Billie Beatty, guitarist in gospel quartets, 73
WASHINGTON -- Guitar Billie Beatty, a gifted and flamboyant lead guitarist who was an icon in local gospel quartet circles for decades, died Friday of a heart attack at Greater Southeast Community Hospital. He was 73.
Mr. Beatty always dressed in stylish, brightly colored suits and matching shoes in shades of red, gold, or white. Whether the venue was a big sanctuary or an aging storefront, he played with passion for four decades.
Mr. Beatty performed with such groups as the Divine Travelers, the Victory Stars, and the Queens of Faith. He had no problem stirring his audience into a spiritual frenzy. At the end of his performances, he would often be the last person off the stage. In some cases, he had to be pulled off while still playing his guitar.
Mr. Beatty loved the crowds, and they loved him, said Rose Thomas, leader of the Queens of Faith, one of Washington's oldest groups. He played with the group for nearly 40 years.
"He was a musical star that we could follow," Thomas said. "There are a lot of guitar players out here, but Billie really, really loved the Lord, and he would let you know it by his playing. He was anointed."
Thomas said Mr. Beatty never forgot his purpose to play for those who had tough lives. "He knew people needed a spiritual uplift," she said. "We all use music to get them into the church and then we feed them [spiritually]."
Before he joined the Queens of Faith, Mr. Beatty performed with the Divine Travelers. The Rev. George Blake, the former leader of the group, said Mr. Beatty was a humble man who opted to stay in the D.C. area. "He had an opportunity to go on the road," Blake said. "Many of the big groups would have loved to have him, but he chose to remain with the group."
Helen Smith, lead singer with the Angels of Faith and a native of South Carolina, said she enjoyed those occasions when Mr. Beatty would perform with her group. "He was my type of musician," she said. "He played the down-home country sounds."
Born Arlington Billie Beatty in Mecklenburg County, N.C., Mr. Beatty was self-taught. Although he had only a sixth-grade education, he became the first black to work at REA Electrical Co. in Davidson, N.C.
He married his childhood sweetheart, Bertha Connor. In 1953, the family moved here, where Mr. Beatty was employed for 33 years at the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. He was machine operator when he retired about 1986.
Mr. Beatty first joined New Mount Zion Pentecostal Holiness Church and later joined Greater Divine Faith Church in the District. He was also a member of the Ward 8 Advisory Neighborhood Commission
He was a member of the Coalition of Black Gospel Artists and the Washington Metropolitan Area Quartet Association, which over the years honored him and the Queens of Faith as top gospel singers and dapper dressers.
