Billy Montana

Billy Montana is a critically acclaimed singer and songwriter whose gift for tapping into powerful emotions has produced a string of hits and awards with some of country music's biggest stars. His Number 1 credits include Garth Brooks' record-breaking single "More Than a Memory," Sara Evans' "Suds in the Bucket," Lee Brice's "Hard to Love," and the Grammy-nominated "Bring On the Rain," recorded by Jo Dee Messina with Tim McGraw.

He was once an agriculture major at Cornell University who dreamed of running a farm in upstate New York, and chose instead to sow melodies and lyrics. In the mid-1980s he fronted Billy Montana and the Long Shots, a group signed to Warner Bros. Records Nashville that never released a full album. In 1989 he moved from upstate New York to Nashville to pursue songwriting. His first big break came when Jo Dee Messina recorded "Bring On the Rain" in 2000. The song was released as a single on September 10, 2001, and went on to resonate with a country in need of healing.

His songs have also been recorded by Kenny Chesney, Martina McBride, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Lee Ann Womack, Trace Adkins, Kenny Rogers and many others. "What If I Was Willing," which he wrote with his son Randy and Brian Davis, was featured on ABC's "Nashville."

As a recording artist, his 1995 album No Yesterday earned praise from USA Today, which called him "a wonderful songwriter." Country Weekly described his music as "a common man's wisdom voiced in an uncommon manner." He draws heavily on his rural background for songs that are eloquent, simple and honest.