Billy Nelson was born and raised in Muncie, Indiana. He began his musical career immediately after high school, teaching himself guitar. Almost immediately, Billy formed a band with singer/friend Bret Cook. This Christian Rock Band became known as Bret Cook & Exodus and was highly successful both locally and regionally. Bret Cook & Exodus recorded their first and what proved to be their only album in early 1987. Billy not only played guitar and sang on the record, but also wrote two of the tracks for the album.
The next major step in Billy's career was stepping in to replace Cliff Bell Sr. in the #1 Muncie Area Top 40 Band at the time, The Luxury Band. Billy played with The Luxury Band for about 3 years, which proved critical in expanding his musical influences and experience. Soon after The Luxury Band experience, Billy formed the band "Paradise" which was the first time Billy took over both the lead guitar and lead vocal responsibilities. With Paradise, and his next project The Mustangs Billy began to expand more into Country Music. After successfully fronting these bands for a couple of years, Billy decided to make the move to Nashville to pursue music full time. Almost immediately after moving to Nashville, Billy hooked up with Florida native George Whittaker II and toured extensively throughout the southeastern U.S. Playing over 250 shows a year for nearly 3 years, Billy gained invaluable experience during his time with the George Whittaker Band.