You are here: Home > Talk is Heat > ITHOTN Fan Club Interviews... Billy Bluesman Floyd

Talk is Heat

With fame and fortune comes a necessary shadow: a bodyguard. Sports figures have them. So do Fortune 500 executives. From the local school board right up to the politicos of Capitol Hill, bodyguards abound here. Even in a tranquil, historic suburb of Atlanta (of all places), television series In the Heat of the Night found them to be a necessary second shadow.

To kick off our first interview of 2015, we're happy to introduce to you In the Heat of the Night's head of security: Billy Bluesman Floyd. A unique and fascinating occupation it must have been. You're bound to know and observe things that no other person in the fold would know, while permitted unfettered access to areas unfamiliar to many. Far from a tell-all, Bluesman recollects with great fondness and genuine humility his time as chief sentry for the series and its beloved patriarch.

Bodyguard is a term that tends to carry a lot of baggage, and as Billy conveys, it takes more than muscle to provide professional protection.

After production moved to Georgia, you served as head of security and provided bodyguard work for the television series In the Heat of the Night. Tell us what you remember when you first learned MGM/UA was relocating the series to Covington, GA and how it led to you becoming head of security for In the Heat of the Night.

Billy Bluesman Floyd: The company that was handling security was looking at a new contract for people to act as combination chauffeur and bodyguard. I was working as a bouncer at the time in Atlanta. I went in looking for a part-time job. They offered me the job for the new contract. The contract fell through so they offered me Heat.

What was a typical day/night like for you serving in this capacity for the series?

Not sure there ever was a "typical" day (laughter). Some days things would change hourly. A lot of nights -- time and light would run out before they finished filming. They would sometimes be filming in several locations. All of a sudden I would be looking at needing anywhere from one to 20 extra people at the last minute. I was lucky enough that I had between 40 and 50 retired people that just wanted to earn a little extra money from time to time. I'd get on the phone and make calls until I got enough people. They would guard equipment, props etc. that were left on location. During the months that they weren't filming, I had the alarm at the sound stage contact my pager automatically anytime it went off. For several weeks it would go off several times a day or night. Everything would be fine when I got there. We finally figured out that a bird had got in and was setting off the motion detectors.

One of the things you did from the onset was speak with MGM/UA about the aspects involved with providing protective services for the series. Explain what kind of planning went into providing some of the necessary security measures for In the Heat of the Night.

Most of the time I would tell them what needed to be done and they would do it without question. It was mostly just a question of looking over the situation and deciding what people I needed. I also had a great group of people under me to choose from. The credit goes to them.

Were you armed while providing security detail?

I was armed.

What was your firearm of choice?

It would depend on whether I was required to be in uniform for a particular assignment. In uniform, I carried a Dan Wesson 357 magnum. For plain clothes work I carried a Beretta 9mm.

To work as a bodyguard or as a security professional, what were some of the general requirements a person had to have to join the protective services line of work?

Good question. I had to pass an extensive background check. I had been involved in the martial arts for several years. I also had to go through the same firearms training as a police officer.

Approximately how many people under you provided security for ITHOTN?

That depended on the location they were filming. It usually was between ten to 30 people.

Over the course of seven seasons, you worked with a wide array of guest actors. Do you recall a particular request or stipulation written in an actor’s contract that you felt was silly?

Every now and then an actor would request an off duty police officer for security. There were a couple of times I would have to get the producer to explain to the actor what my duties were. I wasn't a gofer.

You were Carroll O’Connor’s personal bodyguard for a period of time, while the series filmed in Georgia. In a past conversation of ours, you mentioned a “problem” involving Mr. O’Connor that had lasted several months. Tell us about that, as well as what you had to do to minimize the perceived threat.

There are still some things I can't talk about because of confidentiality. I can tell you that the situation had to do with Mr. O'Connor as executive producer and not actor.

Fair enough. But being the seasoned actor that Mr. O’Connor was at the time, what was his overall frame of mind with regard to this incident?

He was a true professional. He very seldom let anything get to him. He was like a grandfather to most of us and one of the nicest guys I ever worked with.

In the Heat of the Night -- Season 2 cast. Hand-signed.

Photo courtesy of Billy Bluesman Floyd.

The late Hugh O'Connor had thanked you quite often for looking out for his father. This line of business can get pretty personal at times. Would you agree with that?

Absolutely. I cried when I learned of Hugh's death -- and Mr. O'Connor's. Howard Rollins had his problems. That is well documented. But I considered him a friend as well as a client. There are very few people involved with the series in any way that I ever had a problem with.

A lot of people might presume that filming a television series in a small, sleepy Georgia town wouldn’t exactly attract the unsavory element. In all of the years that you provided protective services for In the Heat of the Night, did you ever have to put the hurts on anyone?

Not really -- though there were a couple of times I wanted to (laughter).

What was the protocol between you and law enforcement, in terms of dealing with an offender?

It depended on the situation. Sometimes I just called the police to handle things. Most of the time I would take the offender into custody and then turn them over to the police.

A lot of celebrities and public figures have codenames assigned to them by their detail. Did ITHOTN security use codenames for any of the cast members?

No codenames. Closest thing I guess was everyone on the crew called Mr. O'Connor Pops. He was like everyone's Grandfather.

In addition to In the Heat of the Night, what other Georgia-based films did you enjoy providing security for?

I actually went into hotel/motel security after Heat. I did continue to do bodyguard work for celebrities from time to time. I ran security for Three Wishes with Amy Grant when they filmed in Covington. They actually requested me.

Photo courtesy of Billy Bluesman Floyd

On a scale of 1 to 10 chokeholds, rate the following films and television shows that were filmed in Georgia...

* In the Heat of the Night =

* Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives =

* The Cannonball Run =

* My Cousin Vinny =

* The Vampire Diaries =

* Six Pack =

* The Walking Dead =

* The Dukes of Hazzard =

* Remember the Titans =

* Smokey and the Bandit =

* The Haves and the Have Nots =

The only one I haven't watched is The Haves and the Have Nots. Right now, The Vampire Diaries and parts of The Walking Dead are filmed in Covington. I love The Walking Dead, but I've never watched Diaries. There have been so many things filmed here that we don't really pay a lot of attention to it anymore.

When Howard Rollins attempted to surrender himself to local law enforcement over an outstanding warrant, his then bodyguard was arrested and charged for allegedly slamming a reporter's head into the door of a Sheriff's office. Was this particular bodyguard on your team? And do you think that an action like that gives bodyguards a bad rep?

About all I'll say about that is he never worked for us. Mr. Rollins was not on Heat at the time of the incident and had hired his own "bodyguard." Our people were trained and licensed.

Howard Rollins as Det. Virgil Tibbs (Season 2).

Photo courtesy of Billy Bluesman Floyd

These days you moonlight as a DJ on Treble Radio. Tell us about your shows -- particularly the newest one “If It Rocks.”

I love what I do now. Being a DJ was a dream of mine since I was a teenager. I went to the Columbia School Of Broadcasting in the early 80s. I do three shows now. On Friday nights, from 8 to 10, I do a classic rock show called Woodstock Nation on TrebleRadioRocks.com. On Saturday nights, I do an all request show called If It Rocks from 6 to 8 p.m. on Spock Rock Radio. Sunday nights it's Ain't Nothin' But the Blues from 6 to 8 on TrebleRadioRocks.com. All times Eastern. Feel free to add me to Yahoo Messenger (Bluesman9830). I'll take requests there or on Facebook (Billy Bluesman Floyd) by instant message. Also go by the If It Rocks page and Like it. I will also take requests there. You can also submit requests now on the web page by voicemail or the form on the page. We will play your voicemail live on the show. Our station has a policy against rap. We are also not allowed to play anything with the "F" word. I don't play Michael Jackson for personal reasons. Other than that, I'll try to play any requests.

How did you get the name Bluesman?

I'm also a musician. I started learning to play guitar in 1964. At the time, there was only one radio station in the Atlanta area that played Rock & Roll (WQXI AM). Every night at 6pm they would cut their power and we couldn't pick them up in Covington. I would switch over to WLAC AM out of Nashville. The DJ's name was John R., and he played blues all night. It was either that, country or classical. Blues was closest to rock & roll. I quickly learned to love it. So I learned to play guitar listening to it. I've loved them and played ever since.

The Last of Billy Bluesman Floyd:

The last song request you played that you really didn’t like:

Do You Want To Build A Snowman (laughter)

The last time you raised your pimp hand to an out-of-line fan/stalker:

I learned a long time ago that it's not about how tough you are -- it's about how tough people think you are. Most of the time if you look the part they won't mess with you. Most people will respond to you with respect if you approach them the same way. That doesn't mean I've never had to act. I just didn't like having to. The main thing is being trained to read a situation and stay between your client and any undesirables.

The last time you watched an episode of In the Heat of the Night:

It has been a while. I've seen most episodes enough that I know them by heart.

In the Heat of the Night Fan Club would like to thank Billy Bluesman for taking the time to talk with us. When it comes to protective services, Billy adheres to the adage that a sound mind is most preferable to a strong arm. We agree.

To recap, you can follow Billy via his online social media endeavors:

• If It Rocks Facebook Page

• Treble Radio Rocks

Song Requests

• Yahoo Messenger: Bluesman9830

• Facebook Chat

<< Return to Talk Is Heat