Academy Award-winner Billy Bob Thornton was a musician long before he got into acting.
He may be better known for his roles in "Sling Blade," "Friday Night Lights" and "Bad Santa," but he has also recorded four albums. His latest is "Beautiful Door," released this month.
"Music has always been my first love," Thornton said by phone from Florida. "My mother is a huge music fan. And she listened to all types of stuff. But I think it was the Sun Records artists — Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and those guys — that really took a hold of me when I was growing up in the Midwest.
"But my mom also listened to Ray Price and Jim Reeves and even Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. And then what teenager could escape the call to grab a guitar after seeing the Beatles? I saw them on TV in junior high school, and they changed my life. I started getting into the British Invasion groups, and I discovered Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart. So I have a little sense for the avant-garde."
During that time, Thornton was heavily involved in drama classes and school productions. "That's where the girls were," he said with a laugh. "And it was the only class you could take with girls that wasn't home economics."
In 1980-81, Thornton and his writing partner Tom Epperson moved to Los Angeles to see if they could make it in show business. "After a while, people started to notice me, and I did a few acting troupes and played in bands."
These days, Thornton is in demand for both acting and music. Adding a family on top of that makes him manage his time to the second. "I'm not a real social person when it comes to Hollywood parties. I have three kids, ages 3, 13 and 14, and I have responsibilities to them. I make sure I'm at home with them when I'm not working.
"I usually make movies early in the year and make music toward the end of it. So I don't really have a problem scheduling. And my recording studio is in my house. I bought the house from (guitarist) Slash five years ago, and his band back then, Snakepit, recorded music there. So I'm home when I'm making music."
Thornton's album "Beautiful Door" is a moody little disc that examines the yin and yang of life and death. "I have lived, so far, a pretty interesting life. And I've had some tragic things happen, but at the same time some good things happen. So I realized, as I was writing songs for the album with Brad Davis, that the album would be about those kinds of things."
Taking cues from singer/songwriters John Prine, Merle Haggard and even Leonard Cohen, Thornton said his music is about life. From the haunting chorus of "It's Just Me" to the heartbreaking "The Boy Is Gone," the album might appear on the surface to be a bit bleak. But, as Thornton says, the album gives people a chance to understand that everyone goes through hard times.
"It's liberating to write and sing about losses," Thornton said. "And others can know that they aren't alone."
E-mail: scott@desnews.com