" Billy Bayou" is a song written by Roger Miller.
Song background
It's a slightly comic song about a larger-than-life character, having adventures in America in the 1800s.
Chart performance
"Billy Bayou" was released as a 1958 single by
Jim Reeves, where the recording spent a total of 25 weeks on the country chart and was his fourth release to reach No. 1, where it stayed for five weeks.
It also reached number 9 peak position on Italy's
FIMI National Charts in 1958. In Canada, the song reached number 4 on the
.
The B-side of "Billy Bayou" titled "I'd Like to Be", peaked at number eighteen on the country chart.
Cover versions
The song has been covered by other artists, including:
