Billy Rush Masters
Encyclopedia
Billy Rush Masters was an American composer, and rock guitarist. He is best known as a songwriter
and founding member of the pioneering Jesus music
and contemporary Christian music
band, The Archers
between 1970 and 1977. His hits included “God’s Love,” “Thank You Lord Jesus,” “Music (He Brings A New Song),” “Brand New Day,” and “Fresh Surrender,” which was nominated for a GMA Dove Award in 1977.
He was born William Rush Masters at St. Francis Hospital in Wichita, Kansas
to Allan Rush Masters an aerospace engineer and Marjorie Suzanne Schuelke. He has one sibling, Pamela Masters Guzman. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area
community of Mountain View, California
during the 1960s. He graduated from Los Altos High School
and attended Foothill College
in Los Altos, California
. Masters showed an early aptitude for music. He began playing guitar at age five and by high school he was teaching and had already formed a couple of rock bands. He was an early member of San Francisco’s Hippie
movement and began to study Eastern religions.
In 1969, after a move to Palmdale
in Southern California
he became a born-again Christian. There he met the singers Tim and Steve Archer
who were forming the Jesus and contemporary Christian music band, The Archers. He began playing bass and later switched to lead. By 1972, The Archers recorded their first album, Any Day Now
. Within six months they landed a record deal with Impact Records
, Nashville
who re-released the album as The Archers.
Masters toured with the group throughout the United States
, Canada
and South Africa
for six years before leaving the band in 1976. He married Judy Baxter, a law student and engineer at NBC who worked on various shows including the daytime drama, Days of our Lives
, Sanford & Son, the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson doing the boom, working as an audio assistant, or operating the teleprompter. During his years with The Archers he contributed songs to four albums: The Archers, Keep Singin' That Love Song
, Things We Deeply Feel
and Fresh Surrender
, writing an average of four songs per album.
He suffered from an autoimmune illness from early childhood, and was later diagnosed with a related form of hepatitis
. In 1979, he began to hemorrhage and was rushed to the hospital losing nearly all of his blood volume
. Although he initially recovered, he relapsed and was admitted to UCLA Medical Center. He died on July 2, 1981. He left behind his wife and one infant daughter, Lauren who went on to study musical theatre at USC and currently lives and works in NYC. Judy Spees, Billy's wife and her husband Frank Spees are trust attorneys. www.spees.com
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and founding member of the pioneering Jesus music
Jesus music
Jesus music, known as gospel beat music in the United Kingdom, is a style of Christian music which originated on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This musical genre developed in parallel to the Jesus movement...
and contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
band, The Archers
The Archers (musical group)
The Archers were one of America's earliest Contemporary Christian music groups. They were originally brothers Tim and Steve Archer, Nancye Short and Billy Rush Masters. After Masters and Short departed in 1977, sister Janice Archer joined....
between 1970 and 1977. His hits included “God’s Love,” “Thank You Lord Jesus,” “Music (He Brings A New Song),” “Brand New Day,” and “Fresh Surrender,” which was nominated for a GMA Dove Award in 1977.
He was born William Rush Masters at St. Francis Hospital in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
to Allan Rush Masters an aerospace engineer and Marjorie Suzanne Schuelke. He has one sibling, Pamela Masters Guzman. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
community of Mountain View, California
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
during the 1960s. He graduated from Los Altos High School
Los Altos High School (Los Altos, California)
Los Altos High School, established in 1954, is a public school located in the affluent Silicon Valley suburb of Los Altos, California. It has generally demonstrated a high level of academic achievement...
and attended Foothill College
Foothill College
Foothill College is a community college located in Los Altos Hills, California and is part of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District. It was founded on January 15, 1957 by Founding Superintendent and President Dr. Calvin C. Flint.-History:...
in Los Altos, California
Los Altos, California
Los Altos is a city at the southern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 28,976 according to the 2010 census....
. Masters showed an early aptitude for music. He began playing guitar at age five and by high school he was teaching and had already formed a couple of rock bands. He was an early member of San Francisco’s Hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
movement and began to study Eastern religions.
In 1969, after a move to Palmdale
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is...
in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
he became a born-again Christian. There he met the singers Tim and Steve Archer
Steve Archer
Steve Archer is an American singer-songwriter and producer. He is a pioneer of the genre of Jesus music, later to become known as contemporary Christian music...
who were forming the Jesus and contemporary Christian music band, The Archers. He began playing bass and later switched to lead. By 1972, The Archers recorded their first album, Any Day Now
The Archers (album)
The Archers was the first nationally released major label album for The Archers. Originally released as Any Day Now in 1972 on their independent Charisma Records label, it garnered the group almost immediate national attention and launched them on to the national stage...
. Within six months they landed a record deal with Impact Records
Impact Records
Impact Records is an American record label, once a subsidiary of MCA Records. Today its back catalog remains part of Universal Music Group.Acts on the label are and/or have included: Jock Mitchell, Sass Jordan, The Fixx, Rythm Syndicate, and Joey Lawrence....
, Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
who re-released the album as The Archers.
Masters toured with the group throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
for six years before leaving the band in 1976. He married Judy Baxter, a law student and engineer at NBC who worked on various shows including the daytime drama, Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
, Sanford & Son, the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson doing the boom, working as an audio assistant, or operating the teleprompter. During his years with The Archers he contributed songs to four albums: The Archers, Keep Singin' That Love Song
Keep Singing That Love Song
Keep Singin' That Love Song was The Archers first major label album. Impact Records re-released their independent recording, The Archers, a year earlier and sent master producer Bob MacKenzie to the West Coast for the new project...
, Things We Deeply Feel
Things We Deeply Feel
Things We Deeply Feel the fourth album release for The Archers and their first release for the West Coast’s powerful CCM franchise, Light Records. The record company went all out for the project, bringing in some of Hollywood’s top studio players, including several Steely Dan alumni...
and Fresh Surrender
Fresh Surrender
Fresh Surrender was The Archers fourth studio album and third Light Records release. It and its title song were nominated for a Gospel Music Association Dove Award, and claimed an astounding seven airplay hits for the Jesus music stars. Perhaps more importantly it signaled a marked change for the...
, writing an average of four songs per album.
He suffered from an autoimmune illness from early childhood, and was later diagnosed with a related form of hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
. In 1979, he began to hemorrhage and was rushed to the hospital losing nearly all of his blood volume
Blood volume
Blood volume is the volume of blood in the circulatory system of an individual.-Humans:A typical adult has a blood volume of approximately between 4.7 and 5 liters, with females generally having less blood volume than males....
. Although he initially recovered, he relapsed and was admitted to UCLA Medical Center. He died on July 2, 1981. He left behind his wife and one infant daughter, Lauren who went on to study musical theatre at USC and currently lives and works in NYC. Judy Spees, Billy's wife and her husband Frank Spees are trust attorneys. www.spees.com