WONDROUS FACE
The Billy Fury Story
by Spencer Leigh
During the 1960s, Billy Fury was one of the UK’s biggest stars and yet
relatively little is known about him. There has never even been a biography
of Billy Fury. Until now. The rock writer, Spencer Leigh tells his story in
WONDROUS FACE. With humour and honesty, Spencer reveals the truth behind his
Liverpool childhood, his records, his stage shows, his illnesses, his insecurities,
his tantrums, his womanising and his love of ornithology.
WONDROUS FACE contains the stories behind such hits as ‘Halfway To Paradise’, ‘Jealousy’ and ‘Like I’ve Never Been Gone’. There are first-hand interviews with his managers, Larry Parnes and Hal Carter, the TV producer Jack Good and many, many songwriters and record producers. Spencer Leigh says, “My 16-year-old self would certainly be very envious of my 60-year-old self interviewing so many Vernons Girls.”
WONDROUS FACE is a frank and funny book that abounds with the same energy that has made HALFWAY TO PARADISE, Britpop 1955 – 1962, BABY, THAT IS ROCK AND ROLL, American Pop, 1954 – 1963 and PUTTIN’ ON THE STYLE – The Lonnie Donegan Story so successful. As with those three books, there are pages of contemporary cuttings from the remarkable collection of John Firminger.
“I admired him right from the start. He was my idol as well as my brother.”
Albie Wycherley
“I only wrote songs out of frustration. Billy had written himself a whole
repertoire and had spent time thinking about it. It showed in the songs too:
they were lovely songs. ‘Margo’ was really sweet.”
Marty Wilde
“He used to open with ‘The Night Time Is The Right Time’
and we would discuss how quickly he should hit the deck and roll over the microphone.
You wouldn’t be able to hear anything after that. The girls would screaming
and running down the aisles.”
Jack Good
“While Billy was strutting his stuff, giving the chicks their big thrill
for the night, the blokes were sitting there simmering and swearing and threatening
to kill him. It made me glad that my act was rock’n’roll and not
sex.”
Joe Brown
“I thought he was dreadful. I was booing him and I suppose I was showing
off in front of my girlfriend.”
Sam Hardie (Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes)
“Billy Fury looked great in that white spotlight doing ‘Wondrous
Place’.”
Dave Berry
“I would never expect anyone to go on stage if they were ill. I am the
last person in the world to do that.”
Larry Parnes
“Our welfare didn’t matter. Larry Parnes regarded us as pieces
of meat and the show must go on and all that.”
Clem Cattini
“Billy Fury smoked grass from when he got up in the morning to when he
went to bed at night.”
Lee Everett-Alkin
“If Billy were here now, he would tell you that he lived 15 years longer
than he thought he would.”
Hal Carter