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Billy Fury (born Ronald William Wycherley, 17 April 1940 - 28 January 1983), was an internationally successful British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 pop singer from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, and remained an active songwriter
Songwriter

File:Beethoven.jpgA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer....
 until the 1980s. Rheumatic fever, which damaged his heart, contributed to his death.

at Smithdown Hospital (later Sefton General Hospital, now demolished]), Smithdown Road, Liverpool
Liverpool

Liverpool [] is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a History of borough status in England and Wales in 1207 and was granted City status in the United Kingdom in 1880....
, Ronnie Wycherley first attended a gig in Birkenhead run by impresario
Impresario

Impresario, from the Italian language impresa, an enterprise or undertaking,   Origin: mid 18th century, from Italian impresa, ?undertaking.? New Oxford American Dictionary.   Impresa: enterprise; deed; company....
 Larry Parnes
Larry Parnes

Larry Parnes was born in 1930, in Willesden, London; and died on 4 August 1989, in London. He was an English people pop music management and impresario....
, in the hope of interesting established artiste Marty Wilde
Marty Wilde

Marty Wilde is an English people singing and songwriter. He was among the first generation of United Kingdom popular music celebrity to emulate United States Rock and roll and is the father of pop singer Kim Wilde....
 in some of the songs he had written.






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Billy Fury (born Ronald William Wycherley, 17 April 1940 - 28 January 1983), was an internationally successful British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 pop singer from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, and remained an active songwriter
Songwriter

File:Beethoven.jpgA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer....
 until the 1980s. Rheumatic fever, which damaged his heart, contributed to his death.

Early years

Born at Smithdown Hospital (later Sefton General Hospital, now demolished]), Smithdown Road, Liverpool
Liverpool

Liverpool [] is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a History of borough status in England and Wales in 1207 and was granted City status in the United Kingdom in 1880....
, Ronnie Wycherley first attended a gig in Birkenhead run by impresario
Impresario

Impresario, from the Italian language impresa, an enterprise or undertaking,   Origin: mid 18th century, from Italian impresa, ?undertaking.? New Oxford American Dictionary.   Impresa: enterprise; deed; company....
 Larry Parnes
Larry Parnes

Larry Parnes was born in 1930, in Willesden, London; and died on 4 August 1989, in London. He was an English people pop music management and impresario....
, in the hope of interesting established artiste Marty Wilde
Marty Wilde

Marty Wilde is an English people singing and songwriter. He was among the first generation of United Kingdom popular music celebrity to emulate United States Rock and roll and is the father of pop singer Kim Wilde....
 in some of the songs he had written. Instead, in an episode that has become pop music legend, Parnes pushed young Wycherley up on stage right away. He was such an immediate success that Parnes signed him, added him to the tour, and renamed him "Billy Fury".

He released his first hit for Decca
Decca Records

Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 in music by Edward Lewis . Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; later the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
, "Maybe Tomorrow", in 1959. By March 1960, he hit UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 Number 9 with his own composition "Colette", followed by "That's Love" and his first album The Sound Of Fury
The Sound of Fury

The Sound of Fury is a 1950 in film black-and-white film noir directed by Cy Endfield, starring Frank Lovejoy and Kathleen Ryan. The film is based on Joe Pagano's novel The Condemned, who also wrote the screenplay....
 (1960), which featured a young Joe Brown
Joe Brown (singer)

Joe Brown is a English people entertainer of the 1960s and beyond.Brown has now sustained a career as a rock and roll singing and guitarist for over five decades....
 on lead guitar, with backup vocals by The Four Jays.

After further hits and sacking his band The Blue Flames—which included keyboardist
Keyboardist

A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either piano or organ ....
 Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame

Georgie Fame is a United Kingdom rhythm and blues and jazz singer and Keyboard instrument player. He was born in Leigh, Greater Manchester....
—auditions were held for a new group and held by Parnes in Liverpool. Among those who failed were the pre-fame Beatles, who for the first time called themselves The Silver Beetles. They were offered the job for £20 a week on condition that they sacked bass guitar
Bass guitar

The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
 player Stuart Sutcliffe
Stuart Sutcliffe

Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe was a painter, and the original bass guitar of The Beatles for eighteen months . Sutcliffe earned praise for his paintings, which mostly explored a style related to Abstract Expressionism....
. John Lennon
John Lennon

John Winston Ono Lennon, Order of the British Empire was an English Rock music musician, singer, songwriter, artist, and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles....
 refused and the band left after Lennon had secured Fury's autograph
Autograph

An autograph is a document written entirely in the handwriting of its author, as opposed to a typesetting document or one transcribed by an amanuensis or a allography; the meaning overlaps with that of the word holograph....
. The Beatles were salvaged, however, by being sent on a tour of Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
 with Johnny Gentle and Duffy Power
Duffy Power

Duffy Power is an English people blues and rock and roll singing, who achieved some success in the 1960s and has performed and recorded intermittently since then....
, who were a couple more of Parnes' acts.

UK chart and film success

Fury concentrated less on Rock 'n' Roll and more on mainstream ballads, such as "Halfway to Paradise
Halfway to Paradise

"Halfway to Paradise" is a popular song, originally recorded by Tony Orlando in the United States. It was much more successful in the United Kingdom, recorded by Billy Fury where it reached a peak at No# 3 on the UK Charts....
" and "Jealousy" (both 1961, each of which reached number 2 in the British Singles Chart). This was Decca's decision to mould Fury into a teen idol
Teen idol

?Teen idols refers to someone idolized by teens; a teen idol is often young but in many cases no longer teenaged. Often, a teen idol is an actor or a pop singer, but some sports figures have had an appeal to teenagers....
 after his last self-penned song, "My Christmas Prayer", had failed to chart. 1962 and 1963 were Billy Fury's best years chartwise. However, he was not a typical teen idol; there was too much sexuality in his performances and his renditions were never lightweight in the mould of some singers like Craig Douglas
Craig Douglas

Craig Douglas is an English people pop music singer, who was popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s....
 or Jimmy Justice. Fury's fans and contemporaries in music knew he was a rocker
Rocker

Rocker may refer to:*Rocker , a British subculture based around motorcycles*Rocking chair or rocker*The Rockers, a professional wrestling tag team...
 and the real thing musically.

In 1962 Fury appeared in his first film Play It Cool, modelled on the Elvis
Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was an United Statesn singer, actor, and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis", and is also sometimes referred to as "List of honorific titles in popular music" or "The King"....
 movies. It featured Helen Shapiro
Helen Shapiro

Helen Shapiro is an English singer and actress. She is best known for her 1960s UK chart-toppers, "You Don't Know" and "Walkin' Back to Happiness"....
, Danny Rivers, Shane Fenton (aka Alvin Stardust
Alvin Stardust

Alvin Stardust is an England pop singer and stage actor....
) and Bobby Vee
Bobby Vee

Bobby Vee is an United States pop music singer. According to Billboard magazine Vee has had 38 Billboard Hot 100 record chart hit record, 10 of which hit the Top 20....
 who appeared with the Vernons Girls
The Vernons Girls

The Vernons Girls were an English people musical ensemble of female singing. They were formed at the football pools company in the 1950s in Liverpool, as a sixteen strong choir and sound recording and reproduction an album of traditional pop musics....
. The hit single from the film was "Once Upon a Dream
Once Upon a Dream

Once Upon a Dream is a 1959 in film British romantic comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Googie Withers and Guy Middleton....
". In the film Fury did not get the girl but stayed with his friends. There are notable performances by many well-known British actors and performers such as Richard Wattis
Richard Wattis

Richard Cameron Wattis , was a United Kingdom character actor.He attended King Edward's School, Birmingham and Bromsgrove School, he then worked for the family electrical engineering firm before becoming a professional actor....
, Lionel Blair
Lionel Blair

Lionel Blair is a United Kingdom actor, choreographer, tap dancing and television presenter.Lionel Blair is the son of Myer Ogus and Deborah Greenbaum....
 and Dennis Price
Dennis Price

Dennis Price was an English people actor who is mainly remembered for his suave screen roles....
. The music highlight of the film is Fury's singing of the title track.

Billy Fury was known for excellent albums. His We Want Billy
We Want Billy

We Want Billy! is a live album by Billy Fury, backed by The Tornados....
 (released 1963, with The Tornados
The Tornados

The Tornados were an England instrumental group of the 1960s who acted as in-house backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek's productions....
) was one of the first live albums in British rock history and featured renditions of his major hits and covers of several classic R&B songs such as "Unchain My Heart
Unchain My Heart (song)

"Unchain My Heart" is a song written by Bobby Sharp and recorded first in 1963 by Trini Lopez and later by Ray Charles. Sharp, a drug addict at the time, sold the song to Teddy Powell for $50....
" by Ray Charles
Ray Charles

Ray Charles Robinson , known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an United States pianist, singer, and songwriter who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues....
. "Turn Your Lamp Down Low" (recorded in 1965 with backing band The Gamblers) was one of the earliest examples of a British act recording a track in the reggae
Reggae

Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Music of Jamaica, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady....
 style (with the emphasis on the second and fourth beats of each bar).

In 1965 he appeared in the film I've Gotta Horse
I've Gotta Horse

I've Gotta Horse was Billy Fury's first smash hit feature film....
, which featured the band The Bachelors
The Bachelors

The Bachelors is a popular music band , originating from Dublin, Ireland....
. It was not a success but it seemed more real, and there are many interesting references to the British seaside towns of the 1960s. Appearing in minor roles were Michael Medwin
Michael Medwin

Michael Hugh Medwin OBE is an England actor and film producer.Born in London, he was educated at Canford School, Dorset and the Institute Fischer, Montreux, Switzerland....
, and Jon Pertwee
Jon Pertwee

John Devon Roland Pertwee , better known as Jon Pertwee, was an England actor. Pertwee is best known for his role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, where he played the Third Doctor of Doctor from 1970 to 1974, and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge....
 of Doctor Who
Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a British Science fiction on television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien Time travel known as "Doctor " who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box....
 fame. The album from the film is available in stereo
STEREO

STEREO is a Sun observation mission which was launched on 26 October 2006 at 00:52 GMT. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to pull respectively further ahead of and fall gradually behind the earth....
.

Having had more UK hits, such as "It's Only Make Believe
It's Only Make Believe

"It's Only Make Believe" is the name of a song written by Jack Nance and Conway Twitty. Twitty released it as a single in 1958 The single performed well, topping both U.S....
" and "I Will
I Will (Dick Glasser song)

"I Will" is a song by Dick Glasser, a ballad about one of his sister's relationships.The song was a US hit for Vic Dana in 1962 and a UK one for Billy Fury in 1964. The song was also successful for Dean Martin and Ruby Winters ....
" (written by Dick Glasser
Dick Glasser

Richard Eugene "Dick" Glasser was a singer, songwriter, and record producer.He was born in Canton, Ohio .His biggest hit as a songwriter was "Angels in the Sky ," originally recorded by Tony Martin in 1954, but a hit for The Crew-Cuts 1955 in music....
, not to be confused with the Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney

Sir James Paul McCartney Member of the Order of the British Empire is a multiple Grammy Award-winning England singer-songwriter, poet, composer, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, record producer, film producer, Painting, and Animal rights....
 song), both in 1964, and "In Thoughts of You" in 1965, Fury began a lengthy absence from the charts in 1967, and underwent surgery for heart problems caused by rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever

Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease disease which may develop two to three weeks after a Group A streptococcal infection . It is believed to be caused by antibody cross-reactivity and can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain....
 which led to his abandoning touring. Despite spending many weeks on the charts, Billy Fury never achieved a number one single, but he remained popular even after his hits stopped. Fury's song "I Will" became a US hit for Dean Martin
Dean Martin

Dean Martin was an United States singer, film actor and comedian of Italians descent. He was one of the best known musical artists of the 1950s and 1960s....
 in 1965 and for Ruby Winters
Ruby Winters

Ruby Winters is an United States female soul music singing.Winters was born in Kentucky and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. She had minor hit record in the 1960s including "I Don't Want To Cry", "Guess Who" and "Make Love to Me", before scoring a surprise hit in the 1970s with her cover version of the Dick Glasser standard, "I Will "....
 in 1977.

Later years and death

In 1973, Fury came out of retirement to play rock 'n' roller "Stormy Tempest" in the film That'll Be The Day
That'll Be The Day (film)

That'll Be the Day is a 1973 United Kingdom film starring David Essex and Ringo Starr, written by Ray Connolly and directed by Claude Whatham....
. The film, starring David Essex
David Essex

David Essex Order of the British Empire is an England actor and singer, who has enjoyed a varied show business career....
 and Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr

Richard Starkey Order of the British Empire , better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an England musician, singer-songwriter and actor, best known as the drummer for The Beatles....
, was roughly based on the early days of The Beatles
The Beatles

The Beatles were a rock music and pop music band from Liverpool, England that formed in 1960. During their career, the group primarily consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr ....
. Ringo Starr was from the same Dingle
Dingle, Liverpool

Dingle is an inner-city area of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is located to the south of the city, bordered by the adjoining districts of Toxteth, Wavertree and St Michael's Hamlet....
 area of Liverpool as Fury and had originally played drums for Rory Storm & The Hurricanes, who the Stormy Tempest group were said to be modelled on.

Billy Fury's health deteriorated and he underwent heart surgery notably in 1976 and later. In 1980 he was declared bankrupt and it is possible this forced him out of retirement against medical advice.

In 1981 and 1982, Fury was signed to Polydor Records
Polydor Records

Polydor Records is a record label currently headquartered in the United Kingdom, and is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group....
 by A&R
A&R

Artists and Repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and the artistic development of recording artists....
 man Frank Neilson and recorded a comeback album, The One And Only (released posthumously) with Shakin' Stevens
Shakin' Stevens

Shakin' Stevens, also known as "Shaky" is a Music recording sales certification selling Welsh rock and roll singer and songwriter, who has the distinction of being the top selling male UK single musician of the 1980s....
' producer Stuart Colman
Stuart Colman

Stuart Colman into a well-known musical family, took up piano and bass guitar, and enjoyed his first taste of success when he joined Pinkerton's Assorted Colours in 1966....
 and several singles. Because of his health, Fury did little touring to promote the new album. His last public appearance was at the Sunnyside, Northampton
Northampton

Northampton is a large market town and Non-metropolitan district in the East Midlands region of England. It is about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, and lies on the River Nene....
, in December 1982. He recorded a live performance for the television show Unforgettable featuring six of his old hits. At the request of his mother, only four were transmitted, however, as the two others had such great emotional attachment for her.

Fury lived with Lee Middleton from 1959 to 1967, married Judith Hall in May 1969 and lived with the property heiress
Heiress

Heiress may refer to:* Female heir, see Beneficiary* The Heiress , by Ruth and Augustus Goetz* The Heiress , adaptation directed William Wyler...
 Lisa Rosen from 1971 until his death on 28 January 1983 at Paddington
Paddington

Paddington is an area of the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. It was formerly a London_borough#Inner_London_boroughs of itself, but was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965....
, West London
West London

West London is the area of Greater London to the west of Central London. Although it is only ambiguously defined, it is one of the most economically active areas of London outside of the centre, containing significant amounts of office space along with London Heathrow Airport and many of its associated businesses....
.

The song "A Wondrous Place
Wondrous Place

"Wondrous Place" is a song written by Jeff Lewis and Bill Giant. It was most famously recorded by British Rock 'n' Roll icon Billy Fury who cut several versions of the song during his career....
", a great favourite of Fury's (so much so that he recorded it at least four times during his career) later received much airplay on British television when it was used as the theme for a Toyota Yaris car advertisement in 1999 and 2000.

Billy Fury was a keen amateur birdwatcher
Birdwatching

Birdwatching or birding is the observation and study of birds with the naked eye or through a visual enhancement device like binoculars....
.

He is buried at the Paddington District Cemetery, Milespit Hill, Mill Hill, London NW7. His grave is always well maintained, with fresh flowers and messages from fans.

Discography


Albums

  • 1960: The Sound of Fury
  • 1960: Billy Fury
  • 1961: Halfway to Paradise
  • 1963: Billy
  • 1963: We Want Billy!


Singles

YearTitleHighest
UK Chart
Position		Label
1959"Maybe Tomorrow"#18Decca
1959"Margo"#28Decca
1959"Angel Face" -Decca
1959"My Christmas Prayer" -Decca
1959"Colette"#9Decca
1960"That's Love"#19Decca
1960"Wondrous Place"#25Decca
1960"A Thousand Stars"#14Decca
1961"Don't Worry"#40Decca
1961"Halfway to Paradise
Halfway to Paradise

"Halfway to Paradise" is a popular song, originally recorded by Tony Orlando in the United States. It was much more successful in the United Kingdom, recorded by Billy Fury where it reached a peak at No# 3 on the UK Charts....
"		#3Decca
1961"Jealousy"#2Decca
1961"I'd Never Find Another You"#5Decca
1962"Letter Full of Tears"#32Decca
1962"Last Night Was Made for Love"#4Decca
1962"Once Upon a Dream"#7Decca
1962"Because of Love"#18Decca
1963"Like I've Never Been Gone"#3Decca
1963"When Will You Say: "I Love You"?"#3Decca
1963"In Summer"#5Decca
1963"Somebody Else's Girl"#18Decca
1963"Do You Really Love Me Too?"#13Decca
1964"I Will
I Will (Dick Glasser song)

"I Will" is a song by Dick Glasser, a ballad about one of his sister's relationships.The song was a US hit for Vic Dana in 1962 and a UK one for Billy Fury in 1964. The song was also successful for Dean Martin and Ruby Winters ....
"		#14Decca
1964"It's Only Make Believe
It's Only Make Believe

"It's Only Make Believe" is the name of a song written by Jack Nance and Conway Twitty. Twitty released it as a single in 1958 The single performed well, topping both U.S....
"		#10Decca
1965"I'm Lost Without You"#16Decca
1965"In Thoughts of You"#9Decca
1965"Run to My Lovin' Arms"#25Decca
1966"I'll Never Quite Get Over You"#35Decca
1966"Don't Let a Little Pride Stand in Your Way" -Decca
1966"Give Me Your Word"#27Decca
1967"Hurtin' is Loving" -Parlophone
1967"Loving You" -Parlophone
1967"Suzanne in the Mirror" -Parlophone
1968"Beyond the Shadow of a Doubt" -Parlophone
1968"Silly Boy Blue" -Parlophone
1968"Phone Box" -Parlophone
1968"Lady" -Parlophone
1969"I Call for My Rose" -Parlophone
1969"All the Way to the U.S.A." -Parlophone
1970"Why Are You Leaving?" -Parlophone
1970"Paradise Alley" -Parlophone
1972"Will the Real Man Stand Up?" -Fury Records
1974"I'll Be Your Sweetheart" -Warner Brothers
1981"Be Mine Tonight" -Polydor
1982"Love or Money"#57Polydor
1982"Devil or Angel"#58Polydor
1983"Let Me Go, Lover!
Let Me Go, Lover!

"Let Me Go, Lover!", a popular music song, was written by Jenny Lou Carson and Al Hill, a pseudonym used by Fred Wise , Kathleen Twomey, and Ben Weisman....
"		 -Polydor
1983"Forget Him"#59Polydor


External links

  • Fury's Tornados, former backing band
  • BBC Interview with Fury