Billy Block, acclaimed session drummer, longtime radio host and tireless advocate for Country music and Americana, has passed away. He died today a long battle with stage 4 metastatic melanoma. Billy Block was 59 years old.
Billy Block began playing drums as a kid in Texas, and by 1972, his senior year of high school, he was performing in a Houston club six nights a week.
Before he turned 20, Billy was tapped to drum on Freddy Fender's records. In 1978, he backed Billy Joe Shaver on a tour that included Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris.
Billy Block moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and quickly became part of the city's vibrant music scene. For nearly a decade, he drummed in the house band at the famous Palomino club for "The Ronnie Mack Barn Dance," where he played with California acts such as Dale Watson and Rosie Flores.
In 1995 Billy and his wife relocated to Nashville. 'The Billy Block Show' became the epicenter of the alt-country scene, with Billy serving as ringmaster and head cheerleader.
Billy's first bout with cancer began at age 22, when melanoma was discovered in his right leg; his second battle with the disease occurred in the early '90s.
In late 2013, he was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic melanoma after doctors found cancer in his lymph nodes, spleen and liver after a chest scan. Billy fought long and hard but eventually lost. He went into hospice care on Tuesday, March 10, and passed away the next day.
Billy Block is survived by his wife, Jill; sons Rocky and Grady Block, Micheal Hughes and Shandon Mayes; sisters Francine Beckman and Nancy Block; and his brother, Jay Block.
