Music, Memory & Miracles • The Long & Winding Road of Billie Dalton

The unique arc of regionally based Country music singer & songwriter Billie Dalton is a fascinating tale of talent, commitment, courage, faith, and redemption. Beginning his professional career back in 1970’s and after the promising release of his debut album, Dalton suffered a tragic loss of memory for 28 years stemming from injuries while serving in the military.

In 1997 he was poised for induction into the Michigan Country Music Hall of Fame, but never received his official Hall of Fame Plaque, which will officially be presented to him during an Induction Ceremony at the 2026 Michigan Country Hall of Fame Awards celebration set for August 15^th at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, Michigan, which will run from 7 – 9:30 PM.

Even more surprisingly, especially for fans of late Michigan Rock legend Mr. Richard (Dick) Wagner, Dalton has released his second album of original material titled Catching My Second Wind, which was recorded and produced by Wagner back in 1997 prior to Dalton’s injury, and contains unheard songs written specifically by Wagner for Dalton’s project. (For those unfamiliar with Wagner, he was founder and creator of seminal Michigan rock bands The Bossmen back in the 1960s and The Frost in the 1970’s, and also wrote & performed with Alice Cooper.

The powerful collection of songs on this new release reflects the journey of a man who has lived through the highs and lows of life, music, and through perseverance, came back stronger than ever. From heartfelt reflections to hard-hitting country attitude, Billie delivers authentic vocals and honest songwriting that longtime country music fans will approve.

With decades of experience and a story worth telling, Billie Dalton proves that great music only gets better with time. Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with Dalton in advance of his upcoming induction appearances and celebration to learn more about his journey, which is a testimony of resilience, passion, and the enduring spirit of country music.

REVIEW: Let’s start at the beginning. Tell me a little bit about your background and how you first got interested and your origins with Country music?

 Dalton: I’ve been involved in music for nearly 56 years and started in 1970’s. Back when I was eight years old, I learned how to play the guitar, and My Dad gave me a big Kay-guitar to start with, that I could barely manage to touch my fingertips on the frets with, but by the age of ten I was able to play.

I remember he took me down to the Gilbert Hotel, where the High-Low Club was down in Battle Creek where I saw Del Shannon singing his hit Runaway, which inspired me to play music. From there I continued through high school and took choir and instrumental classes, and then I went into the military at the age of seventeen.

It was at the end of the Vietnam era and by 1975 my orders were cancelled and they stopped the war, but I continued playing locally and started helping veterans interested in music learn how to play the guitar. If they had a song they wanted to write, I’d help them with the chords, or help them get a melody, as well do my own stuff for them as well.

I was blessed to be with the Houston Livestock & Rodeo down in Texas in my early 20s, attended college down there, and had the pleasure of performing there under the directorship of Chuck Wood, who was the band leader down there. By 1981-82 I received my gold belt buckle of the 50^th year of the Houston Rodeo and then went to New Orleans where I was walking the streets playing on Bourbon Street. But then I received a phone call from my mom saying that my dad had cancer, so I came back to Michigan in 1984 to help my family. He passed away in 1988, but during that time I was doing local gigs at the American Legions, VFW’s and stuff like that, but I was still in the military service.

 REVIEW: What did you do in the service and how did you expand your work with veterans?

 Dalton: I had three different Military Orders working as a combat engineer, a senior field instructor, and working in the field artillery in the maintenance section. Serving for over 20-years, I started by trying to help veterans apply for their benefits and put this non-profit organization together called The Soldier Song & Music was originally established in 1980, that helps veterans write their own music, and if they want to take it to the next level, get it recorded and get them recorded on television, which I put them on local public access stations down in Battle Creek and in Midland on MCTV. I’ve been doing this since 1995. Over the past 30 years I would say there’s probably over 200 veterans I’ve helped write, record, and get their music out before the public.

Delta College broadcasting classes helped me spearhead a version of Veterans of the day stories a segment series like Krystal Sanders story, my favorite, and my personal story. Other than that, it’s been wonderful returning to stage, fully fulfilling a life dream.

REVIEW: Let’s talk about your new comeback album and the about the loss of memories for 28 years that you experienced.

 Dalton: Back in December 1997, the manager of MAPS, introduced me to Dick Wagner. They also introduced me to Jeff Brothers, president of Step One records and Sony records Nashville Tennessee. It was so much fun, I missed it. I went to Dick Wagner’s studio in Saginaw where we cut the tracks for my now new release, called Catching My Second Wind. We had put it all together and it was ready to go and then unfortunately, tragedy struck me and I got injured serving in the military on active duty, which took me out.

I suffered a traumatic brain injury and lost memory for quite a long time, so it was hard to understand what happened. My injury happened in December 1997, right around the time the album was ready to come out, right here in the United States.

I served in Iraq from 2004-2009 and when I came back at first my instincts were to destroy all my musical works. My mother Lavenia stopped me and told me don’t destroy your creations, bring back the music that you have in your heart son and try again She passed away in 2014 before hearing my music on the radio and TV networks.  Mr. Richard Wagner passed that same year. In August 2025, I decided to take refresher classes at Delta College and the Broadcasting Network inside the studio, and it was like all these memories just flooded right back into me. It was like a revelation of some key or a trigger that kind of opened the whole vault of recollection back to me.

I was with the Bay Veterans Foundation as their executive producer and director for the Soldier Song & Voice Program when I went to Delta, as I was using their studio to spearhead the program for them. While taking a broadcasting class at Delta College there were three journalists in the classroom, and I was sharing some of the things I had done, and one of them mentioned they couldn’t find anything about me on the Internet, which shocked me and confused me.

They couldn’t find anything on me on the Michigan Country Music Hall of Fame’s website, even though I laid out proof and showed them my certifications and that the band I had was the Dalton Gang, so I put a packet together to do a re-induction application and received a call from David Dickerson, who is president of HOF, and he informed me that I didn’t need to reapply because I’d been in the Hall of Fame and ROPE in Nashville, TN since 1997. However, because of my injury, I was never aware of it. I’ve just been blessed with certain things in my life.

I’m thankful for the Veterans Foundation for giving me the opportunity, my nonprofit Soldier Song & Music and Delta College for the opportunity of being a participant in their broadcasting program, which has allowed me to become a member of the Michigan Broadcasters Association, and now the  Michigan Country Music Hall of Fame will be inducting me in this year’s upcoming awards ceremony celebration and concert scheduled in Charlotte Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, Michigan, where I will received my long overdue awards plaque and possibly perform.

That’s going to be happening on August 15th of this year, and the doors open at 6PM with the show starting at 7PM, and tickets are available. I would suggest ordering online to make sure you get a seat. It will also be filmed, as well.

Other inductees this year include Susan Mora, Patrick Kenealy, Krag Ryal, Down Home, Dan Goodman, Craig John McPherson, Lewis Studer, Mike Thornton, Bill Fuller, Bob Fuller, and Paul Franklin with a 2026 Pioneer Award given to Phil & Ellen Beam.

REVIEW: Tell us more about the new CD and single. How collaborative was the process of working with Dick Wagner?

 Dalton: The single is called Catching My Second Wind and is one of my favorites. It tells of the adversity we face in life and everything that you wouldn’t think you could go through. Dick Wagner wrote the song, and MAPS bought the rights for me to publish and sing it. He wrote a  really fun song to perform, and I wrote the rest of them on the album.

We collaborated on this material and then he gave me a tape and said this is what I’ve got. I took it home and it took me about two weeks to go through things, and when I came back into the studio, we did it in one take. These songs have been on the shelf ever since until my memory came back and I realized that I actually had them.

 REVIEW: So what’s been the most challenging component pulling this whole project together?

 Dalton: I wasn’t sure I could do it. After all that time I went to college for multi-media, but had never really had used it. Before that I was a carpenter and then a truck driver and drove across the United States for years, and then I also did transportation serving in the military, so I have a broad background of life experiences behind me.

REVIEW: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned through all of this?

Dalton: For those who lose their memory like I did, hang in there because you never know when it’s going to come back. Never give up and never surrender. It’s never worth taking your life over or anything like that, because let’s face it – I evenhought about it at one time because I didn’t know who I was or what I was. Memories form the vision and soul; they are the eye of your soul because they form part of your history.

It’s funny and rather ironic because my first release was called Remember Me, recorded at Sound Stage One down in Kalamazoo at the time with Jim Cummings, who was also best friend with Dick Wagner. That was back in July of 1997. It’s prophetic in a way.

I’ve also received letters from two United States presidents about my work. I sent a copy of my first release to President Bill Clinton back in 1997 and a copy of my new CD and the Soldier Song & Music program I created to President Donald Trump. Because of my work with the military and with the Veterans both sent nice cards back thanking me for my work. You can see their letters and cards on the website.

For copies of the CD’s and tickets to the upcoming shows along with information on Soldier Song & Music visit soldiersongandmusic.org.