Born in North Carolina, Billy began playing guitar at 8 years old. He was a self-taught musician until entering the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1971. While there, he studied guitar, composition and ear-training. He also began to teach (under the guidance of David Barison) as a guitar instructor for the Music Department in his sophomore year. He has continued teaching guitar at UNC-CH as a faculty member of the Music Department since his graduation in 1975.

In that same ye...