Our Family

Four Generations of the Billings family have been passionately involved in music…

Grant Billings

 Grant Billings has been fascinated with pianos since he first started going to work with his father at age seven. Following in his family’s footsteps, he began his entertainer career in high school; first as a keyboard player, then as a mobile disc jockey.

Grant Billings with his mentor, the late Henry Z. Steinway

Grant Billings with his mentor, the late Henry Z. Steinway

Grant studied business in college, worked at his family’s piano stores, and was a District Sales Manager for one of the world’s largest piano manufacturers. A strong advocate of music education, he founded the Steinway Society’s Annual Young Artist Piano Competition in 2000 and continues to speak before teachers, parents and legislators around the country.

In 2004, Grant became the first person to earn two Masters degrees from William Steinway University, the industry’s most demanding business and product education program. He also served as Chapter President for the Interior Design Society.

Father & Son Team Grant & Greg Billings at Steinway Day 2010

Father & Son Team Grant & Greg Billings at Steinway Day 2010

In addition to running the Madison piano store, he currently serves as Executive Director of the Steinway Piano Society of Madison and President of the Board of Directors of Rhapsody Arts Center in Verona. He also serves on the UW-Madison School of Music Board of Visitors, the Madison Area Music Association (MAMA) Board of Directors, and is Communications Chair and editor of Nuances, the newsletter of the Madison Area Piano Teachers Associated. Grant is also a columnist for Music Inc Magazine and NAMM Show presenter. In his spare time, Grant enjoys spending time with his family, reading, and of course, making music.

Greg Billings

Greg Billings is a musician, industry leader and author. In addition to being the owner of the Steinway Piano Gallery of Naples, Florida, he was the founding secretary of the SPELLS Group and author of the Piano Retailer Code of Ethics. He was elected to the National Association of Music Merchants Board of Directors in 1993. He is also the founder of the Southwest Florida Steinway Society and serves on the Scholars Club Board of Advisers at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Author of numerous magazine articles, Greg also plays bass and keyboards in several contemporary Christian rock bands.

Zeb Billings

Zeb Billings (1930-2010) was an incredibly talented musician, composer, publisher, and inventor who even had his own variety show on television in the 1960′s.

After founding Billings Pianos in 1956, he set his sights on finding ways to make learning to play music easier. Long before YouTube and DVDs, Zeb created “multimedia” lessons that combined color-coded keys, cassette tape based instructions and the piano.

A prolific publisher, he also created some of the first self-instruction piano and organ courses. Later, he developed children’s books with interactive music and sound effects known as ‘talking books’ that featured Disney and Sesame Street characters.

Zeb was an active musician until shortly before he passed away and continued to compose and write arrangements when he could no longer perform.

Click here to read the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel’s feature about Zeb

Roy (Red) Billings (1904-1990)

A versatile musician who toured the Midwest, Roy went on to become a successful inventor with several patents related to the first hydraulic crane. He is pictured at the far left, below.