We recently connected with Rev Billy Simmons and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rev Billy , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the story behind how you got your first job in field that you currently practice in.

It’s not a simple as one job in one field, I wear many hats. I transitioned from a professional musician into a cosmetologist, because one door closed, and one I wasn’t even looking for opened. the 90s was an interesting time in the art world, it left me out of one profession looking for another. With some unfortunate holdovers from one into the other.
At the time I’d really devoted a lot of my time into writing music for a solo artist that happened to be on the RCA BMG label which helped me get a little further into the music world. I’d been going to Wichita State University studying music performance and silversmithing. I did not graduate because I got the opportunity to go and be a professional musician. I was really fortunate to get that opportunity. That was my goal, to be a professional musician and I had done it. At the time I would’ve preferred to stay working as a composer and a musician for the artist I was working for professionally, but life happens like it does for a reason. There are so many layers to the story. I think they found someone better suited for the BS that was the music industry at that time. What I thought I had was gone. I went home to Wichita Kansas where my parents lived, not knowing what to do. My sister was visiting. She suggested I go into hair and I said.” Why would I want to do that?” The rest is history

Rev Billy , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got into music by playing rock band in my bedroom with my friend David after listening to Yes, Kiss, Can, Black Sabbath, and whatever else our sisters and brothers didn’t want. I wanted to be a singer and a guitar player so when I asked my mother and father for a guitar, a clarinet was bestowed upon me by my sufficiently stewed father. I was very strongly encouraged to practice every day come rain or shine which encouraged me to explore a better life through guitar. I fumbled my way around and some people thought I was good enough to play with them when I was 16-17 I was in a band touring around the Midwest till I started writing for my friend Kevin. He got signed and took me along for parts of the ride. It didn’t last. My sister suggested hair. I did it. Hated it for about a decade. Did security and bartending jobs, while working at salons I didn’t really like. Then something clicked, I found what I liked about that industry, cosmetology. It bridged entertainment, music, fashion, and introduced me to an amazingly diverse and creative group of encouraging artists which inspire me to this day to help encourage everyone I come in contact with in hair or music to be creative, to go further, to be what you want to be.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I met my business partner at a tattoo, and piercing shop. She was an apprentice piercer at the time. She came to the salon I was working at with her boyfriend to get a color and cut, they broke up. We didn’t. Then we got married. Another friend died, their friends wanted us to take over their business to keep it going, we did. Their family made it a nightmare. But Amanda and I said f*ck this we’ll open our own place. We did. It’s still going at our expanded bigger better location. She pushes me to refine myself as an administrator, a cosmetologist, and a musician every day. I think we inspire each other to do better.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think what’s helped me build my reputation is honesty. No bullshit. I don’t have time for it. I’m not mean about it I just don’t have time to waste on not being realistic with myself or the people in hair, fashion, or music about what we can or cannot achieve.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://revbillyschopshop.com/?y_source=1_MjAxODQ1MDItNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLndlYnNpdGU%3D
• Instagram: @revbillycoiffeur
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@evidenceofastruggle?si=7mhBjbD0bJUExy1M
• Yelp: Check out Rev Billy’s Chop Shop
• Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/jgnS8iQrxz9LwhvM6
• Other: https://linktr.ee/revbilly

Image Credits

Alexis Moulds
Jeremy Glickstein