Billy Fury

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Billy Fury, one of Britain's first rock and roll singers. Born Ronald William Wycherley in Liverpool in 1940, he became 'Billy Fury' at the behest of his manager, who signed him up on the spot after literally pushing him onto the stage at a concert Fury had attended in the hope of getting his songs recorded by Marty Wilde, a popular singer of the time.

Fury's stage act, modelled on Elvis Presley, drew similar criticism for being too suggestive. After some hit rock and roll records he started to move towards slower material, which yielded several more hit singles and eventually he began to move into films. Ill-health dogged his career however, and by the early 1970s he was undergoing surgery for heart problems. After another film appearance, in 'That'll Be The Day' alongside Ringo Starr and David Essex, he endured further problems before making a comeback at the turn of the 1980s.

He had just returned from a recording session in early 1983 when he collapsed, although rushed to hospital he was never to recover, passing away at the age of 42. Many years later, a statue of the singer was commissioned by his fan club and eventually unveiled in Liverpool in 2003. Sculpted by local artist Tom Murphy, the statue can still be seen at its present location close to the Albert Dock.

A photo of the statue can be seen below, and also a clip of Fury from the film 'Play It Cool'.

Photo: Ronnie Soo