Billy Field was born in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales in 1953 and spent his early years on Widgiewa Station, a large sheep and cattle property near the small Riverina town of Urana, and worked there for various periods until his mid-20s. Field was originally in a band called King Fox in 1967. The band consisted of Field and Paul Radcliffe and issued the EP Unforgotten Dreams on the du Monde label in 1969 as well as a single, "I Think You're Fine", on Festival records in 1972. Field then played in various pub bands in Sydney.