Shown above, Sen. Doug Libla meets with country music artist Billy Yates during his visit to the Capitol on Monday, Jan. 26, 2015.

It was great to introduce Doniphan native country usic songwriter/artist Billy Yates and his family to the Missouri Senate Monday afternoon! He was joined by his wife, Nancy, son, Grayson, father Bill, and mother, Norma. This past year, the city of Doniphan by proclamation declared a stretch of highway within the city limits the BILLY YATES HIGHWAY, in conjunction with declaring every third Friday of May the city’s official “BILLY YATES DAY.”

The highway will officially be dedicated during a ceremony to be held tentatively on May 23rd in Doniphan. Yates, along with friends Jimmy Fortune and Buddy Jewell will be on hand and will perform a show that evening at the Doniphan High School Gymnasium to raise funds for the newly established BILLY YATES HEARTS FOR THE ARTS SCHOLARSHIP, which will be awarded each year to a deserving student with plans for a career in the arts.

Billy Yates is a Nashville based singer/songwriter whose songs have been recorded by artists such as George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, Gary Allan, Joe Nichols, Chris Young, John Michael Montgomery, Daryle Singletary, The Oak Ridge Boys, Gene Watson, Rhonda Vincent, and more. He also co-wrote the George Jones classics, “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair” and the Grammy-award winning, “Choices”.

A seasoned entertainer, Billy also tours Europe extensively, where his traditional style of country music has created thousands of fans who attend his sold-out concerts in almost every European country. He was recently named the ECMA Male Vocalist of the Year. Yates holds the distinct honor of being one of the first American artists to perform in China’s former capital city, Xian. Billy has released ten CDs on his own M.O.D. Record Label, including his latest release, “These Old Walls,” which was released on Jan. 13, 2015. Learn more about him at www.billyyates.com.