Billy J. Kramer
One of the most popular Merseybeat singers, Billy J. Kramer (born Billy Ashton) was fortunate enough to become a client of Beatles manager Brian Epstein and was gifted with several Lennon-McCartney songs in 1963 and 1964, some of which the Beatles never ended up recording. Even tossing aside the considerable value of hearing otherwise unavailable Lennon-McCartney compositions, his best singles were enjoyably melodic pop/rock.
Kramer's cover of "Do You Want to Know a Secret" -- which featured clever production by George Martin that hid the cracks in the singer's upper register with loud piano notes -- made it to number two in the U.K. in mid-1963, followed by another Lennon-McCartney effort, "Bad to Me." "I'll Keep You Satisfied" and "From a Window" were other gifts from the Beatles camp that gave Kramer solid hits; one Beatles reject, "I'll Be on My Way," was even relegated to a B-side (the Beatles' own BBC version was finally released in 1994).
Kramer actually landed his biggest hit, the pop ballad "Little Children," without assistance from his benefactors; the single also broke him, briefly, as a star in the United States, where it and its flip side ("Bad to Me") both made the Top Ten. He appeared in the legendary 1964 The T.A.M.I. Show rockumentary film, and the Dakotas recorded some instrumental rock on their own, getting a Top 20 British hit with the Ventures-ish "The Cruel Sea." Early British guitar hero Mick Green, formerly with Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, was even a Dakota briefly. But after 1965's cover of Bacharach-David's "Trains and Boats and Planes," the hits ceased, as the Beatles' and Epstein's attention was lost. Kramer continued recording throughout the '60s, even briefly venturing into hard psychedelic-tinged rock, and subsequently toured often on the oldies circuit.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo
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Diskografie
13 Album, -en • Geordnet nach Bestseller
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Are You With Me?
Rock - Erschienen bei Bootle Music am 09.02.2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best Of Billy J. Kramer
Rock - Erschienen bei Vanilla OMP am 20.07.2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Do You Want To Know A Secret
Rock - Erschienen bei Collecting Records OMP am 01.01.2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Do You Want To Know A Secret
Rock - Erschienen bei Purple Pyramid Records am 01.07.2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Back To Back: Billy J. Kramer & Wayne Fontana
Billy J. Kramer, Wayne Fontana
Rock - Erschienen bei Vanilla OMP am 14.03.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
B. J. K. - [The Dave Cash Collection]
Rock - Erschienen bei The Dave Cash Collection - OMP am 09.05.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rare Retro Sounds
Pop - Erschienen bei Catchy Sound am 03.05.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
You're Right, I'm Wrong (Remastered)
Pop - Erschienen bei Red Bullet am 01.01.1982
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Highlights of Billy J. Kramer
Pop - Erschienen bei Weishaupt Music & Entertainment am 03.05.2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
His Best (Rerecorded Version)
Pop/Rock - Erschienen bei K-Tel am 27.11.2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rock It (Remastered)
Pop - Erschienen bei Red Bullet am 01.01.1982
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I'll Keep You Satisfied
Pop - Erschienen bei Sunday Club Records am 18.05.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo