Coming up, the story of a journeyman rocker, who finally scored fame when he reached his 30s. Billy Squire’s breakout hit The Stroke was a provocative sledgehammer - misinterpreted by innuendo that led the way to one of the biggest albums of the 80s. It sold 4 million copies... In 1981... he was on top of the business he loathed, but ironically... just a few years later, after releasing his highest charting single, Rock me Tonite his career suddenly plummeted due to a music video. After that, he just up and disappeared! The details of the slow climb and the rapid fall of an 80s icon is NEXT on Professor of Rock.

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Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. If you know in your heart that rock and roll is king you’ll dig this channel of music nostalgia the stories straight from the legends. Make sure to subscribe below right now. click the bell so you’re always in the know of our latest interviews Also check out our content on patreon it’s a way to support us and keep the music alive.

Massachusetts-born William “Billy” Squier, worked tirelessly for 12 years to achieve breakout success in the 'dog-eat-dog' music business. In 1981, he wrote a song about the exploitation of artists by the record industry- the rich powerful label tycoons that followed a shameful practice he called “The Stroke”: When Bily Squire was 14, he put his first band together with some school buddies. They called themselves The Reltneys.

One of the boys in the band discovered it was a Cockney expression for the dominant feature of the male anatomy, and thought it would be funny. Some things never change…including the sense of humor of a teenage boy…. Billy began his professional career in '68, with his first public performances in the band Psychedelic Supermarket playing various gigs at the Boston nightclub, Kenmore Square. From there, Billy formed several groups that fizzled quickly.

With a whopping $40 in his pocket, he decided to take his talents to the Big Apple- writing songs, while looking for new opportunities. Billy joined the NYC-based band, The Sidewinders, which was another flash in the pan. Then came the band Piper.

As the lead vocalist of Piper, Billy started to attract the attention of bigger game within the label community. In 1980, Billy’s first solo album Tale of the Tape was released. It was a sweet milestone for Billy. Having a solo album validated him, internally, and he began to gain confidence to attract a big spotlight.

After many years of battling through failed bands and multiple setbacks, Billy was ready to make a statement to the music world.
Tale of the Tape didn’t produce any radio hits, but the 2nd single “The Big Beat” had an anthemic percussive groove that has been heavily sampled in nearly 300 recorded songs Billy was majorly influenced by The Rolling Stones & The Beatles, and he also loved Queen. His dream was to have Queen co-founder & guitar genius, Brian May, produce his 2nd solo album Don’t Say No. Although Brian was interested, he had to pass, due to scheduling conflicts.