Billy Fury from Liverpool, England began music lessons, on the piano, at age 11. He got his first guitar at age 14. By 1955, the skiffle music boom had begun in England and Fury was leading his own local group, while still working on a tugboat and/or as a stevedore. By 1958, he had won a talent competition and had begun to write his own songs.
In a story which was legend among the British youth of the period, Fury was discovered by impressario Larry Parnes on October 1, 1958. That night, Fury attended a performance of The Larry Parnes Extravaganza, hoping to offer his songs to Marty Wilde, one of the featured performers and a well-known rock-&-roll star because of his appearances on the television series, "Oh Boy!" Fury did get backstage, and was seen by Parnes while performing one of his own songs for Wilde. Parnes booked Fury to appear on the Extravaganze that same night and the rest, as they say, is history - the applause which Fury received earned him a permanent spot on the tour and Parnes as his agent. Parnes' established proceedure was to give his singers stage names representing emotions and attributes: Marty Wilde, Johnny Gentle, Vince Eager. Thus, Ronald Wycherley became Billy Fury.
By the British standards of the day, Fury's early performances were so suggestive that a curtain was brought down on one of his shows. This forced Fury to restrain himself from his more overtly sexual stage moves. Fury's recording career began in early, 1959, with "Maybe Tomorrow," a song which he had written and which charted soon after its release. Fury's television debut came soon after in "Strictly For Sparrows." After that, Fury became a fixture on musical showcases such as "Oh Boy!"
After a string of hit singles, Fury cut his debut album, "The Sound of Fury," in 1960. Fury's back-up players included Joe Brown, one of England's few serious rockabilly players at that time, and drummer Andy White, who later played on the original release version of The Beatles' debut single "Love Me Do." The album sold well and has been re-released a half-dozen times since, including a CD version in the early 1990s. In an interview during the '70s, Keith Richards declared "The Sound of Fury" one of the greatest rock 'n roll albums of its era.
In 1960, DECCA Records decided to soften Fury's sound, at least on his singles, and Fury's early 60's recordings took on a more sophisticated air. "Talkin' In My Sleep" and "Don't Worry," backed by The Four Kestrels, were two results of this change. "Halfway to Paradise," in 1961, began Fury's brief assault on the top of the charts. The orchestrated "Halfway to Paradise" hit #3. A few months later, "Jealousy" reached #2; "I'd Never Find Another You" reached #5. By 1962, Fury was England's top rock-n-roll attraction, backed by the legendary Tornadoes of "Telstar" fame, appearing regularly on television. During this time, he also ventured to America where he got to meet Elvis Presley on the set of "Girls, Girls, Girls." (Many considered Fury to be the closest that England came to producing its own Elvis Presley, capable of dark, brooding, sexual performances, as well as gentle, vulnerable ballads.)
It was the arrival of another group from Liverpool, The Beatles, which ended Fury's dominance of the British teen music scene. (Interesting aside - The Beatles had tried, and failed, to become Fury's back-up during one of his tours.) Nonetheless, Fury continued to chart records into 1964. During that summer, he starred in a semi-autobiographical movie, "I've Got a Horse." Later the same year, he got his own television show. By 1965, however, Fury's health had begun to deteriorate and his records seldom charted better than the mid-20s.
Fury left DECCA Records in 1966 and signed a five-year contract with EMI's Parlophone Records. During those five years, Fury saw some very modest success but nothing like the frenzied stardom of his first seven years in music.
Fury underwent heart surgery in 1970 and in 1971, but resumed performing in 1972. England's rock-n-roll revival during the mid-70s saw the re-release of "The Sound of Fury," as well as other parts of Fury's catalog. During those years, Fury toured England with his one-time idol Marty Wilde. When he wasn't performing, Fury looked after his other interests, including wildlife preservation.
Another heart operation, in 1976, essentially ended Fury's musical career although there were still occasional recordings and television appearances. In 1978, Fury re-recorded his classic songs for K-Tel; in the early '80s he recut his old hits yet again for Polydor, which, by that time, owned DECCA Records. In 1981, a single, "Be Mine Tonight," just missed the British charts.
On March 4, 1982, Fury collapsed and nearly died while working on his farm. Nonetheless, that summer, he again went back on tour and placed the singles "Love Or Money" and "Devil Or Angel" on the English charts. Plans were made for a new album and a national tour, but Fury was found unconscious in his home on January 28, 1983. He died that same day in hospital.
A posthumous single, "Forget Him," charted in England later that same year. Numerous re-issues, as well as releases of previously unreleased material, have continued to appear in the compact disc era, most recently the "40th Anniversary Anthology," a double CD set and Beat Goes On's two-on-one CD of "We Want Billy" and "Billy."
On 10 April 1983, a tribute concert for Billy was held at the Beck Theatre in Hayes, Middlesex. All the artists performed for free and the money raised was donated to the Billy Fury memorial fund for research into heart disease. On the bill were such names as Marty Wilde with his daughter Kim Wilde, Joe Brown, Alvin Stardust, Dave Berry, Helen Shapiro, and John Miles.[citation needed]
In 1999 a TV documentary about Billy called Halfway to Paradise was broadcast on the BBC channel. It was narrated by Ian 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 a Toyota Yaris car advertisement.
On 19 April 2003 a bronze statue of Fury was unveiled by Jack Good at the National Museum of Liverpool Life. 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 2005 Spencer Leigh from BBC Radio Merseyside published a biography book about Billy Fury called Wondrous Face – The Billy Fury Story.
In 2008 a biographical documentary film Billy Fury His Wondrous Story was released on DVD.
Eight of his 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.
In 2010 Camden Council, London, named a small formerly nameless road Billy Fury Way in his honour. It starts just off Finchley Road near Finchley & Frognal station and runs to West Hampstead Station. 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 Friday 29 July 2011.
Play It Cool was released for the first time on DVD on 10 February 2014.
Sweet Little Sixteen
Billy Fury Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In Pittsburgh, P a
Deep in the heart of Texas
And 'round the Frisco Bay all over St louis
Way down in New Orleans
All the cats wanna dance with
Sweet little sixteen
About half a million framed autographs
Her wallet's filled with pictures
She gets 'em one by one she gets so excited
Watch her look at her run
Oh mommy mommy please may I go
It's such a sight to see
Somebody steal the show oh daddy daddy
I beg of you whisper to mommy
It's all right with you
Cause they'll be rockin' on bandstand
In Philadelphia PA
Deep in the heart of Texas
And 'round the Frisco Bay all over St louis
Way down in New Orleans
All the cats wanna dance with
Sweet little sixteen
Sweet little sixteen
She's got the grown up blues
Tight dress and lipstick
She's sportin' high heal shoes
Oh, but tomorrow morning
She'll have to change her trend
And be sweet sixteen and back in class again
Cause they'll be rockin' on bandstand
In Philadelphia PA
Deep in the heart of Texas
And 'round the Frisco Bay all over St louis
Way down in New Orleans
All the cats wanna dance with
Sweet little sixteen
The lyrics of Billy Fury/The Tornados’s song Sweet Little Sixteen are about a teenage girl who is loved by everyone and known as the sweet little sixteen. The song starts with the singer telling about cities like Boston, Pittsburgh, Texas, Frisco Bay, and St. Louis, where the bands are playing and the people are dancing to rock and roll. The song then focuses on Sweet Little Sixteen, a girl who has half a million framed autographs with her and gets excited whenever she adds a new picture to her wallet. She is desperate to attend the bandstand show in Philadelphia, which is a big deal for her.
The next part of the song turns towards her appearance. Sweet Little Sixteen has the grown-up blues and wears tight dresses, lipstick, and high heel shoes. However, she will have to go back to school after the concert and be sweet sixteen again. The song ends with the singer emphasizing how everyone desires to dance with Sweet Little Sixteen, acknowledging her popularity.
In conclusion, the song reflects how rock and roll was perceived as a genre in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with teenagers being the primary target audience. It portrays how Sweet Little Sixteen was seen as a teenage icon, adored by everyone and how her charm and vitality have captivated the youth culture at that time.
Line by Line Meaning
They're really rockin' in Boston
Boston is a city where people are really enthusiastic about rock music and are enjoying it to the fullest.
In Pittsburgh, PA
People in Pittsburgh are also enjoying rock music to the fullest.
Deep in the heart of Texas
Even in the heart of Texas, people are dancing to the rock music.
And 'round the Frisco Bay
Even the area surrounding the Frisco Bay is filled with people who are enjoying rock music.
All over St Louis
St Louis is also a place where people are enjoying rock music.
Way down in New Orleans
Even in New Orleans, people are dancing to the rock music.
All the cats wanna dance with Sweet Little Sixteen
Everyone wants to dance with Sweet Little Sixteen because she is so charming and cute.
Sweet Little Sixteen she's just got to have About half a million framed autographs
Sweet Little Sixteen has a huge collection of autographs, which shows how popular she is among people.
Her wallet's filled with pictures She gets 'em one by one she gets so excited Watch her look at her run
She is very excited about her collection of pictures and she keeps adding more to it.
Oh mommy mommy please may I go It's such a sight to see Somebody steal the show
She is requesting her mother to let her go and see someone steal the show, as it is a rare and exciting experience.
Oh daddy daddy I beg of you whisper to mommy It's all right with you
She is requesting her father to convince her mother to let her go, and assuring him that she will be fine.
Cause they'll be rockin' on bandstand In Philadelphia PA
The bandstand in Philadelphia is going to be rocking with music soon.
Sweet Little Sixteen She's got the grown up blues Tight dress and lipstick She's sportin' high heal shoes
Sweet Little Sixteen is dressing up like an adult and trying to look attractive with her tight dress and lipstick, and high heel shoes.
Oh, but tomorrow morning She'll have to change her trend And be sweet sixteen and back in class again
Tomorrow she will have to get back to her normal routine and dress like a sixteen-year-old and attend school.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALEXANDER JAMES TRIMBLE, KEVIN STEPHEN BAIRD, SAMUEL MATTHEW HALLIDAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
brian gregg
this is the original Tornados with Brian Gregg, Hienz had left the band when this album was made in 1963