Billy T. Midnight is a memorable name for a man born Troy Mezzanotte, who has fought his way out of the darkness and into the light of redemption to forge his musical legacy.

Mezzanotte moved to Barnegat from Parsippany at age 12, by which time he had already taught himself to play guitar.

“I saw John Denver on TV in 1969, and that was the end of it,” he said.

As he grew up, music was always his primary focus. He was a singing waiter in Andorra, Pa., a music major at County College of Morris, and a frequent entrant in songwriting contests, he said.