William Lyall (26 March 1953 – 1 December 1989) was a Scottish musician, known for his work with Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, and the Bay City Rollers.
Billy Lyall | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | William Lyall |
| Born | 26 March 1953 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 1 December 1989 (aged 36) |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals and keyboards |
| Years active | 1969–1989 |
Biography edit
Career edit
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Lyall was a singer, keyboard player and flautist with Pilot, and co-wrote "Magic", Pilot's 1974 hit single.
He contributed to the Alan Parsons Project with fellow Pilot members, and he was an early member of the Bay City Rollers. He was the keyboard player for Dollar between 1978 and 1982.
He left Pilot in early 1976, and released a solo album, Solo Casting, later that year. In 1979, he contributed string arrangements and synthesizers to an album by the band Runner.[1]
Personal life and death edit
Lyall moved to London in the early 1970s and lived in a red-brick mansion flat in Fitzjames Avenue, West Kensington. He died during the AIDS pandemic in 1989, at the age of 36.[2] Bay City Rollers' manager Tam Paton later said that Lyall was gay.[3]
Discography edit
With Pilot edit
Albums edit
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1974 | From the Album of the Same Name |
| 1975 | Second Flight |
| 1976 | Morin Heights |
| 1977 | Two's a Crowd |
Singles edit
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1974 | "Just a Smile" |
| "Magic" | |
| "Ra-Ta-Ta" | |
| 1975 | "January" |
| "Call Me Round" | |
| "Just a Smile" (new version) | |
| "Lady Luck" | |
| 1976 | "Running Water" |
| "Canada" | |
| "Penny in My Pocket" | |
| 1977 | "Get Up and Go" |
| "Monday Tuesday" |
With Dollar edit
Studio albums edit
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Shooting Stars | |
| The Paris Collection |
|
| The Dollar Album |
|
Singles edit
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| "Shooting Star" | 1978 |
| "Who Were You With in the Moonlight" | 1979 |
| "Love's Gotta Hold on Me" | |
| "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" | |
| "Love Street" | 1980 |
| "The Girls Are Out to Get Ya" | |
| "Takin' a Chance on You" | |
| "You Take My Breath Away" | 1981 |
| "Hand Held in Black and White" | |
| "Mirror Mirror (Mon Amour)" | |
| "Ring Ring" | 1982 |
| "Tokyo" (Japan-only release) | |
| "Give Me Back My Heart" | |
| "Videotheque" | |
| "Give Me Some Kinda Magic" | |
| "Two Hearts" (Japan-only release) |
References edit
- ^ "Runner - Runner | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ Uhelszki, Jaan (25 October 1999). "Courtney to Get Behind the Camera". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 4 October 2006.
- ^ Jonsson, Hannes A. (23 January 2000). "Tam Paton Spills The Heinz Baked Beans!". Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2008.
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