WILLIAM EMERY "BILLY" MAYO ,JR.WAS BORN TO WILLIAM EMERY MAYO,SR. AND EVA RUTH MAYO JAN.30,1955 AT THE UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY HOSPITAL IN ANNAPOLIS MD. BILLY'S FATHER,A TWENTY YEAR NAVY MAN,WAS STATIONED THERE IN THE MID FIFTIES. HE IS THE ELDEST OF 4 CHILDREN. HE HAS ONE BROTHER AND TWO SISTERS. BILLY ATTENDED THE FIRST GRADE THROUGH THE FOURTH IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN DUMPFRIES AND WOODBRIDGE VA.HIS FAMILY THEN MOVED TO HIS GRANDPARENTS FIRST FARM IN RED LEVEL FLORIDA WHERE HE WAS ENROLLED INTO THIRD GRADE AT CRYSTAL RIVER ELEMENTARY IN CRYSTAL RIVER,FLA. HE AND HIS FAMILY LATER MOVED TO HIS GRANDPARENTS 240 ACRE FARM NEAR GULF HAMMOCK IN NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA IN 1964. HE WAS THEN ENROLLED INTO THE FOURTH GRADE AT BRONSON ELEMENTARY AND CONTINUED ON THE BRONSON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATING WITH HONORS. BILLY BECAME A LONER AND STRUGGLED WITH RURAL FARM LIFE BUT LEARNED MUCH THROUGH HIS ADVENTURES AS HE WAS ALLOWED TO FREELY ROAM THE FARMS VAST ACREAGE. BILLY HAD ALWAYS BEEN INVOLVED IN CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS AND CHURCH ACTIVITIES ,FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE ,HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH AND WAS AND ACTIVE CUB SCOUT BEGINING IN HIS EARLY CHILDHOOD.
UPON BILLY'S FATHER'S RETIREMENT FROM THE NAVY IN THE 1966,HIS FAMILY MOVED TO THE SMALL CENTRAL FLORIDA TOWN OF BRONSON WHERE HE GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL IN 1973. BILLY BECAME VERY ACTIVE IN MANY CHURCH, CIVIC AND SPORTS ACTIVITIES. HE WAS PRESIDENT OF HIS YOUTH GROUP AT THE SMALL METHODIST CHURCH IN WHICH HE WAS RAISED. HE WAS ALSO VERY ACTIVE IN 4-H AND FFA WHERE HE WON NUMEROUS SPEAKING CONTESTS AND WAS ELECTED TO THE 4-H COUNTY COUNCIL AND PRESIDENT OF HIS FFA CHAPTER. HE WAS ALSO ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN BOY SCOUTS AND WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF HIS HIGH SCHOOL BETA CLUB TWO YEARS RUNNING.. BILLY WAS ALSO HEAVILY INVOLVED IN SPORTS. HE LETTERED IN TRACK AND WAS A 4 YEAR LETTERMAN IN FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL WINNING ALL DISTRICT TITLES IN BOTH AND MAKING ALL STATE HIS SENIOR YEAR IN FOOTBALL. HE WAS OFFERED A COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP TO PLAY FOOTBALL IN NORTH CAROLINA. HE MAINTAINED A 3.5 GPA THROUGH OUT MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL AND WAS RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF AMERICA'S OUTSTANDING TEENAGERS IN 1973 AND WAS LATER RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF AMERICA'S OUTSTANDING YOUNG MEN OF AMERICA 1985. BILLY BEGAN TO BECOME INVOVLED IN MUSIC AT AN EARLY AGE PLAYING CLARINET IN THE FOURTH GRADE AND PERFORMING IN THE HIGH SCHOOL BAND. HE LATER TOOK UP DRUMS AND PERCUSSIIONS AND BEGAN SINGING IN HIS FIRST ROCK BAND AT 15 WHICH WAS FORMED IN A OLD STORAGE SHED BEHIND HIS PARENTS HOUSE IN 1970. HIS FIRST BAND CONSISTED OF HIS YOUNGER BROTHER MICHAEL,HIS BEST FRIEND,THE BAPTIST PASTORS SON,ANOTHER PASTORS SON,AND A FOOTBALL FRIEND...THEY WERE ALL CLASSMATES FROM THE SAME SCHOOL.
UPON GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL,BILLY BEGAN ATTENDING COLLEGE IN OCALA FLORIDA. THERE HE ATTENDED SCHOOL DURING THE DAY AND ALSO WORKED WITH A LOCAL AUDIOLOGIST,WHO LIVED IN THE APARTMENT NEXT TO HIS,WHO OFFERED HIM THE JOB. AT NIGHT BILLY WOULD PLAY IN THE LOCAL CLUBS IN OCALA GAINESVILLE AND SURROUNDING AREAS. BECAUSE OF THE READY AVAILABILITY OF DRUGS AND ALCOHOL BILLY QUICKLY BECAME ADDICTED, COCAINE AND AMPHETAMINES BECAME HIS DRUGS OF CHOICE AS WELL AS ALCOHOL .BILLY QUIT HIS DAY JOB AND DROPPED OUT OF COLLEGE AFTER NEARLY TWO YEARS TO PURSUE HIS MUSIC CAREER. HE WAS A MEMBER OF OVER 10 DIFFERENT BANDS SPANNING THE 1970'S AND PERFORMED AS A DRUMMER,PERCUSSIONIST,AND LEAD VOCALIST. HE FOUNDED AND MANAGAED 3 BANDS OF HIS OWN,WAS A BOOKING AGENT AND PLAYED AND TOURED THROUGH OUT THE EASTERN UNITED STATES FROM 1973-1980. HE ALSO WORKED AS A ROCK DJ, DOING THE AFTERNOON DRIVE SHOW BECOMING A LOCAL CELEBRITY. HE DID LIVE REMOTES DURING THE DAY AND CONTINUED TO PLAY AND BOOK BANDS LOCALLY AT NIGHT.
AFTER BURNING THE CANDLE AT BOTH ENDS FOR OVER A DECADE. LIVING A LIFE FUELED WITH HEAVY DRUGS AND ALCOHOL FULLY INCORPORATING THE ROCK STAR MANTRA OF 'SEX,DRUGS,AND ROCK AND ROLL" BILLY MAYO'S LIFE CAME TO A GRINDING HALT. AFTER REALIZING HE WAS NOW ADDICTED TO NARCOTICS AND UNABLE TO STOP. HIS LIFE AND WORK BEGAN TO COLLAPSE ALL AROUND HIM. BY HIS MID TWENTIES HE FOUND HIMSELF DEEPLY IN DEBT AND COULD NOT FIND WORK FOR ANY OF HIS BANDS. HE EVENTUALLY LOST EVERYTHING. THE YEARS OF DRUG USE AND ABUSE,COUPLED WITH HIS PARTY LIFESTYLE EVENTUALLY TOOK ITS TRAGIC TOLL ON HIS BODY AND HIS MIND.. iN THE LATE 70'S BILLY MAYO ATTEMPTED TO END HIS LIFE BY INGESTING A HANDFUL OF ILLEGAL DRUGS. HE LAID DOWN ON THE FLOOR OF AN OLD ABANDONED MOBILE HOME FULLY EXPECTING TO DIE, HOWEVER THIS SUICIDE ATTEMPT WOULD FAIL.HE WOKE UP FROM A DRUG INDUCED COMMA,3 DAYS LATER. HE CONTINUED TO WORK AS A DJ FOR SEVERAL MONTHS ,CONTINUING HIS LIFESTYLE OF TAKING ILLICIT DRUGS AND DRINKING,BUT ALWAYS BAFFLED AS TO WHY HIS LIFE WAS MIRACULOUSLY SPARED. IT WAS NOT LONG AFTER THAT,THROUGH THE FAITHFUL PRAYERS OF HIS DEVOUTE AND GODLY CHRISTIAN MOTHER THAT HE MET HIS NOW WIFE,KAREN,. SHORTLY AFTER THEY BEGAN DATING,BILLY MAYO REALIZED THAT HE WAS SLOWLY KILLING HIMSELF THROUGH DRUGS AND ALCOHOL..AND HE FINALLY CAME TO HIS SENSES..THEN ONE MORNING,MARCH ,29,1980 BILLY AND KAREN DECIDED TO PUT THEIR LIVES INTO GOD'S HANDS AND TRUST HIM FOR THEIR ETERNAL SALVATION,HEALING,AND DELIEVERENCE..IT WAS ON THAT MORNING THEY KNELT DOWN TOGETHER ON THE FLOOR OF ANOTHER DILAPIDATED MOBILE HOME,MADE AN OLD COUCH AN ALTAR, AND ASKED JESUS CHRIST TO FORGIVE THEM OF THEIR SINS AND COME INTO THEIR HEARTS AND LIVES.. BILLY WAS INSTANTLY AND MIRACULOUSLY DELIEVERED FROM EVEN THE DESIRE OF DRUGS AND ALCOHOL. AND HIS LIFE HAS BEEN DRAMATICALLY CHANGED FROM THAT MOMENT ON. BILLY DID NOT SUFFER ANY WITHDRAWAL SYPTOMS NOT DID HE REQUIRE ANY DRUG OR ALCOHOL REHABILATION OR THERAPY.
BILLY MAYO HAS SPOKEN FACE TO FACE TO OVER 3 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. HIS STORY OF TRIUMPH OVER DRUGS AND ALCOHOL HAS BEEN TOLD IN MAJOR NEWS PAPERS LIKE THE ATLANTA JOURNAL AND THE TAMPA TRIBUNE. CNN,NBC,NITELINE,AND VH-1. HE HAS APPEARED ON MANY CHRISTIAN RADIO AND TELEVISION NETWORKS INCLUDING, THE MOODY BROADCASTING RADIO NETWORK,HIS RADIO NETWORK,TRINITY BROADCASTING,DOVE,INSPIRATIONAL,ANGEL,WHT AND THE CHRISTIAN TELEVISON NETWORKS. HE HAS SHARED THE STAGE WITH SOME THE THE TOP GOSPEL RECORDING ARTISTS IN AMERICA INCLUDING POINT OF GRACE, CHARLES BILLINGSLY,NEWSONG,NEWSBOYS,RUSS LEE,CRYSTAL LEWIS,KAREN WHEATON ,TRUTH TO NAME A FEW. HE HAS INTERVIEWED AMERICAN ICONS SUCH A LITTLE RICHARD, JERRY CLOWER, CHRIS COLLINGSWORTH,DEMOND WILSON, AND MORE. HE HAS ALSO SHARED THE PLATFORM WITH SOME OF THE MOST COMPELLING CHRISTIAN COMMUNICATORS IN THE WORLD TODAY SUCH AS RICK STANLEY,ROGER BRELAND,JENTZEN FRANKLIN,IKE REIGHARD, ADRIAN DUPREE,MOODY ADAMS,DANNY WUERFUL,GLEN BERTEAU,CLAYTON KING,SHAWN PATRICK WILLIAMS,AND MANY,MANY MORE.
BILLY MAYO MARRIED THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE, THE FORMER KAREN MARIE GARNER, JUST A FEW MONTHS LATER ON AUGUST 30,1980. HE LEFT THE RADIO STATION HE HAD WORK AT FOR OVER 5 YEARS AND LAUNCHED OUT INTO FULL TIME EVANGELISTIC MINISTRY.IN 1983,THEIR FIRST CHILD WAS BORN,A DAUGHTER. BECAUSE OF A VERY DIFFICULT PREGNACY AND COMPLICATIONS,THEY WERE ADVISED TO ABORT THEIR BABY. BUT THROGH FAITH AND TRUSTING GOD THEY DID NOT AND GOD GAVE THEM A HEALTHY BABY GIRL,WHICH THEY NAMED,DESTINY LA'EL MAYO. LA'EL IS A HEBREW NAME MEANING BELONGING TO GOD. THREE YEARS LATER THEIR NEXT CHILD WAS BORN,ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL BABY GIRL WHICH THEY NAMED BETHANY MARIE.
BILLY MAYO AND HIS LOVELY WIFE KAREN LIVE IN CHIEFLAND FL. WHERE THEY HAVE CELEBRATED OVER 31 YEARS OF MARRIAGE AND OVER 3 DECADES OF FULL TIME EVANGELISTIC MINISTRY THROUGHOUT AMERICA AND ACROSS THE WORLD.BILLY MAYO IS TODAY AN ORDAINED MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL WHO HAS SEEN HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS SAVED,HEALED AND DELIEVERED THROUGH HIS POWERFUL,LIFE CHANGING TESTIMONY OF THE LOVE,GRACE,AND MERCY OF GOD!
