| Billy Lyall | |
| Birth Name: | William Lyall |
| Birth Date: | 1953 3, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Instrument: | Vocals and keyboards |
| Occupation: | Singer, musician |
| Years Active: | 1969–1989 |
| Past Member Of: | Pilot, Bay City Rollers, the Alan Parsons Project |
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.
See main article: Pilot (Scottish band). 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]
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]
| Year | Album | |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | From the Album of the Same Name | |
| 1975 | Second Flight | |
| 1976 | Morin Heights | |
| 1977 | Two's a Crowd |
| 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" |
| Title | Album details | |
|---|---|---|
| Shooting Stars | ||
| The Paris Collection |
| |
| The Dollar Album |
|
| 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) |