Billy Squier

The Rebirth of
Billy Squier
By Rick Coates 6/29/09

Rocker Billy Squier dominated the arena rock scene in the early ‘80s, with a string of hits including “The Stroke,” In the Dark,” “My Kinda’ Lover,” “Emotions in Motion” “Everybody Wants You,” “The Big Beat,” “Lonely Is The Night,” “Fast Times (The Best Years of Our Lives)” and “Rock Me Tonite.” After spending a few summers touring as part of Ringo Starr’s All-Star Band, as well as taking a break from the music business, Squier is back, headlining his own tour that includes a stop in Traverse City.
He will take to the National Cherry Festival Bay Side Entertainment Stage on Tuesday, July 7. Squier last performed at the National Cherry Festival in 2001 as part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame summer tour featuring Styx and Bad Company.
While Squier helped define the ‘80s hard-edge melodic rock sound, he also has been labeled by some as the “king of hip-hop.”
“I know it sounds kind of strange. But my song ‘The Big Beat,’ is the most sampled song of all time,” said Squier. “Run DMC sampled the song back in 1985 and Jay-Z also sampled it on ’99 Problems.’ The funny thing is when I wrote the song, I had no idea what hip-hop even was, and now I get all of these hip-hop labels and innovator status.”
Squier jokes that someday he may just be remembered as the “master of hip hop samples.” But in the music business, writing and publishing is where the money is at for artists. Along with Squier’s sampling success, several of his songs have appeared in films and his hit “The Stroke,” has been re-mixed almost a dozen times by various artists. The result has been financially lucrative, allowing him to pursue other interests.

CENTRAL PARK GARDEN
“I am a big supporter of conservancy efforts and I volunteer for the Central Park Consevancy where I am responsible for the care of 20 acres of the park,” said Squier. “I live right by it so I essentially like my own garden. I love landscaping and gardening, so this has been very rewarding. I think as a performer, or for that matter regardless of your profession, it is important to discover things outside of your profession that help you learn about who you are as a person.”
So why did Squier essentially drop out of the music business in the ‘90s after enjoying fame and success?
“Essentially, I went from being the number one artist at my label to the status of being a person that the label no longer wanted around,” said Squier. “I got frustrated with people in the industry. So I started writing screenplays and even did well at Sundance with one, but found that I was dealing with the same people I was dealing with in the music business, so I stopped.”
Squier skyrocketed to the top of the charts as part of the MTV generation; while the station played a role in his success, ironically Squier believes it did more harm than help to music.
“Prior to MTV, people would hear your song on the radio or play your record and they would identify your song in their own way, with their own imagination,” said Squier. “When MTV came along, the video created a visual story, taking the listener’s imagination out of the song. They were no longer able to identify with a song on their terms; those terms were created for them.”

LIFE’S JOURNEY
As a songwriter, Squier has felt that it is important that his songs reflect what is going on in his life.
“First of all, I didn’t start out as a songwriter. I didn’t write but I grew to understand the importance of writing your own songs, so I worked at it. It is very hard,” said Squier. “From my perspective, I think music and songwriting is about presenting possibilities for the listener. I write songs that reflect what I am going through in my life at the moment, or at least what I perceive myself going through. It is a sense of exploration.”
Squier, who just turned 59, is excited about returning to the road as a solo artist. His tour started two weeks ago and he is crisscrossing the country through the end of September.
“This tour is for the fans, I’m reaching into the bag and performing works from every segment of my career, including new material,” said Squier. “Being out with Ringo and the other guys the past couple of years really invigorated me and I have assembled my own group of all-stars for this summer.”

Billy Squier performs Tuesday, July 7 at the 2009 National Cherry Festival Bay Side Entertainment Stage. The eight nights of music at the National Cherry Festival remains as the best music value in Northern Michigan with access for the week only $15 with the V-Pass. For additional details visit www.cherryfestival.org

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