Billy Bill Lets His Life Do The Talking
The veteran DJ and owner of Raleigh’s Lookout Music & Media on music, social media and living his purpose.
I first met DJ Billy Bill (real name William Gardner) simply as Bill, a loving father to a beautiful son.
Fate or kismet brought us together. He entered my life earlier this year when his son decided to take my daughter to prom — or perhaps she decided to take him; the jury is still out. When he came to my house for dinner, I had the opportunity to cook him a meal while our awkward children nervously explained that they were actually dating.
As I spoke with him, everything instantly clicked. I discovered he was not just any DJ — he was the DJ, a part of the fabric of my childhood. It turned out the man who helped create the soundtrack to my coming-of-age was standing right there in my kitchen.
A living legend who played the clubs like Tremors and Plum Crazy that my mother and her crew frequented in the 90s, DJ Billy Bill transformed the concept of the mobile DJ in Raleigh, North Carolina. His long list of accomplishments is staggering, yet he remains humble and, in my opinion, deeply underappreciated.
The songs that he played in the club became the same songs my mother would get ready to, the songs that would be in heavy rotation in our house. His influence spans generations and remains deeply woven into the soundtrack of our lives. The songs stuck with me even as I got older, becoming the foundation of my musical tastes and shaping who I am today as a DJ and also as a music lover.
Beyond his musical legacy, he has stood bravely in the face of Raleigh’s gentrification, as the proud owner of the only black-owned record store in Raleigh — Lookout Music and Media on New Bern Avenue — a community anchor that has persisted despite the changing landscape around it.
He is a man of faith, a devoted father, a loving husband and someone whose kindness left a profound impression on me. As I navigate my own DJ career, I’m grateful for his guidance and support, and I am honored to share his story.
This interview was originally recorded in April of 2025.
SE: OK, so question one, where would you say your musical journey began?
DJ Billy Bill: Probably in my... I don't remember if he was my aunt's husband or boyfriend at that time. So maybe boyfriend became husband, or just boyfriend that never became husband. I'm not sure (of the exact date), but I remember, you know, early 80s, late 70s, in cars that had those seats that went all the way across the front…. I remember him playing this cassette that I asked him for and back then, you know, we had to take time and put each song from a record onto a cassette. I was four or five years old.
I didn't find that record [again] until I was a freshman in college. I only found it because I heard it somewhere, that’s how I found it. It was Odyssey's "Inside Out." I don’t know what a four or five-year-old is doing gravitating to that song, but it was a wonderful song. From there, my first record I purchased was a 45 of "Turn Your Love Around" by George Benson. I was six, and I never stopped from there.
"One thing I’ll say is I don’t think I get enough credit... For what I’ve done in this city, DJing, then transitioning into a business owner, I think I’ve made a significant impact."
Given that you started so young and have such a strong connection to music, who were your musical influences?
Honestly, I don't know if I had any specific influences. In the early 80s, we just had what we had from watching America's Top 20 or Friday Night Videos. I never really saw a DJ until I saw the movie Beat Street. That movie made me feel like, "That's what I want to do." I had records and ideas in my head, but seeing that guy in Beat Street doing his thing, I knew that’s exactly what I wanted.
How old were you when you saw that movie?
About 10 years old.