His stepbrother, Anthony Winfield, invited Billy Ray to a rodeo in Georgia, where he was going to do some bull riding.

[4][5] African Americans left the South and an agrarian lifestyle in a series of migrations during the early part of the 20th century.

[7] As the story goes, Billy Ray met some buckle bunnies there and wishing to impress them, bragged about his riding skills.

[4] Billy Ray has worked to motivate young Black people to engage in the rodeo tradition of America's black cowboys, like Bill Pickett, Nat Love, Bose Ikard, James Beckwourth, Stagecoach Mary and Bass Reeves.

Billy Ray has counseled and mentored youths about how they can begin to be involved in the continuation of an American tradition and earn college scholarships.