Billy Smiley is a music producer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for being one of the core members of the Christian rock

Christian rock

Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...

 band White Heart

White Heart

White Heart, also listed as Whiteheart, was a Contemporary Christian Music pop-rock band which formed in 1982. White Heart's discography includes thirteen albums, the most recent of which was released in 1997. Original members Billy Smiley and Mark Gersmehl worked with a continually-changing cast...

. He was the bands' guitarist, vocalist, and main songwriter since 1982.

After selling over 2 million albums with White Heart, Smiley turned to music production and artist development. He is credited with producing or developing such Christian acts as: Geoff Moore and the Distance, Margaret Becker, Rhonda Gunn, Newsboys

Newsboys

Newsboys are a Christian pop rock band founded in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Australia. They have released 15 studio albums, six of which have been certified gold...

, and Bebe & Cece Winans

BeBe & CeCe Winans

BeBe & CeCe Winans are an American Gospel music brother and sister duo. BeBe and CeCe Winans are the seventh and eighth of "Mom" and "Pop" Winans' ten children, most of whom have had successful Gospel music careers.-Musical career:...

. His most recent, and notable, writing and production accomplishment was earning a platinum certified album for former American Idol

American Idol

American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...

 finalist Clay Aiken's

Clay Aiken

Clayton Holmes "Clay" Aiken is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and author who began his rise to fame on the second season of the television program American Idol in 2003. RCA Records offered him a recording contract, and his multi-platinum debut album Measure of a Man was released...

 version of Smiley's song "Merry Christmas with Love."

A solo album by Smiley, New Night (1985), centers around his trumpet

Trumpet

The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...

playing.