They later created the albums St. Christopher's Crossing and Words Like Numbers, the latter of which resulting in the two being signed on to Atlantic Records; Hyra coined the band name Billy Pilgrim.
They released two records with Atlantic, Billy Pilgrim and Bloom, and toured worldwide including an opening slot with Melissa Etheridge, before being dropped in 1996.
Momentum with Billy Pilgrim fizzled out by 2000, with Hyra having his solo debut in 1999 with the album Spill, a collection of music.
Bush and Hyra made plans to reunite following Annie's death in 2019, and released their lost album In the Time Machine in 2020, among other collaborations.
He moved to Long Island, New York, in the late eighties where his sister, Annie, was attending college.
Finding that the two of them sounded good together, they wrote music; when they moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, the two had written four original songs and performed them at open mic nights in various clubs.
One club owner was fond of the two and gave them a permanent opening slot for more established artists for about two years.
[4] After a few months living in Knoxville, Hyra and his sister were approached by singer/songwriter Kristian Bush on summer break from Emory University, and shortly afterwards began performing with them.
The duo released the self-titled album Billy Pilgrim in 1993, in association with producers Don McCollister and Hugh Padgham, who had a group of London musicians overdub the master with additional instruments.
[7] It was a critical success, with Rolling Stone calling it "a passionate debut that taps into both the delights and disappointments of a generation that simply wants the comfort of what love can provide" in a 4/5 star rating.
In 1995 they opened on a worldwide tour for Melissa Etheridge, but copies for Billy Pilgrim weren't made in time to be promoted throughout it, according to Hyra.
The lead single "Sweet Louisiana Sound" was a critical success, making a full rotation on VH1.
Bloom was also a critical success, earning praise from the Daily Herald,[10] The San Diego Union-Tribune,[11] and The Record,.
[12] However, sales for Bloom were underwhelming, and with increasing focus on Hooty and the Blowfish, Atlanta Records dropped the duo in 1996.
Eventually, Hyra decided to move to California, describing it as his "wandering minstrel" phase, and wanted to explore more of the world without the pressure of corporate music.
[4] In the late 1990s Bush released various demos, outtakes, and live performances of Billy Pilgrim on MP3.com, which helped finance another album.
[14] Following the hiatus, Hyra took a break from music and began working as a carpenter to spend more time with his family,[15][5] and also not wanting to be recognized only for his success when he was young.
'"[5]Plans to reunite the band were not made at the time, but Hyra performed background vocals on a studio demo for Bush the following week.
They performed a livestream at Eddie's Attic, and Hyra planned to collaborate with Bush's other band Dark Water.
[18] In 2023 Hyra also appeared on 2 cuts of Bush's album This Year, including the lead single "Love and Blue Jeans".