Billy & Lillie (New York)
aka Billie & Lillie aka  Billy & Lilly
(By Hans-Joachim)

Personnel:

Billy Ford

Lillie Bryant

Discography:

Singles :

Billy & Lillie
1957 - La Dee Dah / The Monster (Billy Ford & The Thunderbirds) (Swan 4002)
1958 - Happiness / Creepin' Crawlin' Cryin' (Swan 4005)

Billie & Lillie
1958 - The Greasy Spoon / Hangin’ On To You (Swan 4011)

Billy & Lillie
1958 - Lucky Ladybug / I Promise You (Swan 4020)
1959 - Lucky Ladybug / I Promise You (Casino 105)
1959 - Tumbled Down / Aloysius Horatio Thomas The Cat (Swan 4030)
1959 - Bells, Bells, Bells / Honeymoonin' (Swan 4036)
1959- Terrific Together / Swampy (Swan 4042)
1960- Free For All / The Ins And Outs Of Love (Swan 4051)
1960- Over The Mountain, Across The Sea / That's The Way The Cookie Crumbles (Ah-So) (Swan 4058)
1961 - Bananas / Ain't Comin' Back To You (Swan 4069)

Billy & Lilly
1962 - My Pledge Of Love / You Made Me Love You (Stacy 928)

Billy & Lillie & The Thunderbirds (4)
1963 - Whip It To Me Baby / Love Me Sincerely (ABC-Paramount 10421)

Billy & Lillie
1963 - Carry Me ‘Cross The Threshold / Why I Love Billie (Why I Love Lillie) (ABC-Paramount10489)

Billie & Lillie
1964 - Tic Tac Toe / Coconut Cake (Ric 144)

Billy & Lilly & The Thunderbirds (4)
1965 - Baby You Don't Know / I'm In Love (Crossroad 101)

Billy & Lillie
1966 - Nothing Moves (Without A Push) / The Two Of Us (Cameo 412)
1966 - You Got Me By The Heart / Hear, You Better Hear! (Cameo 435)

Unreleased :

n/a - Draggin’
n/a - Till Death Do Us Part

Lillie Bryant
1957 - The Good Good Morning, Baby / Gambler (Cameo 122)
1959 - Smoky Gray Eyes / I’ll Never Be Free (Swan 4029)
1966 - Meet Me Half Way / Mama (Tay-Ster 6016)

Biography:

Billy & Lillie were an American pop vocal duo, comprised of Billy Ford (born March 9, 1925, Bloomfield, New Jersey) and Lillie Bryant (born February 14, 1940, Newburg, New York). Billy Ford was a trumpeter and singer and began his career in 1942. He had recorded two singles for United Records, without attaining much commercial success. When Lillie Bryant turned 14 she appeared during an amateur night at New York City's legendary Apollo Theater. For the next few years she performed in New York City working at different clubs.

In 1957 Ford and his band, The Thunderbirds, auditioned for Frank Slay and Bob Crewe's XYZ production company in the New York City Rehearsal studio the very same day as Billy tested out Lillie to replace one of his vocalists. Bob Crewe came up with the suggestion to record her with Billy as a duo in an attempt to cash in on the popularity of acts such as Mickey & Sylvia as well as providing a Pearl Bailey/Louis Armstrong comedic approach.

They recorded for Swan Records in the late 1950s and charted three hit singles in the United States, two of them written by the songwriter and record producer Bob Crewe. Billy & Lillie’s backing group was Billy Ford’s Thunderbirds. The first single, "La Dee Dah", was the only one of them to hit the Top 10 on the Billboard charts, peaking at #9.
Billy Ford died at age 59 in 1985.

Lillie Bryant biography by Ronnie Allen at Jersey Girls Sing
Lillie Bryant biography by Dik de Heer at Shakin’ Stacks
Billy & Lillie biography by The Big Geeze at Geezer Music Club
Billy & Lillie label scans at 45cat
Billy & Lillie discography at Soulful Kinda Music

 Songs:

Billy & Lilly

     
La Dee Dah               The Monster (Billy Ford & The Thunderbirds)              Happiness

     
Creepin' Crawlin' Cryin'       The Greasy Spoon / Hangin’ On To You       Lucky Ladybug

     
I Promise You                    Tumbled Down           Aloysius Horatio Thomas The Cat

     
Bells, Bells, Bells                  Honeymoonin'                    Terrific Together

     
Swampy                 Over The Mountain, Across The Sea            That's The Way The Cookie Crumbles (Ah-So)

  
Bananas / Ain't Comin' Back To You                My Pledge Of Love / You Made Me Love You

     
Whip It To Me Baby          Love Me Sincerely         Why I Love Billie (Why I Love Lillie)

     
Baby You Don't Know / I'm In Love         Nothing Moves (Without A Push)      The Two Of Us

  
You Got Me By The Heart / Hear, You Better Hear!         Draggin’ / Till Death Do Us Part

Lillie Bryant


Good Good Morning, Baby /The Gambler

     
Smoky Gray Eyes          I’ll Never Be Free                Meet Me Half Way

...