Billy Fury
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In The Morrissey Collection - Smash Hits (June 21 - July 4, 1984), Morrissey said of Fury:
"Billy Fury is virtually the same as James Dean. He was entirely doomed too and I find that quite affectionate. He was persistently unhappy and yet had a string of hit records. He was discovered working on the docks in Liverpool, was dragged to London, styled and forced to make records. He always wanted to make very emotionally over-blown ballads but he found himself in the midst of the popular arena. He despised almost every aspect of the music industry and was very, very ill from an early age. This album is the rarest I have. It was his first. Albums made in those days were thrust out to appeal to a mature audience. They talked about 'chandeliers' and 'cocktail dresses'. Singles were for teenagers and I'm afraid I always preferred the singles. I was the kind of child who'd bound out of bed on a Saturday, leapfrog down to the local shop and just stay there inhaling the air for hours and smelling all the vinyl and caressing the sleeves. I'd leave about mid-day and go to bed and consider that a completely successful day. I was really quite poor so whatever record I could buy was like a piece of my heart. Something I couldn't possibly exist without. Billy's singles are totally treasurable. I get quite passionate about the vocal melodies and the orchestration always sweeps me away. He always had such profound passion."
Original quote source:
From Morrissey: 20 Questions - Smash Hits Yearbook (late 1985):
His image is used as the cover star of Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me.
A photo shoot by Eamonn J. McCabe in 1988 featured Morrissey with Fury in the background:
Mentioned In
- Jon Savage
- Paint A Vulgar Picture
- Portrait Of The Artist As A Consumer - NME (September 17, 1983)
- The Morrissey Collection - Smash Hits (June 21 - July 4, 1984)
- My Top Ten - BBC Radio One (1984)
- Countdown Magazine (Australia) Profile
- Yeahs And Yeuks - No. 1 (1985)
- Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me (single)
- Kill Uncle Tour 1991 Pre-show Tracks
- Q&A: Morrissey - In Dublin (April 27, 1991)
- Morrissey, the Ever Marketable - Los Angeles Times (March 27, 1994)
- ¡Oye Esteban!
- Liverpool, England 2023-07-19 (Morrissey concert)
- In Memory Of: list of those depicted (December 31, 2024)
Discogs Information
Profile
English singer and songwriter, born 17 April 1941 in Liverpool, England, UK, died 28 January 1983 in London, England, UK.
Backing groups included The Tornados, Fury's Tornados and The Gamblers (4).
External Links
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/229171-Billy-Fury
- http://www.billyfury.com/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Fury
Wikipedia Information
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Ronald Wycherley (17 April 1940 – 28 January 1983), better known by his stage name Billy Fury, was an English musician. An early star of rock and roll, he spent 332 weeks on the UK singles chart. His hit singles include "Wondrous Place", "Halfway to Paradise" and "Jealousy". Fury also maintained a film career, notably playing rock performers in Play It Cool in 1962 and That'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". Others have suggested that his rapid rise to prominence was due to his "Elvis-influenced hip swivelling and, at times, highly suggestive stage act".
Related Forum Threads
- Billy Fury cover story in Vintage Rock magazine (issue 61, Feb/Mar 2023) - Morrissey mention - Morrissey-solo (Jan 31, 2023)