Any of you old timers ever see Billy Fury live?

Icy Gull · Jul 26, 2016

I have always pretty much dismissed him as a poor man's Elvis like Cliff Richard. However I saw a documentary on him a few months ago and was interested enough to buy the highly recommended The Sound Of Fury.

What a pleasant surprise this album is, this guy sounds just as good to me as early Presley, and he wrote all the songs on this album himself too.

Question to anyone who saw him live ( long shot I'm guessing but this is NSC), was he good?

Thunder Bolt · Jul 26, 2016

Unfortunately no, apart from Top of the Pops. He was a favourite of mine.

Cadiz Seagull · Jul 26, 2016

Saw him live many times, both in Brighton at the Hippodrome and whatever the place was called on the seafront, and also at Wembley Arena.

But to me he was one of many, no better or worse than many others.

But one thing I did not like about him, all the girls loved him!

flint · Jul 26, 2016

Yes saw him at The Essoldo in Brighton. Demolished to become Boots ?
On a tour with The Tornadoes (Telstar), Joe Brown and others
Lots of girls screaming so difficult to judge performance
Always enjoyed his stuff including early songs he wrote. He was from Liverpool and I recall The Beatles running him down when they were guest judges on Juke Box Jury

Boroseagull · Jul 26, 2016

It was at the Essoldo in North St. Part of the Joe Meek & I think Jack Good artists. The Tremeloes and Karl Denver among others were on the bill. It's a strange thing that this thread should appear, only last week I was sorting through some b&w photos and found one I took of Karl Denver in the Essoldo car park before the performance. It must have been winter as he had a sheepskin coat on with his stage shoes sticking out of the pockets! Oh memories of the wonderful 60's in Brighton.

Morvangull · Jul 26, 2016

Yes, I was there at the Essoldo that night although I don't remember too much about it apart from the Tornadoes and the girls screaming. Was Susan Maugham on that bill or am I mistaken?

Boroseagull · Jul 26, 2016

Morvangull said:
Yes, I was there at the Essoldo that night although I don't remember too much about it apart from the Tornadoes and the girls screaming. Was Susan Maugham on that bill or am I mistaken?

I think she was, good looker then!

flint · Jul 26, 2016

Not sure but I think tour included Karl Denver, John Leyton and Shane Fenton.
My guess is 1962
Don't remember any girls on the bill

Icy Gull · Jul 26, 2016

Interesting stuff, thanks, keep the memories coming!

Lincoln Imp · Jul 26, 2016

flint said:
Not sure but I think tour included Karl Denver, John Leyton and Shane Fenton.
My guess is 1962
Don't remember any girls on the bill

There was a huge Transatlantic divide on tours in those days. The big American rockers - Little Richard, the Everlys, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry - would march round the country mob-handed. The promoters sometimes stuck a British group at the bottom of the bill to get the girlfriends involved. I once saw the Rolling Stones at the Hammersmith Odeon, just about the first act on and singing their rather reedy version of Come On. It sometimes backfired - the Swinging Blue Jeans were quite big when they joined an American rock n roll tour. They pulled out after a few stops and their career never really recovered. It was the least they deserved to be fair.

Jam The Man · Jul 26, 2016

Billy Fury lends his dulcet tones to some of the finest songs produced in the early 60's

Buzzer · Jul 26, 2016

No way was he a poor man's Elvis, he was a great musician in his own right. I'm not much into the Liverpool thing of deifying their own but Billy Fury was a fantastic talent. I'm with you Icy Gull, my mum used to play Sound of Fury all the time when I was little and it's had a big influence on me.

Edit - mind you, I think Gene Vincent beats him hands down.

rocker959 · Jul 26, 2016

Saw him at Jenkinson's 1979/80 plus other artists over a period of Thursday ' grab a granny ' nights including , Brotherhood of Man , Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas , Marty Wilde , The Foundations and others plus the resident Bobby Samson.
Also at thecTop Rank Suite , The Fatback Band and Simple Minds in their infancy among others.

glasfryn · Jul 27, 2016

rocker959 said:
Saw him at Jenkinson's 1979/80 plus other artists over a period of Thursday ' grab a granny ' nights including , Brotherhood of Man , Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas , Marty Wilde , The Foundations and others plus the resident Bobby Samson.
Also at thecTop Rank Suite , The Fatback Band and Simple Minds in their infancy among others.

better than most mentioned ..........................at Jenkinsons and the Starlight rooms his big red pontiac was some motor

Worried Man Blues · Jul 27, 2016

No but he used to live down the road here in Wales, local pub has his picture as a momento

Mo Gosfield · Jul 27, 2016

rocker959 said:
Saw him at Jenkinson's 1979/80 plus other artists over a period of Thursday ' grab a granny ' nights including , Brotherhood of Man , Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas , Marty Wilde , The Foundations and others plus the resident Bobby Samson.
Also at thecTop Rank Suite , The Fatback Band and Simple Minds in their infancy among others.

Bobby Samson ( or was it Sansom?.....can never remember ).....always thought he was pretty good.....where is he now?

Mo Gosfield · Jul 27, 2016

When you watch documentaries about Billy Fury you realise the esteem in which his contemporaries hold him. The likes of Marty Wilde and Joe Brown always speak very highly of him and place him as the number one artist of that era. His early life spent working on the boats on the Mersey, writing his own songs and playing and singing them. His ill health, which sadly left him with a weakened heart and in the knowledge that he would never make old bones.
Although I was just too young to see him live, I was weaned listening to him on my little transistor. The hits just poured out of him. Like Buddy Holly, he was progressive, moving on from his early, fairly simple numbers, to more complicated, orchestral based ballads, with lots of strings. On stage he was charasmatic and brooding and the girls really did love him. I remember listening to Alan Freeman doing a re-run of his ' Pick of the Pops ' a few years after Billy died and him saying......." and straight in at number nine in the charts, the late, great, Mr. Billy Fury "........that was enough for me.....no other words necessary.

severnside gull · Jul 27, 2016

Saw him at the ABC in Bexleyheath around 1963/64.
He was skinny as hell as I recall; a good act in the hip swivelling/girls screaming style of the time Unoriginal but a good voice and some cracking tunes.- Halfway to Paradise, Last Night was Made for Love, Like I've Never Been Gone, Never Find Another You........

murciagull · Jul 27, 2016

Also think I saw him at the Hipperdrome (was very young at the times) also on the bill was Heinz (who remembers him) Diana Ross and the Supremes and Manfred Mann.

Think my Dad only dragged me along because he couldnt get a baby sitter.

Icy Gull · Jul 27, 2016

murciagull said:
Also think I saw him at the Hipperdrome (was very young at the times) also on the bill was Heinz (who remembers him) Diana Ross and the Supremes and Manfred Mann.

Think my Dad only dragged me along because he couldnt get a baby sitter.

I do, and I loved the Tornados, used to listen on fading in and out Radio Luxembourg as a kid in Germany and that is the stand out song of those days for me.

Didn't Heinz the blond German do Just Like Eddie

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