Where was Billy Fury discovered? Where did Billy Fury record? We visit some of the places and sites in Liverpool and London.
TIMESTAMP
0:00 Start
1:07 Essoldo, Birkenhead
4:26 Lord Nelson Hotel
5:08 Decca Studios London
8:10 Billy Fury Way
8:45 Empire Theatre Liverpool
10:30 Billy Fury UK charts
11:45 Beatles audition for Billy Fury's backing band
13:48 Billy Fury UK charts
15:15 Joe Meek Studio
18:49 Billy Fury last Decca hit
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Billy Fury was discovered at the Essoldo Theatre Birkenhead, or rather Billy was pushed onstage! He was offered to join the last date of the Marty Wilde Extravaganza the next night and left Liverpool for the last time as Ronnie Wycherley. While down in London his name was changed to Billy Fury and he signed a recording contract with Decca Records following the performance of his self-written song 'Maybe Tomorrow' in a TV play 'Strictly For The Sparrows'. We visit the former Decca Studios building on Broadhurst Gardens in West Hampstead, London. While in London we also visited the site of Joe Meek's recording studios at 304 Holloway Road where Telstar among many other Joe Meek Productions were recorded. Back in Liverpool we visit the Lord Nelson Hotel which was Ronnie Wycherley's last time leaving Liverpool - also the Empire Theatre where he would perform as Billy Fury over the coming years, including the fateful tour with Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent. Also where the Beatles auditioned to be Billy Fury's backing band!
Additional information gathered from (not sponsored or endorsed by) billyfury.com, managed by The Sound Of Fury Fan Club, 'Sound Of Fury' by David and Caroline Stafford, 'Wondrous Face' by Spencer Leigh, cinematreasures.org, and copious sleevenotes from various Billy Fury LPs and CDs. Also great documentary DVDs Halfway To Paradise and Billy Fury - His Wondrous Story. Additional Billy Fury pics mirrorpix.com

1 October 1958 Ronnie Wycherley came over here to Birkenhead,
his ultimate destination the Essoldo Theater
The Essoldo Theater would have been right next to it here. The Essoldo chain had taken over the building - it was a Ritz Theater until around 1953 or '54 and then the Essoldo chain took it over. October 1st 1958 Ronnie came over the Mersey to the Birkenhead Essoldo Theatre where the Marty Wilde Extravaganza concert was taking place. His mother Jean Wycherley says she sent a tape to Larry Parnes - in reply Larry Parnes told her to ask Ronnie to come over here on the 1st of October to see him. Billy Hatton, Ronnie's schoolboy friend said that that tape was a separate recording to what Ronnie had made at the Percy Phillips Kensington Studio.
He left Liverpool Ronnie Wycherley on the 2nd of October 1958 and he returned as Billy Fury.
So this is 165 Broadhurst Gardens and there's the former Decca Studios
Billy Fury signed to Decca in November and recorded 'Maybe Tomorrow' following his performance of it for the play 'Strictly for the Sparrows'. he came here and recorded 'Maybe Tomorrow' and 'Gonna Type A Letter' 'The king of skiffle Lonnie Donegan recorded 'Rock Island Line' here in July 1954. Billy Fury probably the most successful artist recording here, but others have recorded some tracks here The Stones, Bowie recorded his first single 'Liza Jane', Marc Bolan recorded his first single as Mark Feld, his real name. But most of Billy Fury's Decca recordings from November 1958 up to his last single 'Give Me Your Word' in '66 were recorded here,
Studio 3 opened in 1961 and that's where the live 'We Want Billy' album was recorded
the direction for Billy Fury's music from then on and there followed 'Halfway To Paradise' and then a string of further top ten hits between '61 and '65, all recorded here at the Decca Studios in West Hampstead.
A few hundred yards from Broadhurst Gardens just down that way, is this little tribute here - Billy Fury Way,
This is Empire Theatre. The Quarrymen apparently appeared here for a Carroll levis Discovery tv talent show Graham Nash of The Hollies said. He remembered Johnny and the Moondogs and Billy Fury
in '59, which was the first of several appearances that Billy Fury was to make here at the Empire Theater, Liverpool.
Billy Fury had 11 Top 10 hits in the UK. Unfortunately none of them reached number one. But he had 11 Top 10 hits and the time he was on Decca from from the end of 1958 to the end of 1966, only three of Billy's singles failed to get into the UK charts.
He had his first Top 10 in 1960 with his self-written song 'Colette'.
undoubtedly the finest pre-Beatles British rock and roll album, 'The Sound Of Fury'.
Brian Epstein discovered Cilla Black singing in the Blue Angel Nightclub which would have been 1963. But in1960 it was the Wyvern Social Club. May 1960, the Silver Beetles as they called themselves then, auditioned to be Billy Fury's backing band here at the Wyvern Club

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