BILLY O'ROURKE has played on more than 11 Albums and
sang on 6. All songs were written by Billy O'Rourke or
co- writtem with Mitch Stephen. In TOUR 98 Billy sang
"No Hay Mañana ( No more Tomnorrow)"
written by Jerry Vandiver and Karen WIlliams. In TEJANO
CLASS, Billy sang "No start in Old Mexico" In
ALGO DIFERENTE sang "Easy Thing To Do" and in
YA ME CANSE, Billy sang "What Lonely Means".
Lyrics that mean something, melodies that are actually
melodic music that possesses those traits always finds
a loyal audience sooner or later. For Texas singer/songwriter
Billy O’Rourke, that audience is made up of the
music lovers who drop into the Cowboy Bar in Helotes,
Texas, on Tuesday night, to hear what’s on his mind.
So as a tribute to them, and as a way for others to hear
what’s been going on in Helotes nearly every week
for over 6 years, Billy’s released his second CD,
titled "Tuesday." There at the Cowboy Bar, it’s
just Billy and his guitar up on the stage. He’s
wearing jeans and a T-shirt, singing in an engaging, easygoing
baritone that recalls his West Texas roots. And the mostly
acoustic Tuesday is a lot like those performances,which
Billy’s been doing nearly every week for 6 years.
Actually, the term “just Billy and his guitar”
may be an understatement. His perceptive, witty lyrics
and hummable melodies manage to envelop listeners without
relying on an elaborate musical accompaniment. You can
do that when you have a strong batch of songs, many of
which Billy co-wrote with Mitch Stephens.
Singing about American life, Billy describes the passage
from adolescence to responsible adulthood with affection
and understanding on “Been-There Done-That Years.”
“Sweet iced tea is more my style,” he sings,
happy to have traded la vida loca for something more real
and permanent.
Another favorite is “She Just Wants to Dance,”
which was recently featured on The Other Side, a weekly
program on the top San Antonio country station KJ-97.A
vivid story, it’s about a beautiful young woman
who’s a great dance partner but thinks twice before
getting involved with any of the Romeos who approach her.
Billy and Mitch wrote the album’s 14 songs over
the last two years.
In 1991, Billy graduated from Angelo State Univ. in San
Angelo with a degree in drama and speech: “I thought
about going to California and trying to make it as an
actor.” But during college, he joined a band that
played everything from R&B to rock and country. Growing
up, he’d loved the music of George Strait, Vern
Gosdin, Bruce Hornsby and Jackson Browne.
So after he graduated, he decided to stay in music, joining
the award-winning Poteet-based Tejano band David Lee Garza
& Los Musicales on guitar, later moving to bajo sexto.
Ten albums later, he’s still with them – the
raucous Tuesday track “Who’s That Gringo?”
describes his experiences with the band. “Once I got
in with David (Lee Garza) I thought, ‘I know what
I’m supposed to be doing.’” Billy recalls.
Billy signed a publishing deal with producer Bill Green
in 1997 and prior to Tuesday released his debut album Honky
Tonk Ballet, where he’s backed by a full band.
Give Billy’s new CD a spin and find out why "Tuesday"
is such a great night to hang out at the Cowboy Bar.