Billy Deaton Biography

Billy Deaton
One Call Gets 'Em All!
BILLY DEATON TALENT AGENCY
1214 16th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37212-2902
800-767-4984 (toll free)
615-321-0600 (wk)
615-321-0182 (fax)
http://billydeaton.com
billydeaton@aol.com

Billy Deaton
AIRA Awards Show In Nashville
Booking Agent Of The Decade Award

Legendary talent agent Billy Joe "the songbird" Deaton is one of Nashville's remaining landmarks on music row that hasn't been contaminated by outside influence. He is without question one of a kind. The President of Billy Deaton Talent and member of the prestigious National Association of Talent Directors has been honored countless numbers of times in his life. He is the proud author/publisher of two of country music's greatest hits, "Louisiana Man," and "Wine Me Up!" which have both been recorded literally hundreds of times by many of Nashville's greatest artists.

A visit to Billy's office is one you will never forget. There on the walls are pictures of Billy with every well known entertainer in the world. He's been on Air Force One with the President, booked acts at the White House and all over the world, and recently was honored by the ROPE organization (Reunion of Professional Entertainers) as the "Businessman of the Year," here in Nashville. Billy has been honored by the Academy of Independent Recording Artists (AIRA) as the "Booking Agent of the Decade!" for his more than 25 years of management with Faron Young.

Billy was born just a few miles outside of Ruleville, Mississippi. The son of Refus and Martha Deaton, Billy's parents were sharecroppers. They raised corn and cotton in the deep south and Billy worked the fields with his brothers and sisters until he was 15 years old. He then worked as a janitor and projector operator at Delta Theater. He attended Ruleville High School and was elected the President of his class in 1953. In 1954, Billy joined the United States Air Force and was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Billy spent time in Keflicik, Iceland while in the Air Force and worked there as a disc jockey for the Armed Forces Radio Network.

It was during the time he was in Iceland that Billy formed his own band and started playing for various NCO clubs in the military. Billy returned to San Antonio, Texas in 1959, where he met Charlie Walker (today a member of the Grand Ole Opry) and became interested in country music. Billy was the first artist signed to SMASH records by Charles E. Fach, who was the head of SMASH records in Chicago. Billy recorded originally for TNT Records in San Antonio. He had several hit records including, "You Are Responsible!"

After leaving the Air Force, Billy sold advertising for radio station KMAC, worked as a DJ, and started booking local bands and shows. His business became so successful that in 1969, the legendary Faron Young asked Billy to come to Nashville and become his personal manager. It was a relationship they would share for the next 25 years until Faron's death. For the past 30 years of his life, Billy Joe "the songbird" Deaton has had a thriving business and a lot of the most loyal friends in the music community.

Billy Deaton has a scholarship, endowed by the Nashville Association of Talent Directors (NATD) in his name at Belmont University here in Nashville. If you have ever walked with him through the hallowed halls of the Grand Ole Opry, you'll see his eyes light up as he tells of the great exploits of the many entertainers that he's worked with in Nashville through the years. From Dolly Parton to Willie Nelson, they all love and admire the man they call the "Deacon" of music row. There's a lot of country music out there today, but there's only one Billy Joe "the songbird," Deaton in country music and there'll never be another. A man with a compassion and heart for everyone, Billy's a legend in the Nashville music community. I always love the answer he gives when people ask him about his life. He picks up the phone on his desk and says, "See here, the phones are still working, and the lights are still burning in the office of Billy Deaton Talent!"