Billy Don't Be a Hero US version sold over three and a half million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in June 1974. Donaldson and the Heywoods's version was a massive hit in Latin America and Japan as well, but it remained largely unknown elsewhere as of late July 2017. "Billboard" ranked it as the No. 21 song for 1974. Despite the song's popularity, it was poorly received, and it was voted No. 8 on "Rolling Stone" magazine's readers' poll of "10 Worst Songs of the 1970s." The song is mentioned as having played on K-Billy's "Super Sounds of the '70s
Billy T. James which occurred. Both Peter Rowley and James' daughter criticised the inaccuracies of the production in the press. A documentary entitled "Billy T: Te Movie" was released theatrically in August 2011. Directed by Ian Mune, it proved popular with both theatre-goers and reviewers, becoming the week's top box office performer on the week of release with $263,000 in sales. "Te Movie" is now available on DVD. In 2011, Peter Rowley wrote and starred in "Billy T & Me", a one-man show which combined Rowley's memories of working alongside Billy with archival video footage. The show toured New Zealand and was made