll tunes.
You have penned a number of successful songs for other artists across a multitude of genres over your career. What notable artists have you wrote for? Is there a particular song that resonates with you the most? Are there any you ever reflect on and wish you had saved them to record for yourself?
Dolly Parton, Lou Rawls, Bonnie Raitt, Michael Buble, Robert Plant, Etta James, Ricky
Nelson, Fats Domino, Tom Jones, Shirelles, Freda Payne, etc. “At This Moment” has
touched more people, thanks to the greater exposure and it seems most people can
relate to the emotion of it. I recorded most of the songs that fit my style. Others were
written for people with different styles. In my early days, as a staff songwriter for a
publishing company, they’d have me write for specific artists. I’d have to listen to
their records and see what their range was, what their style was, what subject matter
they liked to sing about. So you would tailor a song to the particular singer. Sometimes,
it would be a surprise and someone with an entirely different style would do the song
in their own treatment.
Congratulations on your latest release “Stand By Me” with Larry Chance. Your jazz inspired rendition of this classic is absolutely captivating. What was it like collaborating with Larry and the recording process overall?
It was easy. Larry had already recorded the track and asked me to add my voice, so all I had to do was sing it. When he told me he had a track, I thought “Yeah, just another copy of the original. Who needs that?” But after I heard it, I was blown away because it was so different and exciting. I recorded my vocal at my friend’s apartment and sent it back to Larry for mixing and it came out fantastic.
Please tell us how you came to form your band Billy and The Beaters. When and where did you originally connect with the band members? Did they already have “The Beaters” name or is it something that you crafted?
When I came to LA, I ran into my old NY bass player. He suggested we form a band “to
meet girls.” He knew most of the musicians. None of us had wives or girlfriends, so the
drummer’s girl said “Since you have no girlfriends you should call yourselves the
Beaters.” Later, some reviewer thought there was a connection between our name and
our first hit, “I Can Take Care Of Myself.” But it hadn’t occurred to me until I read it. We
just thought our music had a beat and the Beaters made sense.
Please describe the night that “At This Moment” appeared in the vaunted episode of “Family Ties” which catapulted the song to #1. Did you actually see the airing of the show? Did you get a sense immediately that the song was on the verge of becoming a huge hit or was it more of a gradual ascent from the time the episode aired? What inspired the writing of the song?
A girl had taken me to see the Everly Brothers and we were in bed when my phone kept
ringing. I finally answered, fearing someone had died. They were all calling to tell me it
was on the show. That told me the song had something people liked. The reaction was
immediate. NBC said they got more phone calls than at anytime in the network’s history.
The song came from me dating a girl who told me about breaking up with her boyfriend
and how he suffered over her, so I started writing it from his point of view, but couldn’t
finish it until a year later,when she broke up with me. Then I knew how the song should
end. The song got me signed as a songwriter to Warner Bros Music, but I had to
move to LA. When the boss, Ed Silvers, heard me play it in his office he cried, which
made me believe there was something about the song that touched people’s hearts.
You produced four albums for the late legendary singer and performer Lou Rawls, garnering a #1 jazz hit as well. What was it like working with him and the creative process behind those records?
He’d been make boring albums when Blue Note signed him and told us to take him back
to his roots, jazz & blues. We hired the best session musicians in NY and they gave it
something special. Lou loved the songs I chose or wrote and that got his interest. We
had him do duets with other great singers, Ray Charles, Joe Williams, Dianne Reeves,
Phoebe Snow as well as great soloists, George Benson, Stanley Turrentine, Hank
Crawford, Benny Golson, David Newman, Eddie Harris, Lionel Hampton, Buddy Guy,
etc. He recorded seven of my song, including “Room With A View,” which has gone on
to become a modern day blues standard, “You Can’t Go Home” with George Benson,
“Good Morning Blues,” “Moonglows” and “If I Were A Magician,” all of which have been
recorded by additional artists, including myself. The process was to record rhythm tracks followed by horns, mostly arranged by Benny Golson or Hank Crawford. We took more time with his vocals than most other producers had, because singers who tour a lot, tend to get stuck in mannerisms, which takes away from the emotion of the song. On the final album, not long before his passing, I had him do all Sinatra songs with a larger band, playing all together at once.
As a multi-faceted entertainer, what factors do you attribute to your longevity in this revolving door industry?
Persistence is one factor. Also, do as many different things as you’re good at and one
of them will always do well, allowing you to make a decent living. Jon Voight insisted I
go to his acting teacher, which widened my scope and enabled me to get that kind of
work as well as improve my singing performance. I stumbled into work as a voice
actor, which turned out to be very lucrative, although it took up most of my time at its
peak. I increased my writing skills, getting work writing album notes, articles and
eventually books, including my memoir, Harlem to Hollywood, which became a
documentary of the same name. My love of older music led to radio, where I get to
introduce fans to the great-but-lesser known music of the past.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given; either personally or professionally?
My mom said, “Show business is peaks and valleys. One year you’ll make a bundle and the next you’ll make nothing, so always live below your means.” I learned to recognize opportunity when it comes and to take advantage of it.
What activities do you enjoy outside of your entertainment industry related endeavors?
I collect records, rare and otherwise, and read a lot. I love movies, old and new.
Do you believe the streaming era has been a benefit or detriment to recording artists, particularly, those with large catalogs such as yourself?
I haven’t experienced much of an effect, either way. Like radio in the past, streaming
serves to expose the music to a greater audience, which can hopefully lead to more
lucrative things, like placement in movie, TV shows and commercials.
Here’s a question off the beaten path.. Do you ever visit your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? What was the presentation ceremony like and the feeling when it was revealed?
I only run into it when I’m in the neighborhood. When Angie Dickinson nominated me for
a star, I was afraid people would say I wasn’t a big enough “name” to deserve one.
She explained that the star was for people whose fame helped the City of Hollywood
and said that I’d become known for music, TV, radio, movies and live performances and
that was what they’d vote for. And they did. Still, I was fearful, so I asked Capitol
Records president Joe Smith to introduce me because of his irreverent style. He’d
make fun of me, which would put people on my side, and it worked. I realized later that
having a star put me on a different level.
What’s next up musically and/or entertainment-wise for you in 2022 and beyond? Any projects, music videos, features or live shows on the horizon?
I tend to not plan much in advance. I just judge things that come my way as they come.
So, we’re following up on this record, trying to spread it as widely as we can. And then,
see what the future has in store for me.
Connect with Billy Vera
- Website: https://www.billyvera.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billyvera
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/billybeater
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Vera
Kevin James has over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry in various facets. He has worked as a recording artist, songwriter, producer, on-air radio personality, background actor and film director. Kevin is a Member of the National Writer's Union.