b. Billy Bland, 5th April 1932, Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S.A.
Billy Bland is an R&B singer and songwriter from North Carolina.
His career began in the Forties, when he sang, at various venues, in New York.
In the Fifties, Billy sang with a group called the Four Bees.
The Four Bees were signed to the New Orleans based Imperial Records imprint.
'Chicken Hop' b/w 'Oh, You For Me' - 1955 / ‘Let the Little Girl Dance’ b/w 'Sweet Thing' - 1960
In 1955, he began a solo career, signing with the Old Town Records label.
In 1960, Billy overheard Titus Turner recording the song ‘Let the Little Girl Dance’ b/w 'Sweet Thing'.
Billy suggested to Titus a way of performing the song, which was recorded by record producer Henry Glover.
The session was eventually released as a single.
‘Let the Little Girl Dance’ was a hit in the U.S., reaching number 11 on the Black Singles chart and number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Billy released a couple more hits that year, namely ‘Harmony’ b/w 'Make Me Believe Lover' (charting on the U.S. Hot 100 at number 91) and ‘You Were Born to Be Loved’ b/w 'Pardon Me' (charting on the U.S. Hot 100 at number 94).
Billy recorded up until 1963 for Old Town, and then left the music industry.
In the Eighties, he ran a restaurant in Harlem.
