Photo by S.D. Martin-Rott. Taken outside "The Whippin'
Post" in Tampa, FL during a set up and sound check
Ten times the talent of Hughie --the guy was all heart
(No offense meant, I just liked his style better)
Billy actually started out with the Outlaws in the early days as their keyboard player lugging around this emmense Hammond B3 and a Leslie. In his days at Chamberlin High School in Tampa, he was an acclaimed player of the timpani (that's a "kettle drum" to some of you). During his high school days he had the distinction of being kicked out of school for violating the dress code (hair too long) by principal Yoho (yes Monte's dad kicked Billy out of school....).
In the early days of the Outlaws success, back in the days before a musical copyright could be submitted on a cd, it was Billy who sat down and put a number of the songs down in sheet music form for submittal. Billy was such a talented musician that he was offered the opportunity to attend the prestigious Julliard School of Music in New York, an offer he declined.
Billy was a math major at the University of South Florida in Tampa, graduating with honors. He also acted as a math tutor to students at Hillsborough Community College in those days. After a brief move to Boulder Colorado, Billy returned to the Tampa area and to the Outlaws.
His musical and lyrical talents were emmense...he is SO missed!
All these photos are circa 1974-1975 and were taken
by me in various Florida venues unless otherwise noted..
this includes those in the photo album section of
this page.
One of my very fave pics of Billy because of the eye contact and
the "moodiness"
taken at the Orlando Sports Stadium Orlando Florida 1974
opening night for LS, Marshall Tucker & Charlie Daniels Band.
Feb.7th,1995
JONES Mr. William Harry Jones, 45 of Springhill, passed away Tuesday afternoon.
Funeral services will be held Thursday evening at 8:00 pm, from the chapel
of
the F.W. Blount Funeral home, 5101 Nebraska Ave., with Reverand Robert
Johnson officiating. The family will receive friends from 7 to 5 pm at
the funeral
home. Graveside services will be held Friday afternoon at 2pm at the Garden
of
Memories cemetary. A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Mr. Jones lived in
the
Tampa area most of his life. He was a member of the Oak Grove United
Methodist Church, a graduate of Chamberlain High School, and an honor
graduate of the University of South Florida, class of 1971. He was also
an
original member of The Outlaws, a band that started in Tampa in 1972. Survivers
include his wife, Mrs. Pamela K. Jones, one son, Justin Ryan Jones, both
of
Spring Hill; his mother, Mrs. Beverly "Jones"Frecker and step father, William
K.
Frecker, both of Tampa; his sister, Mrs Janice Jones Johnson, of Lithonia,
GA.,
and several nieces and nephews.
Outlaws guitarist Billy Jones dies
St. Petersburg Times; St. Petersburg; Feb 9, 1995; page 10 C
Copyright Times Publishing Co. Feb 9, 1995
Billy Jones, a Spring Hill resident and an original member of the '70s country-rock group the Outlaws, died Tuesday. He was 45. The cause of death was undetermined. A graduate of Chamberlain High
School, Mr. Jones was born in Ann Arbor, Mich., and moved to Tampa as a youth. After graduating with honors from the University of South Florida in 1971, he joined the Outlaws as a co-guitarist in 1972,
with Hugh Thomasson and Brandon resident Henry Paul (who now fronts the country act BlackHawk). The Outlaws were one of the premier Southern rock acts of the '70s, scoring hits with There Goes
Another Love Song and (Ghost) Riders in the Sky.
While it doesn't show up too well in these digital photos we took before we left, a pic of Billy taken in 1974 was left as well as the flowers. (The photo appearing at the top of this page--It's sealed in a plastic case but don't know how long it will last. (It's ok, I'll make another) On the back of the photo are two lines from "Holiday" which I think sum up Billy pretty well....................
"I needed sugar and spice,
I really needed a Holiday"
Note that we have visited Billy's grave several times since this photo was taken in 2000. On our visit of Nov 19, 2001 it was noted that the photograph is now missing from the gravesite (this thing was lashed to the floral holder so it didn't just "fly away"...if some fan took it, that's great. I'll make another. At the time of our Feb. 2002 visit, there was a large arrangement of recently placed flowers, to which we added ours. It is clear that someone remembers.
Billy is buried in the Eternal Life Section of Garden of Memories Cemetery in Tampa Florida
Billy
Jones Photo Album
(use your back button or a link from one of the pics to get back
here)
For more pics of Billy check out Tom
G's Outlaws Page