- Nickname
- Bill Hughes
- Billie Hughes began his recording career as leader of the group Lazarus. In association with Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary, Lazarus moved to Woodstock, N.Y., signing with the newly formed Bearsville Records (Warner Bros.) label, under the direction of Albert Grossman. Two albums, "Lazarus" and "A Fool's Paradise" were released on Bearsville, produced by Peter Yarrow and Phil Ramone.
In the next four years, Lazarus performed extensively throughout the United States and Canada. In 1974, The Lettermen recorded Bill Hughes' song "Eastward" from the "Lazarus" album. "Eastward" was released as a single, reaching #16 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. In 1976, the band Lazarus won the Clio Award for Best Commercial of the Year for the "Lifesavers" commercial, which ran nine years nationwide.
Billie Hughes began his solo career in 1978 upon signing with Epic Records. His "Dreammaster" LP was produced by Henry Lewy in Los Angeles. During the next four years, Billie Hughes toured the United States, Canada and Japan performing as an artist and traveled to Japan, Canada and Italy to record and produce various projects including performing and writing the theme song to "Martin Eden", a CBS motion picture released in Europe. Bill Hughes' "Martin Eden" single charted Top 5 all over Europe.
In 1983 Hughes formed a partnership with lyricist Roxanne Seeman which set in motion a career of recording, producing, and songwriting for film, television, and records including works produced by such name producers as Phil Collins, Arif Mardin, Michael Omartian, George Duke and Reggie Lucas and included such artists as Philip Bailey, The Jacksons, Bette Midler, The Sisters Of Mercy, Randy Crawford, Al Jarreau, Melissa Manchester, and the #1 charting Japanese duo Wink, among others.
Billie Hughes, Roxanne Seeman and Dominic Messinger's song "Welcome To The Edge" received an Emmy nomination for Best Original Song in the television show "Santa Barbara".
In 1991, Pony Canyon Records released Billie Hughes' "Welcome To The Edge", which remained in the Top 10 of the Billboard Japan chart for four months, selling 520,000 singles. Billie Hughes album "Welcome To The Edge", sold 120,000 CDs.
Tokyo, March 1992, Billie Hughes performed "Welcome To The Edge" at the NHK nationally televised Japanese Grand Prix Awards along with MC Hammer performing "You Can't Touch This". Billie Hughes won, receiving the award for "#1 International Single of the Year"
Billie Hughes received a second Emmy nomination for Best Original Song in the television show "Another World".
Billie Keith Hughes died July 3, 1998, in Los Angeles.
In 2001, Epic/Sony re-releases Billie Hughes' Dream Master album.
In April 2004, MGM releases Little Monsters with Billie Hughes and Roxanne Seeman's "I Wanna Yell" and two songs, including "I Wanna Yell", with vocal performances by Billie Hughes on DVD.
In August 2004, Fuji TV releases "Mou Daremo Aisenai" with Billie Hughes "Welcome To The Edge" and "Ai To Lu Namae Nomo To Ni" with Billie Hughes "Dreamlove" on DVD.
In September 2004, the first pop concert in history was staged on the Great Wall of China outside of Beijing with Alicia Keyes headlining. Billie Hughes and Roxanne Seeman's song "Walking On The Chinese Wall" by Philip Bailey produced by Phil Collins was the finale of the event and upcoming broadcast and DVD.
Rhino Entertainment re-released Bill Hughes' "Lazarus" and "A Fool's Paradise" albums by his band Lazarus in digital formats.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Noa Noa Music - Billie Keith Hughes (April 4, 1948 - July 3, 1998) was an American recording artist, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is best known for his award-winning artist career in Japan, his soft-rock band Lazarus, the European chart single "Martin Eden", and his successful collaboration with Roxanne Seeman writing songs for Philip Bailey, Phil Collins, Bette Midler, The Jacksons, The Sisters Of Mercy, Al Jarreau, Randy Crawford, Pernilla Wahlgren, the Japanese duo Wink, and their recordings with Billie Hughes as artist in film and television. He has two Emmy nominations.
Billie's song "Welcome To The Edge", with the Japanese title "Todokanu Omoi" (One-Sided Love)" was the theme of the Japanese television drama "I'll Never Love Anyone Again" (Mou Daremo Aisanai) and the top-selling international single in Japan in 1991 with sales over 520,000 copies. Billie garnered the "#1 International Single of the Year" in 1992 at the NHK Grand Prix Japanese Gold Disk Awards.
Billie's vocals are featured on "Stay Gold" and "The Outside In" on the soundtrack release of The Outsiders, "Magic Of The Night" and "I Wanna Yell" in the 1989 film Little Monsters, and on dozens of songs appearing in US and international TV series including Baywatch, Santa Barbara, Another World, The Guiding Light, As The World Turns, Passions, Lycée Alpin, and In The Name Of Love ("Ai to lu Nano Moto ni").
Billie Hughes began his recording career as leader of Lazarus, a 1970s soft rock band formed in Abilene, Texas initially called Shiloh. In association with Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary, Lazarus moved to Woodstock, New York, signing with the newly formed Bearsville Records (Warner Bros.) label under the direction of Albert Grossman. In preparation, Noel Paul Stookey produced "Awaiting Lazarus", the Rye tapes of Shiloh, from 1970-1971. As Lazarus, the band released two albums on Bearsville, produced by Peter Yarrow and Phil Ramone.
In the next four years, Lazarus performed extensively throughout the United States and Canada. Paul Stookey recorded "Meanings Will Change" and "Blessed", Gene Cotton covered "Blessed", and in 1974, The Lettermen's cover of "Eastward" was a Billboard chart single. In 1976 Lazarus won the Clio Award for "Lifesavers" Best Commercial of the Year which ran nine years nationwide.
After the disbanding of Lazarus, Billie relocated to Toronto and was signed in 1978 by Epic Records, his contract marking the first time any act signed by the Canadian affiliate received a guaranteed American release. In the same year, he met Anne Murray, recording background vocals for the title track of her "Let's Keep It That Way" album and joining her on tour prior to relocating to Laguna Beach, California.
Billie recorded his Dream Master album in Los Angeles produced by Henry Lewy. José Feliciano along with Jeffrey Porcaro, Michael Porcaro, Mike Melvoin, Wilton Felder, Russ Kunkel, Victor Feldman, Jay Graydon, and Oscar Castro-Neves were among the many notable guests. Dream Master was released internationally in 1979, receiving especial attention in the Osaka area.
During this time, CBS/Epic arranged a collaboration for Billie to sing and write the lyrics for the theme song of the Italian TV series Martin Eden with Ruggero Cini, composer of the show and co-composer Dario Farina. Billie flew to Rome for the recording. "Martin Eden" by Bill Hughes charted Top 5 throughout Europe.
Following the success of "Martin Eden", it was added as a bonus track to the album release of Dream Master in some European territories. The song was covered by artists in Eastern European territories, including an adaptation into Czech as "Tulák Po Hvezdách (Wandering in the Stars)" by Petr Rezek, released as a single in 1984.
In 1982, Billie Hughes met Roxanne Seeman, beginning their writing relationship. Shortly afterwards, he flew to Osaka, Japan to perform his songs as a solo artist in a local club for four months, singing and playing guitar. Upon the club's sudden closure halfway through his residency, Billie was invited by Etsujiroh Gotoh of Kamifusen to relocate to Takarazuka, beginning a lasting friendship and collaborative relationship. Billie contributed songs to three albums, co-producing Here With Me in Santa Monica and Echo Of Love in Toronto. Here With Me features a cover of Billie's "You Are Here With Me", which had been airing as the nightly closing song for Channel 8 Osaka television station, "Cherry Blossom", an original song written by Peter Yarrow, and "The Outside In", Carmine Coppola's "Fate Theme" from The Outsiders with lyrics by Italia Pennino and Roxanne Seeman adapted into Japanese by Etsujiroh Gotoh. For Echo of Love, Billie enlisted The Anne Murray Band for the recording sessions.
Returning to Los Angeles in May 1983, Billie formed a partnership with Roxanne Seeman which set in motion a career of writing, recording, and producing songs for film, television, and records. They bought their own recording studio gear: Oberheim OB-8 synthesizer, DMX drum machine and Fostex 8-track tape recorder and began their career as indie artists, owning their masters and publishing. In time, they added 1" and 2" analog tape machines and recorded live drums, vocals and mix at Cherokee Studios with Gerry Brown at the board.
Sentimentally sharing a love for the East, upon composing his first track on the new Oberheim equipment, Billie said to Roxy "write me something Chinese" for the lyrics. Having traveled through China in 1982, she wrote "Walking On The Chinese Wall", soon after recorded as the title track of Philip Bailey's internationally acclaimed album Chinese Wall produced by Phil Collins.
Inspiration for their writing continued with their travels together to Brazil, where "Walking On The Chinese Wall" was being featured on the television show Fantástico, and through Asia.
"Walking On The Chinese Wall" was followed by artist recordings of Billie & Roxanne's songs by Bette Midler, The Jacksons, The Sisters Of Mercy, Randy Crawford, Al Jarreau, Melissa Manchester, Pernilla Wahlgren, the #1 charting Japanese duo Wink and productions by Phil Collins, Arif Mardin, Michael Omartian, George Duke and Reggie Lucas.
Billie's vocals are featured on "Stay Gold" and "The Outside In" on the soundtrack release of The Outsiders, "Magic Of The Night" and "I Wanna Yell" in the 1989 film Little Monsters, and on dozens of songs appearing in TV series including Baywatch, Santa Barbara, Another World, The Guiding Light, As The World Turns, Passions, Lycée Alpin, I'll Never Love Anyone Anymore ("Mou Daremo Aisanai") and In The Name Of Love ("Ai to lu Nano Moto ni").
In the mid-80s, Billie toured with Anne Murray singing the duet parts of "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" and "Now And Forever". He joined Anne on the American Music Awards for the televised performance of "Now And Forever" in 1986.
In 1986, over a dinner at Ivy By The Shore in Santa Monica, Billie and Roxanne began their long-lasting relationship with FujiPacific Music and Pony Canyon Records. On a trip to Japan together in 1986, they went to Tokyo, Osaka, Takarazuka, Kyoto, returning again year after year, making friends in the Japanese music community. They enjoyed the beauty of Japan, the cherry blossoms, the ryokans, the hot springs, and their songs being recorded by Japanese artists including Yoshimi Iwasaki, Satoshi Ikeda, Kamifusen, Tsu-Ba-Sa and Wink.
In 1991, Billie's recording "Welcome To The Edge (Todokanu Omoi)", written with Roxanne, was featured in the Japanese television series I'll Never Love Anyone Anymore ("Mou Daremo Aisanai"). Pony Canyon Records released "Welcome To The Edge (Todokanu Omoi)" as a single followed by the album release of the same name, which remained in the Top 10 of the Billboard Japan chart for four months. The single sales reached over 520,000 copies.
In March 1992, Billie and Roxy returned to Japan for Billie's live performance of "Welcome To The Edge (Todokanu Omoi)" at the NHK nationally televised Japanese Grand Prix Gold Disc Awards where he received the Award for "#1 International Single of the Year". Alongside Billie's performance were appearances by Chage & Aska, SMAP, Michael Jackson and M.C. Hammer, among the many celebrities.
Over 30 artists covered "Welcome To The Edge (Todokanu Omoi)" and the song continues to be recorded in Japanese and English.
Concurrent to the airing of I'll Never Love Anyone Anymore ("Mou Daremo Aisanai") in Japan, Billie's original arrangement of "Welcome To The Edge" was appearing as a love theme in the American television series Santa Barbara, leading to an Emmy nomination for Best Original Song.
In the 90's, Billie's recordings with Roxanne were featured in internationally syndicated network television shows, garnering a second Emmy nomination for Best Original Song in Another World.
In 2000, the Korean film Jonghab byeongwon the movie: Cheonil dongan featured Billie's "Welcome To The Edge".
In September 2004, the first pop concert in history was staged on the Great Wall of China outside of Beijing with Alicia Keys headlining. Billie and Roxanne's song "Walking On The Chinese Wall" was the finale of the event.
Billie Keith Hughes died July 3, 1998, in Los Angeles.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Noa Noa Music
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