He died at the age of 42 in 1983, but Billy Fury remains one of the best-loved
of Britain's early rock stars, whose record of 24 hits in the 1960s was only
equalled by The Beatles (though he never got a number one). Born in Liverpool,
Fury was playing guitar by the time he was 14, fronting his own group at 16. He
was signed by entrepreneur Larry Parnes who changed his name from Ronald
Wycherley to Billy Fury and got him a contract with Decca Records.
His moody looks and yearning voice attracted a big following when he started
appearing regularly on television, getting his firs...