Billy Crain: Legendary Songwriter Picks Up his late Brother's Ax and does battle with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

I've played in front of 1,100,000 people in Washington, D.C. on the fourth of July, and performed for no one in a club called The Losers on Christmas Eve. I learned how to play guitar from the best, my brother Tommy Crain. I got to see Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Albert King, and Jimmy Page perform during my teen years. I've shared the stage with The Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Van Halen, ZZ Top, The Cars, The Marshall Tucker band, The Allman Brothers Band, The Charlie Daniels Band, Molly Hatchet, Merle Haggard, George Strait, Jerry Lee Lewis, and all the heroes of old. I've played a show using Duane Allman's Les Paul, recorded using Steve Gaines Stratocaster, and am the proud owner of  my brother's beloved Gold Top Les Paul. I've stayed up all night flipping quarters with Gregg Allman, jammed with Dicky Betts on "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" into the wee hours on a snowy night in a hotel room in Philadelphia, and almost had the bottom half of my left ear bitten off by Allen Collins. 

Keith Urban spent his first Thanksgiving in the USA at Mama Crain's house and oh yeah, I drank whiskey with Jimmy Page. I've stood onstage with a Blues Brother named Dan Ackroyd, traveled in Econoline Vans, Silver Eagles, puddle jumper airplanes, and toured the world many times over. I've recorded with little known acts at the time like Shania Twain and The Dixie Chicks. I've received royalty checks for as little as 15 cents, and as big as $80,000. I've been an Outlaw, a Bellamy Brother, a Music Row songwriter, producer, and session guitar player. I've won multiple songwriter awards, received multi-platinum sales awards, and ended up shoveling horse**** to pay my child support. I have been saved by the Grace of God, been a foster parent, a humanitarian to Haiti,  buried my brother, and my parents, got sued,  helped my wife survive cancer, adopted two young children, and had to retire indefinitely from the road for health reasons, all in a two year period. I still love to play guitar, write songs, and make records. I love Jesus, my wife, and four children, and that's about all you need to know about me......

Billy Crain