Event alert: In celebration of the new book about UK singing star Billy Fury, Halfway to Paradise: The Life of Billy Fury, the British Music Experience in Liverpool is hosting a special event on April 26th about Fury's career. There will also be special artifacts owned by the artist on display. From the press release: "We are delighted to be involved with this wonderful evening to celebrate all things Billy Fury - one of Liverpool's greatest son's and arguably Britain's first rock'n'roll star. Join us in the wonderful surroundings of the British Music Experience in the Cunard Building - just up the road from the glorious Billy Fury statue on the riverfront - as authors David & Caroline Stafford discuss their book "Halfway to Paradise - The Life of Billy Fury" with Liverpool music writer and journalist Paul Fitzgerald. To make this event even more special BME will have a small dedicated Billy Fury display including a guitar owned and played by Billy, and rare memorabilia. 'There's only ever been two English rock 'n' roll singers,' Ian Dury said, 'Johnny Rotten and Billy Fury.' Butter adverts have tainted Johnny's status, but Billy's combination of beauty, sex, innocence, talent, charisma and vulnerability has never been matched. The Sound of Fury, his first L.P., is still widely revered as the best British rock'n'roll record ever made. When he first appeared on TV, a generation of teenagers found true love, and his post-rock'n'roll heartbreak ballads were the essential soundtrack to adolescent angst. In 1973, he was brought out of semi-retirement to play Stormy Tempest - to some extent a parody of himself - in the movie That'll Be The Day. The magic rose above the parody. He never knew how not to be magnificent. David and Caroline Stafford guide the reader through Billy's troubled childhood in Liverpool, via gold and silver lame, to his later years as a farming ornithologist, and his comeback cut short by his premature death. Billy Fury was a key figure on that watershed between post-war privations and sixties excess. He knew everybody, auditioned the Beatles to be his backing band, met and outhandsomed Elvis, partied with Keith Moon and hosted acid parties. Yet, throughout the mayhem, he always remained true to himself- diffident and amused. Halfway To Paradise tells the full story with the compassion and affection due to an artist who, decades after his death, still has the power to command admiration and adoration. Join us for what looks set to be an enjoyable and fascinating evening as we celebrate one of Liverpool's finest musical legends. Tickets will go fast so get yours soon." More info and ticket sales here. You can pick up the new book (out April 19th) at AmazonUK and Amazon. I highly recommend The British Music Experience, by the way. I visited the museum last summer and was very impressed with the collection of original instruments, costumes, and other artifacts that literally take the viewer from the early days of Trad Jazz and Skiffle through the 1960s and beyond to contemporary pop. I wrote a piece about it for jazz legend Chis Barber's website here. Enjoy!
