Bill Leverty

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Bill Leverty (born January 30, 1962) is an American guitarist currently a member of the hard rock band FireHouse. Leverty was born in Richmond, Virginia. His parents gave him a guitar when he was 4 years old.

Playlist

First Conerts

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Concert

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SongStory

Earliest impactful music memory

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Bill Leverty's musical DNA consists of...

Aerosmith

Relationships

The members and collaborators of Bill Leverty.

Firehouse

Band

Upcoming Events

Shows, appearances, and other happenings.

Featured Posts

Highlights from around the web.

My Gear - Guitars, Amps and more...

Influence Map

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Aerosmith

Billy Gibbons

Carlos Montoya

Dixie Dregs

Eddie Van Halen

Jimmy Page

John Fogerty

Youth

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SongStory

Bill Leverty's musical memories in short, powerful moments.

SongStory

Elementary School

Earliest impactful music memory

"One of my earliest memories of music really hitting me happened when I was a kid — probably elementary school...."

Earliest impactful music memory

Get Ready

Rare Earth

One of my earliest memories of music really hitting me happened when I was a kid — probably elementary school. I remember the first time I ever played air guitar, and that moment stuck with me. My parents were really cool and let me have these lamps in my room — a lava lamp and another spinning light that threw colors all over the walls. I used to turn off all the lights, put on the Rare Earth album with the song “Get Ready,” and play it over and over again. I’d jump off the bed, pretend I was holding a guitar, and just lose myself in it. There wasn’t even a lot of guitar in that song, but it gave me this feeling — like I needed to hold something in my hands and move my fingers. That was the moment I realized I didn’t just want to listen to music — I wanted to play the real thing. That’s where it all started for me.

SongStory

Teenage

Attached to a song

"One of the biggest influences on me during my teenage years was Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the song “Sweet Home Alabama” was the first song I ever learned how to play on guitar...."

Attached to a song

Sweet Home Alabama

Lynyrd Skynyrd

One of the biggest influences on me during my teenage years was Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the song “Sweet Home Alabama” was the first song I ever learned how to play on guitar. I didn’t learn it perfectly at first, but I learned it well enough to play along with the record — and that was huge for me at the time. My dad was from Alabama, so that song always had a personal connection. I also got to see Lynyrd Skynyrd live in Richmond at the Richmond Coliseum right before the plane crash, and to this day, that remains the most memorable and incredible concert I’ve ever seen. That song — and the Second Helping album in particular — really taught me something important: songs don’t have to be complicated to be powerful. It’s a simple three-chord song, but it’s massive. That’s where I started to understand how music can have real magic in it.

SongStory

Fan story you remember

"After our shows, we always made a point to meet fans at the merch table — sign autographs, shake hands, talk with people until everyone was done...."

Fan story you remember

Love of a Lifetime (2024 Remaster)

FireHouse

After our shows, we always made a point to meet fans at the merch table — sign autographs, shake hands, talk with people until everyone was done. One night, this big biker dude came charging toward me with the meanest look on his face, and I honestly thought I was about to get my ass kicked. Instead, he stopped right in front of me and said, “Hey man, I just wanted you to know — ‘Love of a Lifetime’ is me and my old lady’s song.” Then he pulled me into this huge hug. I was so relieved — and so touched. I thanked him and told him how honored I was that one of our songs could be part of something that meaningful in their lives. It was unexpected, funny, and incredibly memorable.

SongStory

Teenage

First real song

"The first song I ever wrote that really felt real to me was a song called “Using Me...."

First real song

The first song I ever wrote that really felt real to me was a song called “Using Me.” I wrote it when I was about 16 years old, and it stayed in our set for quite a while. I had a lot of fun writing it, and there was something incredibly satisfying about finishing that song and then playing it live. We don’t play it anymore because, honestly, we went on to write better material as time went on. But that was the first song where I really felt that sense of accomplishment — like, yeah, I can do this. Playing something I created in front of people and feeling it connect was a great feeling. I was 16 at the time and this song was released under our band name White Heat. Later, it became Firehouse.

Playlists

Song lists based on key themes.

First Concerts

3 Tracks

China Grove

The Doobie Brothers

Not Fragile

Bachman-Turner Overdrive

Rock And Roll All Nite (2025 Remaster)

Kiss

Relax Music

2 Tracks

Scarborough Fair / Canticle

Simon & Garfunkel

Cause We've Ended As Lovers

Jeff Beck