Barnsbury Boy - Alan French. Music: on the Road
Billy Fury
It is still 1968. We arranged to meet Billy Fury at the Castle pub on the corner of Holloway Road and Furlong Road. We booked the room over the pub. Before Billy arrived we spoke to the landlady, told her we were there to meet Billy Fury and she nearly fainted. This was a time when Billy had finished having hits, back in 1963. Amazing thing was; he never had a number 1 record. Halfway To Paradise was the closest he got, reaching number 2 in the charts.
My first impression of Billy was how friendly he was and how he never once put any pressure on us. Billy had just signed a recording contract with Parlophone. He talked a little about his management and gave the impression he was a bit fed up with how his career was going. He brought along a record player. He played us some songs he wrote. They were 'Paper Aeroplanes’, 'Fascinating Candle Flame’ and 'I Saw The Light’, all of which would turn up after he died, on the album "The Missing Years".
He played us his latest recording at that time, a song called Phone Box (The Monkey's In The Jam Jar) released on the Parlophone Label. Now he really loved this song which he also wrote. It was like nothing he had ever recorded before. He must have been disappointed as it never moved in the charts.
We ran through some rockers such as 'My Baby Left Me’, 'Sticks And Stones' and his hits, 'Halfway To Paradise' and 'Like I've Never Been Gone' along with some new songs he had written. Although he was going to do cabaret, his long term aim was to record his own songs. Billy gave the impression that he had been shackled by his management team which suppressed his artistic direction. He was a prolific songwriter.
We also wondered why Billy was around the Holloway area, thinking he would be up in Liverpool. We found out a bit later that his soon-to-be wife was from Crouch End.
The first gig we did with Billy Fury was in Manchester at the Princess Club in Chorlton, doubling up at The Domino Club. These were really famous venues in the area. They were working men's clubs of which there were thousands in the North of England. These clubs were unique. They got absolutely jam packed and were family orientated. In the South of England nothing I ever saw could match them. I remember one of the acts at the Princess Club was a husband and wife knife throwing team. They were dressed up as Red Indians. I mean how could we take that seriously, Red Indians talking with a Northern accent? The wife was tethered to a spinning wheel. The husband then waited for the wheel to turn, threw the knives at her, and they all missed her body, good thing.
I wasn't prepared for what happened next. We played a few songs before Billy came on stage. When the compère introduced him the screaming took over; I didn't expect this. He still had star quality and great stage presence. I was shocked. I was amazed. He still had so many fans. He was a hit that night.
After we returned to London there was a phone call to say Billy had to go back to the Princess and Domino club's as the management were not happy as he didn't sing enough of his hits. Back we go to do the extra shows. It cost £4 for the petrol to Manchester, old money. This worked out nicely at £1 each. I remember the group's wages were around £30 per person for the week’s work. Not much left after paying for the digs and food. It wasn't the money for us, it was surely the fame. One fact that stayed in my mind was Billy Fury's paycheque for that week was inadvertently sent to our Bass player Bill. The cheque read £1500. He had the hits and the name and in those days a hit record was all.
Soon after, we again headed back up north to Burnley for another week’s cabaret with Billy. Again a double. The first show in Blackburn and then back to Burnley. We stayed in digs in Burnley and these digs were especially for show biz people. There were Comedians, Singers, Band Members even Striptease Artistes staying there. It was a bit rough for us as we were in the the attic, all four of us. I got to like Burnley but would probably not recognise it now. The house was a small terraced; we were all short of room most of the time. Breakfast was interesting, everyone turned up at the same time and things were a bit of a squeeze. I never met anyone really famous there. Billy stayed far away at a hotel in the hills.
The first show at the Starlight Club in Blackburn was an experience. We carried the amps and instruments through the stage door entrance, no roadie, we couldn't afford one. We walked the gauntlet of women standing on either side of that passageway. Women ruled that night. The compère was comedian Charlie Williams. Now Charlie was one of the funniest people I ever met. We all shared the same dressing room, Billy, Charlie and the four of us together in a small studio room; there was a lot of laughter. The usual line up for a cabaret show was a three piece band with an organist, every club seemed to have a Hammond Organ as standard. A bass player, a drummer and the star of the show. Sometimes there was a speciality act, for example, a Fire Eater. This show was a success. We packed up the van and headed back to Burnley.
Well, at the Casino Club, Burnley I had a real shock. We launched into Billy's opening song, Sticks And Stones. He walked on stage wearing the black suit without a collar and took up his usual pose, both arms above his head, his hands formed into claws just like an eagle, standing in the spotlight. Billy started singing and the screams almost lifted the roof off. He could really rock. Every movement of his body was matched with an almighty scream, these movements seemed to be in slow motion but were effective. At the end of his act something happened that was a mystery to us. The audience began to throw beer mats at the stage. I had to duck to miss them, it seemed like they were in their hundreds. That was the first time I'd ever seen it happen. It meant that the audience really enjoyed the show. There was one issue for Billy here. The speciality act that week was a magician. His act revolved around live animals. He was waiting to appear on stage in the casino area, doves moving about in his suit and what turned out to be a live rabbit stuffed in a pocket. This really upset Billy and he said to him, "How would you like to be stuffed in someone's suit"? Billy really was an animal lover.
We had a great week living in Burnley. The Queen visited that week, it was quite an occasion. Also the Olympics in Mexico were going on. We stood in the rain eager to see the Queen but the previous night before going on stage we plastered our faces with Instant Tan Mousse, I mean who wouldn't want to look healthy? What we didn't realise was, standing in the rain was not a good idea. We saw the Queen close up, went back to the digs, looked in the mirror and guess what? We all had brown streaks trailing down our cheeks. A lesson learned.
Of the other shows with Billy I remember was an appearance at "The Garrick Club" in Leigh, Lancashire. This was the only time we ever met up with him before a show. I remember walking up the high street with him. He was a bit of a joker. A bus driver was tooting at an elderly woman because she was slow crossing the road. Next minute Billy was trying to open the drivers door. It looked like he was going to drag the driver from his cab. Billy was always protective of vulnerable people. The driver got the message.
Many years later after Billy died I went to Kingstonian Football Ground in Surrey to see a tribute to him. It was by his brother Albie who in the 60’s had his own singing career. He was known as 'Jason Eddie'. Albie had some recordings produced by the great Joe Meek. Albie did his tribute, all Billy Fury songs. His voice was the closest copy I ever heard of Billy's. Albie told me Billy could always look after himself. This was a side that we never saw. There were many Billy Fury fans there that night including Danny Rivers who was also a Joe Meek star.
Other shows I remember were Sophia Gardens, Cardiff where the Mindbenders were supporting. Then a weeks’ cabaret in Newport, Wales, in a club called Cleopatra's where the owner's wife dressed up every evening as Cleopatra and even painted her skin gold. The things people did in those days.
One venue that stands out was the White Buck Inn, Burley in the New Forest, Hampshire. It was a very small venue. Smaller than the average front room. We were supposed to stay in a little caravan at the side of the hotel. That's what managements thought in those days: anything will do for the group. Well, this caravan was the pits, not only dirty but no heating whatsoever. I have to say Billy really stood up for us. Because of his intervention we were allocated rooms within the hotel. Billy's future wife Judith came with him to this gig. I remember Billy kicking trees like a child. Judith was worried that Billy would ruin his shoes.
The other important show we did with Billy was at the re-opening of The Shakespeare Theatre in Liverpool. Billy was chosen as a child of Liverpool to perform at the official re-opening. This was a magnificent theatre, fully renovated. The stage rose up from underground and this was so effective. The local press attended. It was here that I know some pictures were taken of Billy and ourselves playing. I have been trying to locate these as unbelievably, apart from that evening and a few other dates, Dr Marigold's never had a photo taken with him. This was a major slip up. After the show that old rocker Tommy Bruce came into the dressing room to see Billy. Now he and Billy must have been old mates but I'm not sure Billy was keen to see Tommy. Also in the dressing room that night was Judith. She was acting as his hairdresser and a really good job she did, too.
Dr Marigold's Prescription backed Billy live on a children's tv show called "Hats Off” recorded at Granada TV Studios, Manchester. It was a little known show in the South of England. As it was live I never got to see it. The song he sang was "Like I've Never Been Gone". I have been trying to locate this recording but it seems to be lost; shame. There were many other shows we played with Billy and the good thing was, we were to meet up with him again in the future to do some Radio One shows and studio recordings which were released after he died. When these recordings became known to me in 1998 I was thrilled to pieces.
Billy was a class act, no doubt and Dr Marigold's were about to meet up with another great singer and work with him on two tours. This was the American, Bruce Channel, famous for his smash hit, 'Hey Baby'.
It is still 1968. We arranged to meet Billy Fury at the Castle pub on the corner of Holloway Road and Furlong Road. We booked the room over the pub. Before Billy arrived we spoke to the landlady, told her we were there to meet Billy Fury and she nearly fainted. This was a time when Billy had finished having hits, back in 1963. Amazing thing was; he never had a number 1 record. Halfway To Paradise was the closest he got, reaching number 2 in the charts.
My first impression of Billy was how friendly he was and how he never once put any pressure on us. Billy had just signed a recording contract with Parlophone. He talked a little about his management and gave the impression he was a bit fed up with how his career was going. He brought along a record player. He played us some songs he wrote. They were 'Paper Aeroplanes’, 'Fascinating Candle Flame’ and 'I Saw The Light’, all of which would turn up after he died, on the album "The Missing Years".
He played us his latest recording at that time, a song called Phone Box (The Monkey's In The Jam Jar) released on the Parlophone Label. Now he really loved this song which he also wrote. It was like nothing he had ever recorded before. He must have been disappointed as it never moved in the charts.
We ran through some rockers such as 'My Baby Left Me’, 'Sticks And Stones' and his hits, 'Halfway To Paradise' and 'Like I've Never Been Gone' along with some new songs he had written. Although he was going to do cabaret, his long term aim was to record his own songs. Billy gave the impression that he had been shackled by his management team which suppressed his artistic direction. He was a prolific songwriter.
We also wondered why Billy was around the Holloway area, thinking he would be up in Liverpool. We found out a bit later that his soon-to-be wife was from Crouch End.
The first gig we did with Billy Fury was in Manchester at the Princess Club in Chorlton, doubling up at The Domino Club. These were really famous venues in the area. They were working men's clubs of which there were thousands in the North of England. These clubs were unique. They got absolutely jam packed and were family orientated. In the South of England nothing I ever saw could match them. I remember one of the acts at the Princess Club was a husband and wife knife throwing team. They were dressed up as Red Indians. I mean how could we take that seriously, Red Indians talking with a Northern accent? The wife was tethered to a spinning wheel. The husband then waited for the wheel to turn, threw the knives at her, and they all missed her body, good thing.
I wasn't prepared for what happened next. We played a few songs before Billy came on stage. When the compère introduced him the screaming took over; I didn't expect this. He still had star quality and great stage presence. I was shocked. I was amazed. He still had so many fans. He was a hit that night.
After we returned to London there was a phone call to say Billy had to go back to the Princess and Domino club's as the management were not happy as he didn't sing enough of his hits. Back we go to do the extra shows. It cost £4 for the petrol to Manchester, old money. This worked out nicely at £1 each. I remember the group's wages were around £30 per person for the week’s work. Not much left after paying for the digs and food. It wasn't the money for us, it was surely the fame. One fact that stayed in my mind was Billy Fury's paycheque for that week was inadvertently sent to our Bass player Bill. The cheque read £1500. He had the hits and the name and in those days a hit record was all.
Soon after, we again headed back up north to Burnley for another week’s cabaret with Billy. Again a double. The first show in Blackburn and then back to Burnley. We stayed in digs in Burnley and these digs were especially for show biz people. There were Comedians, Singers, Band Members even Striptease Artistes staying there. It was a bit rough for us as we were in the the attic, all four of us. I got to like Burnley but would probably not recognise it now. The house was a small terraced; we were all short of room most of the time. Breakfast was interesting, everyone turned up at the same time and things were a bit of a squeeze. I never met anyone really famous there. Billy stayed far away at a hotel in the hills.
The first show at the Starlight Club in Blackburn was an experience. We carried the amps and instruments through the stage door entrance, no roadie, we couldn't afford one. We walked the gauntlet of women standing on either side of that passageway. Women ruled that night. The compère was comedian Charlie Williams. Now Charlie was one of the funniest people I ever met. We all shared the same dressing room, Billy, Charlie and the four of us together in a small studio room; there was a lot of laughter. The usual line up for a cabaret show was a three piece band with an organist, every club seemed to have a Hammond Organ as standard. A bass player, a drummer and the star of the show. Sometimes there was a speciality act, for example, a Fire Eater. This show was a success. We packed up the van and headed back to Burnley.
Well, at the Casino Club, Burnley I had a real shock. We launched into Billy's opening song, Sticks And Stones. He walked on stage wearing the black suit without a collar and took up his usual pose, both arms above his head, his hands formed into claws just like an eagle, standing in the spotlight. Billy started singing and the screams almost lifted the roof off. He could really rock. Every movement of his body was matched with an almighty scream, these movements seemed to be in slow motion but were effective. At the end of his act something happened that was a mystery to us. The audience began to throw beer mats at the stage. I had to duck to miss them, it seemed like they were in their hundreds. That was the first time I'd ever seen it happen. It meant that the audience really enjoyed the show. There was one issue for Billy here. The speciality act that week was a magician. His act revolved around live animals. He was waiting to appear on stage in the casino area, doves moving about in his suit and what turned out to be a live rabbit stuffed in a pocket. This really upset Billy and he said to him, "How would you like to be stuffed in someone's suit"? Billy really was an animal lover.
We had a great week living in Burnley. The Queen visited that week, it was quite an occasion. Also the Olympics in Mexico were going on. We stood in the rain eager to see the Queen but the previous night before going on stage we plastered our faces with Instant Tan Mousse, I mean who wouldn't want to look healthy? What we didn't realise was, standing in the rain was not a good idea. We saw the Queen close up, went back to the digs, looked in the mirror and guess what? We all had brown streaks trailing down our cheeks. A lesson learned.
Of the other shows with Billy I remember was an appearance at "The Garrick Club" in Leigh, Lancashire. This was the only time we ever met up with him before a show. I remember walking up the high street with him. He was a bit of a joker. A bus driver was tooting at an elderly woman because she was slow crossing the road. Next minute Billy was trying to open the drivers door. It looked like he was going to drag the driver from his cab. Billy was always protective of vulnerable people. The driver got the message.
Many years later after Billy died I went to Kingstonian Football Ground in Surrey to see a tribute to him. It was by his brother Albie who in the 60’s had his own singing career. He was known as 'Jason Eddie'. Albie had some recordings produced by the great Joe Meek. Albie did his tribute, all Billy Fury songs. His voice was the closest copy I ever heard of Billy's. Albie told me Billy could always look after himself. This was a side that we never saw. There were many Billy Fury fans there that night including Danny Rivers who was also a Joe Meek star.
Other shows I remember were Sophia Gardens, Cardiff where the Mindbenders were supporting. Then a weeks’ cabaret in Newport, Wales, in a club called Cleopatra's where the owner's wife dressed up every evening as Cleopatra and even painted her skin gold. The things people did in those days.
One venue that stands out was the White Buck Inn, Burley in the New Forest, Hampshire. It was a very small venue. Smaller than the average front room. We were supposed to stay in a little caravan at the side of the hotel. That's what managements thought in those days: anything will do for the group. Well, this caravan was the pits, not only dirty but no heating whatsoever. I have to say Billy really stood up for us. Because of his intervention we were allocated rooms within the hotel. Billy's future wife Judith came with him to this gig. I remember Billy kicking trees like a child. Judith was worried that Billy would ruin his shoes.
The other important show we did with Billy was at the re-opening of The Shakespeare Theatre in Liverpool. Billy was chosen as a child of Liverpool to perform at the official re-opening. This was a magnificent theatre, fully renovated. The stage rose up from underground and this was so effective. The local press attended. It was here that I know some pictures were taken of Billy and ourselves playing. I have been trying to locate these as unbelievably, apart from that evening and a few other dates, Dr Marigold's never had a photo taken with him. This was a major slip up. After the show that old rocker Tommy Bruce came into the dressing room to see Billy. Now he and Billy must have been old mates but I'm not sure Billy was keen to see Tommy. Also in the dressing room that night was Judith. She was acting as his hairdresser and a really good job she did, too.
Dr Marigold's Prescription backed Billy live on a children's tv show called "Hats Off” recorded at Granada TV Studios, Manchester. It was a little known show in the South of England. As it was live I never got to see it. The song he sang was "Like I've Never Been Gone". I have been trying to locate this recording but it seems to be lost; shame. There were many other shows we played with Billy and the good thing was, we were to meet up with him again in the future to do some Radio One shows and studio recordings which were released after he died. When these recordings became known to me in 1998 I was thrilled to pieces.
Billy was a class act, no doubt and Dr Marigold's were about to meet up with another great singer and work with him on two tours. This was the American, Bruce Channel, famous for his smash hit, 'Hey Baby'.