Houston Radio: Bill Young Video Tribute Released

Bill Young

Bill Young, an icon in radio, the voice-over industry and concert promotion, and author of the memoir Dead Air: The Rise and Demise of Music Radio, died May 31 after a lifelong battle with Alpha-1 lung disease.

He was 74.

As a teen in the mid-1950s, he was captivated by the sounds of Little Richard and Fats Domino, and from then on his life was defined by a love of music. He landed his first radio job at East Texas station KTRE at age 16, and then worked for a Waco radio station in college.

He was hired as program manager at Houston radio station KILT in 1966, where he helped assemble a legendary on-air staff over 15 years.

He went on to start Bill Young Productions in 1981, which grew to produce over 50,000 commercials a year. During Young’s 30-year career, he directed dozens of country music videos and television commercials, working with country music greats such as George Strait and Clint Black; he directed the first concert filmed in HD when he shot the George Strait Festival in Tampa, Florida.

And now, his son John has posted a video tribute for his dad.