Billy Fury | |
|---|---|
 Fury photographed byAllan Warren in 1968 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ronald Wycherley |
| Born | (1940-04-17)17 April 1940 Liverpool, England |
| Died | 28 January 1983(1983-01-28) (aged 42) London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano, drums |
| Years active | 1958–1983 |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | |
| Website | billyfury |
Ronald Wycherley (17 April 1940 – 28 January 1983), better known by his stage nameBilly Fury, was an English musician. An early star ofrock and roll, he spent 332 weeks on the UK singles chart.[4] His hit singles include "Wondrous Place", "Halfway to Paradise" and "Jealousy". Fury also maintained a film career, notably playing rock performers inPlay It Cool in 1962 andThat'll Be the Day in 1973.
AllMusic journalist Bruce Eder stated that Fury's "mix of rough-hewn good looks and unassuming masculinity, coupled with an underlying vulnerability, all presented with a good voice and some serious musical talent, helped turn [him] into a major rock and roll star in short order".[5] Others have suggested that his rapid rise to prominence was due to his "Elvis-influenced hip swivelling and, at times, highly suggestive stage act".[6]
Fury was born Ronald Wycherley at Smithdown Hospital (later known as Sefton General Hospital, since demolished) onSmithdown Road inLiverpool on 17 April 1940. He commenced music lessons on the piano before he was a teenager and was bought his first guitar by the age of 14. Wycherley fronted his own group in 1955 but simultaneously worked full-time on atugboat and later as adocker. He entered and won a talent competition and by 1958 had started composing his own songs.[5]
Wycherley went to meet pop manager and impresarioLarry Parnes at the Essoldo Theatre inBirkenhead,[7] hoping to interest one of Parnes' protégés, singerMarty Wilde, in some of the songs he had written. Instead, in an episode that has since become pop music legend, Parnes pushed young Wycherley up on stage right away.[5] He was such an immediate success that Parnes signed him, added him to his tour, and renamed him "Billy Fury".[8]
However, his early sexual and provocative stage performances received censure, and he was forced to tone them down.[5] In October 1959, the UK music magazine,NME, commented that Fury's stage antics had been drawing much press criticism.[9]
He released his firsthit single forDecca, "Maybe Tomorrow", in 1959.[8] He also appeared in a televised playStrictly for Sparrows, and subsequently onOh Boy![5] In March 1960, he reached No. 9 in theUK Singles Chart with his own composition "Colette",[4] followed by "That's Love" and his first albumThe Sound of Fury (1960),[8] which featured a youngJoe Brown on lead guitar,[5] withbackup vocals by theFour Jays. After securing more hits and splitting from his bandGeorgie Fame and the Blue Flames,[8] Parnes held auditions in Liverpool for a new group. Among those who auditioned were the Beatles,[5] who at this time were still calling themselves the Silver Beetles.[10] They were offered the job for £20 a week on condition that they sacked their bassistStuart Sutcliffe.John Lennon refused and the band left[citation needed] after Lennon had secured Fury'sautograph.[11]
Fury concentrated less on rock and roll and more on mainstreamballads, such as "Halfway to Paradise" and "Jealousy"[8] (which reached No. 3 and No. 2 respectively in the UK Singles Chart in 1961). Fury confessed to theNME that "I wanted people to think of me simply as a singer – and not, more specifically, as a rock singer. I'm growing up, and I want to broaden my scope. I shall continue to sing rock songs, but at the same time my stage act is not going to be as wild in the future".[12] It was Decca's decision to mould Fury into ateen idol after his last self-penned song, "My Christmas Prayer", had failed to chart. The years 1961 through 1963 were Fury's best years chartwise. In 1962, he appeared in his first film,Play It Cool, modelled on theElvis films.[5][13] It featuredHelen Shapiro,Danny Williams,Shane Fenton andBobby Vee, who appeared withthe Vernons Girls. The hit single from the film was "Once Upon a Dream". There were other notable performances by several British actors and performers such asRichard Wattis,Lionel Blair andDennis Price.
Fury'sWe Want Billy! (1963) was one of the first live albums in UK rock history, and featured renditions of his hits andcover versions of severalR&B songs such as "Unchain My Heart".
In 1965 he appeared in the filmI've Gotta Horse,[8] which also featured his backing group the Gamblers,the Bachelors,Amanda Barrie,Michael Medwin andJon Pertwee. The album from the film was made available in stereo. Fury leftDecca Records in 1966, after signing to a five-yearrecording contract withParlophone.[5]
Having had more UK hits, such as "It's Only Make Believe" and "I Will" (written byDick Glasser, not to be confused with thePaul McCartney song), both in 1964, and "In Thoughts of You" (1965), Fury began a lengthy absence from the charts in 1967, and underwent surgery for heart problems in 1972 and 1976 which led to his abandoning touring.[5][8] Despite spending many weeks in the charts, Fury never achieved a number one single, but he remained popular even after his hits stopped. "I Will" became a US hit forDean Martin (1965) and forRuby Winters (1977).
In 1973, Fury emerged from a period of semi-retirement to appear as 'Stormy Tempest' in the filmThat'll Be the Day.[8] The film starredDavid Essex andRingo Starr; it was roughly based on the early days ofthe Beatles. Starr was from theDingle area of Liverpool, as was Fury, and had originally played drums forRory Storm & the Hurricanes, whom the Stormy Tempest group were said to be modelled on.
In the mid-1970s, Fury went out on the road with Marty Wilde. Away from the spotlight, he focused on wildlife preservation.[5] Fury's health deteriorated and he underwent two open heart surgeries—the first in 1972 and the second in 1976.[8] In 1978, Fury was declared bankrupt for unpaid taxes to theInland Revenue. The taxes dated back to 1962, and amounted to £16,780. Fury was also forced to sign over his royalties and publishing income. A new release, "Be Mine Tonight" (1981), failed to make an appearance in the UK Singles Chart. Worse was to follow in March 1981 when Fury, working on his own farm, collapsed and almost died. He returned to touring later that year, and his next two singles, "Love or Money" and "Devil or Angel", barely dented the UK chart.[5]
In 1981 and 1982, Fury was signed toPolydor Records byA&R man Frank Neilson, and he recorded a comeback album,The One and Only (released posthumously), withShakin' Stevens' producerStuart Colman. Owing to his health, Fury did little touring to promote the new album. His last public appearance was at the Sunnyside pub,Northampton, on 4 December 1982. A few days before he died, Fury recorded a live performance for theChannel 4 television showUnforgettable, featuring six of his old hits;[14] however, at the request of his mother, only four of them were broadcast.[citation needed]
Fury was a keenbirdwatcher.[15] He lived with businesswoman Lee Everett Alkin, better known as"Lady Lee" Middleton, from 1959 to 1967.[citation needed]
During this time, he had a short relationship with actressAmanda Barrie, his co-star inI've Gotta Horse. Fury went from Liverpool to London (like the Beatles) and he lived in Number 1Cavendish Avenue, the same street as Paul McCartney. He is remembered and honoured with aBlue Plaque there.[citation needed]
Fury married Judith Hall in May 1969, but later left her forheiress Lisa Voice. They lived together inLondon, and sometimes on Fury's farm inWales, from 1971 until his death, although they were leading separate lives for the last two years.[16]
After returning from a recording session in the early hours of 28 January 1983, Fury collapsed from aheart attack at his home in London.[17] His manager Tony Read found him unconscious the next morning. He was taken toSt Mary's Hospital inPaddington, but died later in the afternoon, aged 42.Rheumatic fever, which he first contracted as a child, damaged his heart and ultimately contributed to his death.[5] A week after his death, a funeral service was held at theSt John's Wood church in London, for which his body was embalmed byDesmond Henley.[18] Among the mourners were Larry Parnes,Marty Wilde,Jess Conrad,Eden Kane, Tony Read, Hal Carter andMick Green, in addition to family members, friends and fans. The choir sang a special version of Billy's Decca hit "I'm Lost Without You". After the service Fury's body was buried atMill Hill cemetery, in North London. A song issued posthumously entitled "Forget Him" became his final chart hit.
In 1999, a TV documentary about Fury calledHalfway to Paradise was broadcast on theBBC channel, narrated byIan Dury. Between 1999 and 2000, the song "Wondrous Place", a favourite of Fury's (he re-recorded it at least three times during his career), later received wide airplay on British television when it was used as the theme for aToyota Yaris car advertisement. In 2005,Spencer Leigh fromBBC Radio Merseyside published a biography book about Fury calledWondrous Face – The Billy Fury Story. In 2008, a biographical documentary filmBilly Fury: His Wondrous Story was released on DVD.[15]
On 19 April 2003, a bronze statue of Fury was unveiled byJack Good at theNational Museum of Liverpool Life.[4] The sculpture, by Tom Murphy, a Liverpool sculptor, was donated by 'The Sound of Fury' fan club after the money was raised by fans.
In 2010, Camden Council named a previously unnamed alleyway "Billy Fury Way" in his honour. It starts just off Finchley Road near Finchley Road & Frognal station and runs to West Hampstead Station.[19] He had recorded at the nearby Decca Studios. The alleyway was decorated with a large mural of his face (at the West Hampstead end), which was unveiled and blessed on 29 July 2011.[20]
Eight of Fury's EMI recordings remained unreleased on mainstream CD until June 2010, when they appeared on a 29-track issue,The Complete Parlophone Singles, released by Peaksoft (PEA009). The singer's estate licensed the tracks to benefit his memorial fund, which finances equipment purchases for hospital heart units. In November 2011, further co-operation between the estate and Peaksoft resulted in the issuing of a second CD,The Lost Album (PEA014), which attempted to construct the format of an album recorded by Fury in 1967–71, but which was never released.
Fury's backing band from 1970 until 1976, when he stopped touring due to ill health, were Fury's Tornados, named by Fury and his then manager Hal Carter. They continue to tour in the theatre showHalfway to Paradise: The Billy Fury Story. Fury is also remembered in the work of tribute bands such as another theatre show calledThe Billy Fury Years.[21] The filmPlay It Cool was first released on DVD on 10 February 2014.
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