Billy Fury

Billy Fury
Fury photographed by Allan Warren in 1968
Fury photographed by Allan Warren in 1968
Background information
Birth nameRonald Wycherley
Born(1940-04-17)17 April 1940
Liverpool, England
Died28 January 1983(1983-01-28) (aged 42)
London, England
Genres
OccupationMusician
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, piano, drums
Years active1958–1983
Labels
Formerly of
Websitebillyfury.co.uk

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.[4] 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".[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]

  1. ^ "Billy Fury - Biography, Albums, Streaming Links - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  2. ^ Wright, Jade (1 June 2015). "Watch: Billy Fury to be celebrated in new film premiering in Liverpool". Liverpoolecho.co.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Billy Fury - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  4. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 217. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference AMG was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Goldman, Lawrence et al. (editors) (2009) "Fury, Billy" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, Oxford, England, electronic resource Archived 3 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine requires subscription, OCLC 56707601