"Billy B" Billy Barnett, Guitar
Billy was born in 1959 in East St. Louis to a musical family. His mother played the piano, and his father sang in the church choir. He started playing guitar at the age of 9. In grade school and high school bands, he also played the trumpet. Years later at SIU-Edwardsville, he studied jazz and classical guitar. Following that, he joined Streetcorner Symphony. After playing with them for twelve years, he started up his own band.

He has opened up for and shared the stage with many musicians. They range from Roy Orbison, The Neville Brothers, The John Scofield Band, R.L. Burnside, Johnny Johnson, Jean Luc Ponty, Victor Wooten, Ernie Islay, to rockers like Nazareth, REO Speedwagon, Billy Corigan and Yngwie Malmsteen. In Branson, Missouri, he also played with Country Fiddler Shoji Tabuchi for a year. Currently, he works at a guitar shop called Gravity Strings, gives guitar lessons, and plays with his blues-rock band, "The Movers", and, of course the Smash Band. His original band, "The Billy Barnett Band" have released their fourth self-produced CD titled, "Dysfunctional Family". It is a mix of jazz, rock, blues and funk, served with a side of soul. His long-time rhythm section is Phillip Burton on five-string bass and Demerius Hicks "Heavy D" on drums. Chris Deusinger is on alto and tenor saxophone and flute.

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