Billy Roberts

William Moses "Billy" Roberts Jr. (born August 16, 1936, Greenville, South Carolina) is an American songwriter and musician credited with composing the 1960s rock music standard "Hey Joe" (of which the best-known version is the hit by the Jimi Hendrix Experience).

Biography

Roberts attended The Military College of South Carolina but left school for the life of an itinerant musician. He learned to play the 12-string guitar and blues harmonica, on which he claimed to have been tutored by Sonny Terry. In the early 1960s he went to New York's Greenwich Village where he busked on the street and played in coffeehouses. It was there that he composed the song "Hey, Joe," which he copyrighted in 1962. Early the same year, after a brief and turbulent marriage, Roberts traveled to Reno, Nevada to obtain a divorce. After that, he went to San Francisco where he again played in coffeehouses. It would become his base of operations for the rest of his career.

In 1964-1965, Roberts was part of a San Francisco-based folk trio called The Driftwood Singers (with Steve Lalor and Lyn Shepard). Signed by David Allen, manager of the hungry i, the group did several month-long stints at the i, opening for the likes of Bill Cosby, Carmen McRae, Godfrey Cambridge, and Joan Rivers. The group also toured the West Coast, playing supper clubs and summer concert touring around Seattle and Vancouver, BC. On New Years Day 1965, they participated in a huge entertainment event at San Quentin Penitentiary with Louis Armstrong, Sarah Vaughan, Johnny Cash, a Mariachi Band and hula dancers. Ironically, Dino Valenti was very likely in the audience, serving a term for a drug charge.

Billy Roberts (Australian footballer)

William "Billy" Roberts (4 December 1908 – 16 May 1998) was an Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Roberts played at Wesley College and Oakleigh before coming to St Kilda.

He was used on the wing until 1930, when he replaced Barney Carr as St Kilda's centreman.

Roberts represented Victoria on six occasions.

References

Billy Roberts (footballer)

John William "Billy" Roberts (born 1880 in Liverpool, deceased) was an English former professional footballer who made two appearances in the Football League for Preston North End. He also played for Southern League clubs Tottenham Hotspur, Grays United, Brighton & Hove Albion, where he was top scorer in the 1903–04 season with nine goals in all competitions, and Queens Park Rangers. He played as an inside left.

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