Our loving friend, Billy Maddox, passed away Monday morning, December 27, 2010, in Austin, Texas. His death was a heartfelt tragedy, a result of a heroic effort defending his beloved wife, Rhonda and their home. Billy is survived by his wife, Rhonda Maddox, brother, Ray Maddox, and the Maddox furry children. He is also survived by Rhonda’s loving family as well as an abundance of friends and fans.
Billy was born in Abilene, Texas on February 15, 1953 to Dr. Ray and Trudy Maddox. Having a strong musical background, he pursued his artistic talent and musical gift at a very young age. As a teenager, he was part of a successful pop group, Cadillac, in Abilene.
In 1971, Billy moved to Austin and soon thereafter formed and was the leader of the highly acclaimed group Electromagnets, which then morphed into the Eric Johnson Band. Along with playing with Eric Johnson and Alien Love Child, Billy enjoyed success as a guitarist with his own band Project Terror. He continued to pursue his own writing as well as playing with many talented groups over the years until his untimely death. Billy was well respected and admired around the world by many fans and musicians and was voted Best Drummer in the Austin Music polls. Billy was a multi-instrumentalist who, along with being a great drummer, was a fine guitarist, singer, pianist and songwriter.
In a brief hiatus from music, Billy took a job in research and development with a new company, PCs Limited and was among its first 10 employees. This small company later became Dell Computer. The success of Dell allowed him to go back to pursuing his love of music full time.
Billy gave his time, support, and dedication to countless individuals who struggled with substance abuse. He gave talks and seminars and sponsored a number of people in recovery and was very committed in his dedication to helping others.
He was very proud of his continued sobriety and recently achieved his 24-year chip from Alcoholics Anonymous. Billy was devoted to attending his weekly meetings and was a strong believer in the teachings of the AA Big Book.
All that knew Billy, knew a man of character, honesty, and sweetness with a very profound and loving nature. Billy’s smile and his gratitude for life were inspiring to many, many folks.
A memorial service for Billy will be held at Cook Walden Funeral Home, 6300 West William Cannon Drive, Friday, December 31st, at 1:00 pm. Memorials may be made to the ASPCA or the SIMMS Foundation.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18