Meet Billy Hume: Music Producer and Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Billy Hume and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Billy, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I was a little kid I asked my mom, “What do you want me to be when I grow up?” and her answer was, “I just want you to be happy”. I took that to heart and because of that I can’t say that there was ever any thought process involved in starting my own business, because that’s not how I looked at it. I saw my life path as pursuing the things I loved. I knew from the time that I was 13 years old that I wanted to live my life in music whether it be as a performer, writer, producer, studio owner, or all of these things. In fact I was 30 years old before it ever occurred to my that music was my career and only because someone in the studio referred to my work as my career. I know that this is not how most people approach a business, they look at numbers while I’m looking at goals, dreams, achievements, and listening to that little voice that speaks to my soul. I credit my success to all this, because when I was starting out I was told repeatedly by everyone that the music business was not a good idea and I ignored them. And 10 years ago when the bottom fell out of the music business and my income dropped 80% in 2 years, most of my peers closed their studios, quit producing, quit writing and got other jobs. But I stuck to the path I’ve been on this whole time and since then I’ve won a Grammy, I’m making some of the best music I’ve ever made, and have become a teacher and mentor to young creatives.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I spent the first few years after high school traveling around in vans and trucks playing guitar, singing in Top 40 cover bands, and performing in everything from dive bars to bowling alleys. Each night I had to play and sing anything that was popular at the time, and classic songs which would mean we were playing pop, country, rock, latin, rockabilly, reggae, whatever… One week I’d be playing in front of coal miners in West Virginia and the next week in front of vacationers in Florida. These experiences taught me how music has such a strong impact on people no matter where they come from and also how music is different depending on where you’re at and what culture you are immersed in. This knowledge was invaluable in that it enabled me to work in multiple music genres and to understand what my clients were seeking, thus I could help make their dreams come true. Later I decided to stay in Atlanta, build a studio and get into studio production. This was really a move back to my original inspiration – Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of The Moon” – which is what made me want to make records and hopefully someday make one as good and timeless. I spent many years recording my own and local bands, while improving my skills and slowly buying more equipment when I could. I supported myself during this time by painting houses and doing carpentry work. This remodeling business ended up with a loyal list of clients that hired me repeatedly over the years. What I learned from this was how to get gigs, provide good customer service, the importance of branding, and how to set goals and accomplish objectives as a self employed person. If I could pinpoint a moment when I had my ‘big break’ it would be when my air conditioner repairman suggested I finish building out my basement studio and get into rap music. This part of my story is too long to go into right now, but it resulted in my first Hip Hop album, which failed commercially and was the beginning of some lifelong friendships which included Bone Crusher. Bone was an up and coming artist at the time and I thought he was talented, funny and cool. After that first album was done, I took him out to a Taco Bell and suggested we work on some songs together, just for the hell of it. I figured we’d do 2 or 3 songs and that I’d move on. Little did I know how relentless Bone can be when given studio time and an opportunity. We ended up doing countless songs together and he went and played them (even the bad ones) for every single person he knew in the Atlanta music scene, which was quite a lot. Because of him everyone heard my work, which led to bookings, hit records, relationships and a journey that still blows my mind. In a strange twist of events, which is quite usual for me, my success in Urban Music actually led to me working with a premier Bluegrass group, the Infamous Stringdusters, which led to working on a lot of country music which I still do today. As far as what my brand is I’d say that my clients know me for my honesty, attention to detail and most importantly – what comes out of the speakers, which is both awesome communicates the emotion that the artist wishes to portray.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had a friend come and stay with me that wanted to go on a week long trip I’d plan the following: On the first day we would hang at my place, sit in the garden and catch up on things while we drank wine. The next day we would pack up some backpacking gear and head up into mountains of North Carolina where we would hike up and over Black Balsam, Tennent Mountain and on to Cold Mountain. Maybe we’d do a little foray down to Flat Laurel Springs. This would take about 3 days. After that we’d head to downtown Asheville, stay at a nice hotel and visit some local breweries and shops for a couple of days. We’d finish up the trip by winding our way home on through some of the mountain towns of North Georgia.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would never of had the career I’ve had if it weren’t for my wife Crystal who has been with me since before I had any real success. She’s always encouraged me, shared the risks and understood my unusual ways. She also handles most of the business details and scheduling which allows me to stay in a creative space. I consider myself lucky and blessed to have her by my side.

Website: https://www.billyhume.net
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billyhume
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billyhumeproducer
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/freakingoutwithbillyhume