Billy - The Legend

Billy Fury was born Ronald Wycherley on April 17th 1940 at Smithdown Road Hospital, Liverpool and experienced a fairytale like rise to stardom. His year of birth was later publicised as being 1941 as a ploy to keep him younger and more vunerable in the eyes of his legion of female admirers. There is no telling just how much greater the tale would be if fate, in the form of rheumatic fever had not eventually caused him to be cruelly robbed of life just forty two short but eventful years later.

Despite this restrictive problem, which often caused him to collapse following the legendary but gruelling early stage performances, the record of his achievements is impressive indeed. His illness curtailed any serious attempts at overseas success and led to him undergoing extensive heart surgery. That aside, Billy Fury scored a career total of twenty-nine hit 45’s, resulting in 281 weeks in the singles charts and the award of two Silver Discs. He had six hit albums, three best selling EP’s, his own forty-two issue Fury Monthly magazine and membership of the Songwriters Guild. Billy was voted No.2 UK Male Singer and No.1 Most Requested Artist for Poll Concert (live performer); each for three consecutive years. He had two series of shows on Radio Luxembourg; three feature film appearances, a TV special, numerous TV, radio, live appearances and several prestigious music awards almost complete the picture. There were also ten Top 10 singles, eleven if Colette is included but it depends on the point of reference as to whether it it entered the Top 10 or not.

In June 1959, the single ‘Margo’ (inspired by work companion Margo King) stood at No.28 and, like it’s predecessor ‘Maybe Tomorrow’, the classic 1960 Rock ‘n’ Roll album ‘The Sound Of Fury’ and numerous other tracks it was self penned, something virtually unheard of in pre-Beatle Britain. A noteable exception was the underrated Marty Wilde, who reached No.7 with his own song ‘Bad Boy’, in 1959. Inexplicably, despite immense talent and classy recordings, Billy never enjoyed a No.1 UK single, yet any one of a dozen chart entries and even several single ‘B’ sides deserved such a placing. To quote Jimmy Saville OBE, “Billy never had a (UK) No.1 hit, but he was a number one guy!”

Following a period of gigging around Liverpool the young Ronnie’s ability was officially discovered at a pre-arranged meeting held backstage on 1st October 1958 at The Essolodo (Ritz) theatre Birkenhead. Later that evening his professional career took off, with a performance that reportedly brought the house down. The following day he was allegedly off on tour to Manchester and the Midalnds. About a year later this basically shy, intoverted young lad would be banned from making further live appearances in Dublin, or elsewhere in the Republic. He was taken to task in a national magazine for being too overtly sexual in the early Elvis style, ‘the Hillbilly Cat’ being one of his major influences. His other influences, among them Frankie Lane, Ray Charles, Hank Williams and especially Johnnie Rae (‘Destiny’ was one of Billy’s favourite songs) would contribute to the development of a diverse and unique vocal style quite unlike that of any other performer. The classic mean and moody looks, plaintive, often powerful, soulful voice, riveting, sensual, yet also vunerable, stage presence soon had the aptly renamed Billy Fury firmly established as Europe’s premier Rock ‘n’ Roll Star. Just one listen to his authentic cover of Elvis’s ‘Baby Let’s Play House’ featured in the excellent award nominated 1998 ‘Omnibus’ TV doucumentary, and ‘Turn My Back On You’ from his first album, is enough to establish the young rockers credentials. Scoring some success with his own compositions it was with his switch to cover versions of US ballads that, in 1961, constantly high Top 10 placings began. From then on, he became known primarily as a hit balladeer.

‘Halfway To Paradise’ his most famous song hit the No.3 spot, (No.4 in N.M.E.) ‘Jealousy No.2 and ‘I’d Never Find Another You’ No.5, spilling over into early 1962, with a fine performance on ATV’s ‘All That Jazz’, the clip finally resurfacing again in 1998, thanks to producer and fan Paul Pierrot. The highly accomplished performance of ‘Just Because’ on the same original programme showed just how at home Billy was with blues styled music. Indeed, on stage and radio during 1961, backed by the Blue Flames his set would contain such numbers as ‘Low Down Blues’, ‘Milkcow Blues’, My Baby Left Me’’ and ‘Get On The Right Track Baby’, as well as the obligatory hit singles. Billy never did appear on ‘6-5 Special’ but was at home on ‘Oh Boy’, ‘Boy Meets Girls’, ‘Wham’, ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’, ‘Discs-a-Gogo’, ‘Ready Steady Go’ and many others.

During 1962 Billy played the lead in his own film ‘Play It Cool’. Although he had followed the hit ballad route and toned down his act the real essence of ‘Fury’ could still be seen and heard. The rough edged guest vocal on Shane Fenton’s, ‘It’s Going To Take Magic’, and the bluesy start to the end title version of ‘Play It Cool’ tell the real story. One of his most adventurous and certainly one of his finest ever performances came out in the same year… ‘Letter Full Of Tears’. By 1963 Billy was at his professional best, recording the sixteen track LP ‘Billy’ and the essential live album, ‘We Want Billy’, with his third backing group, The Tornados. If proof were needed of the excellence and sheer vocal impact of a live Billy Fury performance, then one spin of any ‘fast’ number from the album provides just that. If the Omnibus Documentary sound track is anything to go by, the best is perhaps yet to come from the BBC ‘Saturday Club’ sessions, including a superior version of ‘Don’t Knock Upon Door’, performed without the usual girlie chorus. 1963 also brought a number that many still believe is Billy’s finest, ‘Like I’ve Never Been Gone’, recorded in the USA by Chase Webster. 1964 brought a one off TV show, the purchase of ‘Anselmo’ who, during June, came 4th in the Derby, and also the perfect coupling of ‘I Will’ with ‘Nothing Shakin’, to perfectly performed numbers. 1965 brought the film ‘I’ve Gotta Horse’. A semi-autobiographical, artistically acclaimed but wasted opportunity when a short live set of Billy and the Gamblers (who had succeeded the Tornados) could so easily have rounded off the film and been a record of a polished, but powerful stage performances of that period. It also brought the evocative and beautiful ‘I’m Lost Without You’, performed without a trace of the usual vocal inflections, and the final Top 10 entry ‘In Thoughts Of You’. Billy has always been a passionate animal lover (despite being permanantly facially scarredby a dog when he was about two and a half years old) and an avid birdwatcher ever since his teenage visits to nearby Martin Mere. In 1966 he actually turned the swimming pool at his Sussex home into a duck pond! By the time of the consummately professional and haunting ‘I’ll Never Quite Get Over You’ in 1966 Billy had begun to concentrate more on his hobbies. Ill health was increasing the pressure and such wildlife diversions were more akin to the real Billy. In fact all this helped to sustain him on the pop career merry-go-round he sometimes felt he couldn’t get off. The countless tours and shows had taken their toll.

Despite surviving the beat boom, by 1967 changing musical trends and ill health had forced Billy from the chart scene, although the switch to Parlophone in December 1966 was a very lucrative deal for its time. Some fine single releases, eleven in all, failed to chart, but prolific songwriting and recording continued, much of it such as the cover of Buddy Holly’s ‘Heartbeat’ and the wonderful ‘right Or Wrong’ still being unreleased. TV, radio and live performances still continued with the Plainsmen giving way to Dr. Marigolds Prescription. By May 1968 Billy was the proud owner of ‘First Rate Pirate’, who failed to emulate the success of ‘Anselmo’. During 1969 Billy was married to model Judith Hall, a friend of Billy’s former long-term companion Lee Middleton (who subsequently married Kenny Everett).

By the mid 1970’s Billy, off stage a gentle, humourous and self effacing man, was living on his farm in Wales on the edge of the Brecon Beacons, breeding horses and sheep and undertaking cabaret in order to fund his wildlife preservation projects. Billy also assisted with preservation of the threatened Red Kite. He shared the purportedly 17th Century Welsh long house with his new long-term companion Lisa Rosen, whom he met in club in 1971. In December 1971 Billy underwent heart valve repair, but twelve months later the distressing symptoms returned. There is no firm record of further major treatment until 1976, so it seems he had to struggle bravely on.

The 1970’s saw two more single releases, a divorce, and apppearance at the 1972 Wembly Rock ‘N’ Roll festival. Also, a reluctant cameo appearance in 1973 opposite friend Keith Moon in ‘That’ll Be The Day’ and in 1974 a major tour. During the summer of 1976 there was a major heart valve replacement operation, a Russell Harty appearance, and, in 1978, bankruptcy, with a hospital visit during September of that year. Billy also played cabaret but made sure the hits were interspersed with several great rocking numbers such as ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’. A very mixed decade indeed. Since 1968 his backing bands included elements of Mott The Hoople (Ian Hunter called Billy a class act), through to the John Miles Band, then Milky Way with Charlie Elston on keyboards, Chris Raynor on lead guitar and John Raynor on drums which metamorphosed in Fury’s Tornados. This band continued with Billy up to his announced retirement in 1977. Fury’s Tornados still play today, with Colin Gold as Billy Fury in the highly successful ‘Halfway To Paradise – The Billy Fury Story’.

A new recording deal in 1981, instigated by friend Tony Read together with former road manager Hal Carter, lead to live, TV and radio appearances and chart success thoughout 1982 and into 1983. However, a near fatal collapse on the farm in March 1982 boded ill for the future, although Billy was back in the recording studio by April. A BBC TV ‘Nationwide’ profile, the Russell Harty Show, Marty Wilde’s ‘This Is Your Life’, Radio 2’s ‘Heroes and Villains Concert’ (singing ‘Love Or Money’, not the ‘Wondrous Place’ track featured on the subsequent album). The Beck Theatre concert to a celebrity packed and wildly enthusiastic audience together with all this and many lesser gigs, non-singing appearances such as ‘Buddy Holly Week’ and radio show ‘Guesting’ ensured a very full, high profile year.

During November Billy recorded ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ for the TV show ‘Greatest Hits’ and on new years eve, attended a show business party where he sat at a piano singing numbers from the Cole Porter songbook. In January 1983 he cut six tracks for ITV’s ‘ Unforgettable’ series. Two songs were never shown. Perhaps ironically ‘Greatest Hits’ was to be broadcast after the ‘Unforgettable’ show, the last performance of ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ reflecting Billy’s TV debut with the same song in ‘Strictly For Sparrows’ in 1959. Regrettably it seems he never recorded great scheduled tracks such as ‘Every Day I Have To Cry’ and ‘Let Me Watch The Children Play’, among others.

Tragically, on the 28th of January 1983, with major success again at his feet, this courageous, complex and caring idol of thousands finally lost his battle with heart illness. The beautifully sung ‘Forget Him’, with it’s 1970 vocal was to be his final hit single.

In the intervening period his reputation has justifiably grown, with many fine music releases, numerous radio, TV and stage tributes and the future promise of a feature film. A recent magazine poll has Billy placed at No.37 in the top five hundred most collectable artists catergory and fan Harry Whitehouse has established a fine electronic audio and visual on the web.

Following the placing of a lecturn in Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral the fans and Billy’s family and friends though fund rasing have now erected a full size bronze statue in the city of his birth. The fans still gather three times a year at Billy’s resting place in Mill Hill where they meet Billy’s brother and his mother Jean.

The musical legacy and image of Billy Fury, who many believe to have been the UK’s finest solo male performer of his era, taken together with the muscial best of some of his contempories and rivals, surely gives a firm lie to the widely held, but quite mistaken belief, that between the demise of Rock ‘n’ Roll and the advent of the ‘Rock Music’ of the mid-Beatles period there was nothing.