Billy Batstone
Billy Batstone is an American singer/songwriter, bassist and guitarist.
Billy’s career began at the early stages of modern Christian music in 1970. For the past 50 years, He’s kept the passion for playing and creating original music that has given the body of Christ a “new song” to sing. Chances are you have worshiped with a Billy Batstone song. He is a worship leader and worship musician, who’s played at churches, rallies and conferences all over the U.S. and the world. He’s been a member of The Maranatha! Praise Band, The Tommy Coomes Band, and the Harvest Worship Band at Harvest Christian Fellowship in addition to working with several Christian artists. As a result, Billy has worked with Billy Graham, Franklin Graham, Greg Laurie’s Harvest Crusades, Promise Keepers and more.
In addition to working on many artist and worship albums Billy has 3 solo recordings A Little Broken Bread, While The Door Is Open, and To Every Generation.
Billy was the oldest of five kids. Music was encouraged in the home. Billy’s mom was a piano player and fine alto singer. Elementary schools had music lessons available to the students and Billy studied clarinet. In 1962, Billy’s dad, a salesman in the paint business, accepted a job transfer to Oahu, Hawaii. His dad bought all the kids ukuleles and Billy began taking lessons from a neighbor. He used to love to play along with the local Hawaiian music station on the radio. When the Beatles came out, Billy got his first guitar. The family moved back to the mainland to Anaheim, California in 1965.
Billy started his first band, Rebirth, in 1970 with high school friend, David Diggs. They began as a trio with Billy on bass, David on keyboards and drummer Paul Johnson. They later added Beau MacDougall on guitar and Beau’s brother Alex on Latin percussion. Rebirth played all over Southern California at coffee houses, high schools, colleges and churches. Billy wrote his first songs for that group.
In 1972, Billy began his involvement with the ministry of Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, whose founding was Pastor Chuck Smith. He joined Country Faith, one of the bands that formed in the wake of the Jesus Movement. The group had the opportunity to travel to England as part of a large Christian festival in London, called “The Festival of Light” with Larry Norman and Cliff Richards.
In 1973, Billy and his friend David Diggs formed the group, Good News, with the great singer/songwriter Erick Nelson. The group started out as a three piece, with the multi-talented David on drums, Erick on piano and Bill on bass. They later added Bob Carlisle on guitar and Yvonne Lewis on vocals. Then David switched over to playing guitar and the group worked with various drummers; Kurt Lofland and John Hernandez, later of “Oingo Boingo” fame. Good News recorded their debut album in 1974.
In 1976, Billy moved to Boulder, Colorado and joined the Richie Furay Band. Richie is one of the pioneers of “folk-rock” and “country-rock”. Founding the Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills and Neil Young and later, Poco with Jim Messina and Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles. Richie was a major part of the famous “Laurel Canyon” music community and the scene surrounding the “Troubadour” night club in LA. Billy recorded two albums with Richie, contributing bass, vocals and writing three songs, including the title cut “I Still Have Dreams.” Background vocals with Timothy B. Schmit (The Eagles) and JD Souther (Songwriter/Eagles). Billy toured and recorded with Richie until 1981.
Through a friend, bassist David Coy, Billy met Randy Stonehill, Tom Howard, Larry Norman and Mark Heard. He played on a number of their records and toured throughout the U.S. in the late ‘70s and much of the 80’s.
David Coy also helped him to get a bass gig with Debby Boone, with whom he toured in the summer of ‘79. Debby later recorded several of his songs; “A Little Broken Bread” and “To Every Generation” on her Choose Life record.
Tom Howard and Billy began a successful songwriting collaboration in 1982, spawning the worship projects; Psalms Alive 1, 2 and 3 and Words of Worship Series for Maranatha Music. Also, the duo recorded One By One an artist project on Maranatha.
Billy was a staff songwriter for Maranatha Music for 13 years, penning such well-known songs as; “I Waited For The Lord,” “The Lion And The Lamb,’ “You Sure Have Been Good To Me,’ “I Will Be With You,” and “To Every Generation.”
Also, for Maranatha, Billy collaborated on a breakthrough project with Lenny Leblanc, Kelly Willard and Rita Baloche entitled Songs From The Red Letters. Songs based on the sayings of Jesus in The New Testament. Billy’s music found a significant place in the Promise Keepers movement of the 1990’s.
Pastor Greg Laurie approached Maranatha Music in 1989 about joining forces and doing new worship music for his outreach events. Billy helped compile the songs for a collection called “Praise Band”, fresh, new original praise songs with a rock band flavor. Pastor Greg heard this project and asked Tommy Coomes from Maranatha to put a band together. The result was The Praise Band. This group has been together for more than 30 years, with numerous recordings, now known as The Tommy Coomes Band. Beginning as the worship team for Greg’s Harvest Crusades.
In 2000 was “Choose Life” was a number one song written by Billy and Steve Wiggins, the lead singer of Big Tent Revival and an accomplished Nashville songwriter.
On Jesus Music Again Bob Bennett and Billy joined forces to add their unique acoustic stylings to popular songs from the Jesus Movement. From a Scripture song medley, and gospel favorites to a Bob Dylan standout.
Billy continues writing new songs, recording and performing. Working with The Tommy Coomes Band for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse relief organization and Franklin Graham Festivals and Conferences worldwide. He is also on staff with Harvest Christian Fellowship. He resides in Southern California.
Credits & Discography
Selected Discography
POPULAR CCLI SONGS(128 listed online) RECORDINGSMARANATHA PRAISE BAND
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RECORDINGSTOMMY COOMES BAND MARANATHA! MUSIC HARVEST WORSHIP BAND CALVARY CHAPEL MUSIC |
Billy has had songs recorded by:
Richie Furay |
Randy Stonehill |
Billy has performed with live or in studio:
Phil Keaggy Jars Of Clay Phil Wickham Big Tent Revival Michael W. Smith Tommy Coomes Band The Praise Band Harvest Worship Band Andrae Crouch Richie Furay Chuck Girard John Batdorf Good News Lenny LeBlanc Crystal Lewis Mark Heard Lou Gramm CeCe Winans Margaret Becker Dennis Agajanian Phil Joel Parable Debby Boone The Choir Country Faith Mark Heard
|
Larry Norman Randy Stonehill Cheri Keaggy Berlin Rosemary Butler Roby Duke Faithful Heart Benny Hester Tom Howard Erick Nelson Jamie Owens-Collins Paul Overstreet Timothy B. Schmit Denise Williams Gary Puckett Darrel Mansfield Reba Rambo J.D. Souther Billy Graham Crusades Franklin Graham Crusades The Calvary Chapel Worship Community Samaritan’s Purse And others!
|
Credits & Discography
Selected Discography
POPULAR CCLI SONGS
(128 listed online)
The Lion and The Lamb
I Come To The Cross
Rise Up O Men of God
Your Everlasting Love
Here I Am
Sing To The Lord
With All Of My Hweart
I Waited For The Lord
All My Days
Glory To The Lamb
To Every Generation
Let The Walls Fall Down
Your Throne O God
RECORDINGS
MARANATHA PRAISE BAND
Praise Band 1 Jesus Mighty God
Praise Band 2 You Are So Faithful
Praise Band 3 Everlasting
Praise Band 4 Let The Walls Fall Down
Praise Band 5 Tell The World
Praise Band 6 Light To The Nations
Praise Band Live
RECORDINGS
TOMMY COOMES BAND
Lift Up His Name
My Hope
My Savior’s Love
The Wonder of Christmas
Star of Wonder
God So Loved
All The World Will Praise
The Greatest Gift
MARANATHA! MUSIC
Psalms Alive 1, 2, 3
Words of Worship Series (4)– Hosanna, Abba, Maranatha, Hallelujah
Good News
Songs From The Red Letters
Karen Lafferty
Kelly Willard
Promise Keepers
Praise 14
HARVEST WORSHIP BAND
Praise Worthy
The Promised One
Enter In
Harvest Christmas
CALVARY CHAPEL MUSIC
Various Worship Recordings
Billy has had songs recorded by:
Phil Keaggy
Bob Bennett
Big Tent Revival
Debby Boone
Terry Clark
Kelly Willard
Morris Chapman
The Choir
Denny Correll
Steve Archer
Roby Duke
Karen Lafferty
Howard Smith
Billy Sprague
Tata Vega
Crystal Lewis
Lenny Leblanc
Michele Pillar
Randy Stonehill
John Batdorf
Mark Heard
Tim Miner
Jamie Owens-Collins
David Pack
Dennis Agajanian
Michelle Wagner
Teri DeSario
Stefanie Boosahda
The Maranatha Praise Band
The Maranatha! Singers
Calvary Chapel Music
Maranatha! Music
EMI Christian Music
Sparrow Music
Harvest Christian Fellowship
The Calvary Chapel Worship Community
And many others!
Billy has performed with live or in studio:
Jars Of Clay
Phil Wickham
Big Tent Revival
Michael W. Smith
Tommy Coomes Band
The Praise Band
Harvest Worship Band
Andrae Crouch
Richie Furay
Chuck Girard
John Batdorf
Good News
Lenny LeBlanc
Crystal Lewis
Mark Heard
Lou Gramm
CeCe Winans
Margaret Becker
Dennis Agajanian
Phil Joel
Parable
Debby Boone
The Choir
Country Faith
Mark Heard
Larry Norman
Randy Stonehill
Cheri Keaggy
Berlin
Rosemary Butler
Roby Duke
Faithful Heart
Benny Hester
Tom Howard
Erick Nelson
Jamie Owens-Collins
Paul Overstreet
Timothy B. Schmit
Denise Williams
Gary Puckett
Darrel Mansfield
Reba Rambo
J.D. Souther
Billy Graham Crusades
Franklin Graham Crusades
The Calvary Chapel Worship Community
Samaritan’s Purse
And others!