I've always been moved by a great song. When I was a kid, while my friends were outside playing kick ball, I would be inside listening to my Dad's albums. Great compositions by Stevie Wonder, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, The Beatles, Willie Nelson, Otis Redding, Prince, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin (and the list goes on and on...) changed my life. The stories, the melodies, and the chord progressions moved me (and still move me) like nothing else on earth. From a very early age, my sole desire was to be a songwriter. I'm so thankful that I've been able to do this for a living and that people all over the world have enjoyed my music. I started my music publishing company, Vision 1st Music (BMI), in the mid 90's. Since that time, I've published a plethora of songs in all music genres and styles. I've had the opportunity to co write with some of the best songwriters in the world. Lyrically, I've written about all the things that we as human beings deal with in our lives. Melodically, I've tried my best to imitate my musical heroes with a smile on my face :-).

After high school, I did a short stint at Cleveland State University (voice scholarship). A year later, I moved to Atlanta, GA and attended the Atlanta Institute of Music. The music theory and songwriting studies there were intense. What I learned from the top notch instructors at A.I.M. still influences me to this day. For 10 years, I cut my teeth on the Atlanta music scene. It’s hard to explain to people how unbelievable that music community was in the 90’s. It’s one of those things where “You had to be there!” During the decade that I played that scene, The Black Crowes, Shawn Mullins, The Marvelous 3 (featuring Butch Walker), John Mayer, David Ryan Harris, Dionne Farris, Xscape, Third Day, Michelle Malone, Jagged Edge, Bow Wow, Kris Kross, William Duvall (Alice In Chains’ current singer), TLC, Usher, Collective Soul, Da Brat, Monica, Goodie Mob (featuring Cee-Lo Green), Sevendust, Tony Rich, Soul Miner’s Daughter (featuring Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland), Brendan O’Brien, Jermaine Dupree, Dallas Austin, all exploded out of the A.T.L. I was fortunate enough to perform with, record with, or get to know many of these artists and producers. As you could imagine, my musical world was changed forever. With that much success around me, I believed that anything was possible!

After signing a developmental deal with Forefont Records, I moved to Nashville, TN in 1999. Even though I never released an album with them, I started to build a great reputation as a songwriter and performer. I eventually was hired to play guitar and sing background vocals for Grammy winning artist, Rebecca St. James. I was in her band for almost 4 years, and toured all over the world with her. In 2000, my band, Fusebox, signed a deal with Elevate Records/EMI and released two albums, Lost In Worship, and Once Again. What an amazing season. For the first time, I saw real success at radio. It was such a thrill to hear songs that I wrote on the radio. During the 7 years we were together, we performed in over 25 countries, had 3 top 20 songs, and toured with great artists like Reliant K, Casting Crowns, Newsboys, Switchfoot, and Chris Tomlin, to name a few.

After Fusebox disbanded, I moved to St. Augustine, FL and decided to focus on my solo career and my songwriting. I've since released 3 solo albums independently, The Music Man, Hold On, and Transparent. On these albums, I co-wrote with some very talented writers, including Busbee (Lady Antebellum, Timbaland, Katy Perry, Rascal Flatts), Mike Hartnett (Fergie, Trey Songz, Pink, Outkast), and Marc Byrd (God of Wonders, Strong Tower, Show Me Your Glory). I continue to perform 5 to 6 nights a week in the evenings and write and record in the mornings.

Take a listen to my tunes. I hope you enjoy them. Because the songs listed are recorded in various ways and at various tiimes, there are some volume differences. Some of the recordings are actual masters, and some are demos. For music licensing (recording artists, record companies, TV, radio, commericals, or movies) contact Vision 1st Music / Jim Garritano, songs@billybuchanan.org.

Thanks for listening! - BB