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Veteran songwriter, arranger, singer and prolific session musician Billy Strange died today in Nashville aged 81.

Born William Everett Strange on September 29, 1930 in Long Beach, California, he would go on to work with some of the biggest artists of all time during his lengthy career, including Elvis Presley, Frank and Nancy Sinatra, the Beach Boys, the Everly Brothers, Rick Nelson, Dean Martin, Willie Nelson, the Ventures and many more.

Billy Strange and Elvis Presley (1968)

Billy began performing from an early age on radio. At first his instrument of choice was the trumpet, but he moved on to guitar in his mid-teens and began playing in various bands with his parents and friends. This led to regular appearances on live television as a guitarist and singer with acts such as The Sons Of The Pioneers and Roy Rogers. Billy also had regular radio work, which led to his position as staff guitarist at CBS radio in Hollywood.

Billy soon became a highly sought after session musician in Hollywood, working in the pop, big band, jazz and country fields. Collectively, this highly versatile and talented group of Hollywood session musicians became known as the Wrecking Crew. He also recorded his own guitar albums in the 1960s.

Although Billy is not a household name, his musical credits are so extensive that you would be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard a recording that he was involved with in some capacity. It is Billy’s guitar on a number of Beach Boys recordings, including “Surfin’ USA, and “California Girls.” It’s also Billy’s guitar on Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down),” which was recently introduced to a new generation via the soundtrack of Tarantino’s “Kill Bill.” Billy was also behind the arrangements on many Nancy Sinatra recordings, including “These Boots Are Made For Walking,” and the “Somethin’ Stupid” duet with her father. Nancy paid tribute to Billy today via her Twitter account:

Billy’s songwriting credits include the exquisite “Memories,” which he penned with Mac Davis for Elvis Presley’s 1968 television special, as well as several of the stronger Elvis movies songs, such as “Clean Up Your Own Backyard” and “A Little Less Conversation.” The latter became a worldwide number one when remixed in 2002.

Billy’s contribitions to popular music were rightly recognised with inductions into both the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and Musicians Hall of Fame. His fine work will continue to be enjoyed by millions of music fans around the world for many years to come.