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On this day, August 19, 1943, Billy J. Kramer was born.
Last edited Fri Aug 19, 2022, 12:39 PM - Edit history (1)
Billy J. Kramer
Billy J. Kramer, 1965
Background information
Birth name: William Howard Ashton
Born: 19 August 1943 (age 79); Bootle, Lancashire, England
Website: billyjkramer.com
William Howard Ashton (born 19 August 1943), known professionally as Billy J. Kramer, is an English pop singer. With The Dakotas, Kramer was managed by Brian Epstein during the 1960s and scored hits with several Lennon–McCartney compositions never recorded by the Beatles, among them the UK number one "Bad to Me" (1963). Kramer and the Dakotas had a further UK chart-topper in 1964 with "Little Children" and achieved U.S. success as part of the British Invasion. Since the end of the beat boom, Kramer has continued to record and perform. His autobiography, Do You Want to Know a Secret, was published in 2016.
{snip}
Success
With record producer George Martin, the song "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" was a number two UK Singles Chart hit in 1963, (but number one in some charts), and was backed by another tune otherwise unreleased by the Beatles, "I'll Be on My Way". After this impressive breakthrough another Lennon/McCartney pairing, "Bad to Me" c/w "I Call Your Name", reached number one. It sold over a million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. "I'll Keep You Satisfied" ended the year with a respectable number four placing.
Kramer was given a series of songs specially written for him by Lennon and McCartney which launched him into stardom. "I'll Keep You Satisfied", "From a Window", "I Call Your Name" (recorded by The Beatles themselves) and "Bad to Me" earned him appearances on the television programmes, Shindig!, Hullabaloo (hosted by Beatles manager Epstein) and The Ed Sullivan Show. (Kramer had also been offered Lennon/McCartney's "I'm in Love", and recorded a version in October 1963. In the end, it was shelved and the song was instead given to the Fourmost. In the 1990s, a Kramer compilation album included his version, as well as some recording studio banter on which Lennon's voice could be heard).
The Dakotas enjoyed Top 20 success in 1963 on their own with the Mike Maxfield composition "The Cruel Sea", an instrumental retitled "The Cruel Surf" in the US, which was subsequently covered by The Ventures. This was followed by a George Martin creation, "Magic Carpet", in which an echo-laden piano played the melody alongside Maxfield's guitar. But it missed out altogether, and it was a year before their next release. All four tracks appeared on an EP later that year.
The three hits penned by Lennon and McCartney suggested that Kramer would always remain in the Beatles' shadow, unless he tried something different. Despite being advised against it, he turned down the offer of another Lennon/McCartney song, "One and One Is Two", and insisted on recording the Stateside chart hit "Little Children". It became his second chart topper and biggest hit. In the United States, "Little Children" was backed with "Bad to Me". This was the only debut single of an act on the Hot 100, each of whose sides separately reached that chart's The Top 10 (No. 7 and No. 9, respectively). "From a Window", a Lennon/McCartney composition, was his second and last UK single of 1964, and became a Top Ten hit.
{snip}
Billy J. Kramer, 1965
Background information
Birth name: William Howard Ashton
Born: 19 August 1943 (age 79); Bootle, Lancashire, England
Website: billyjkramer.com
William Howard Ashton (born 19 August 1943), known professionally as Billy J. Kramer, is an English pop singer. With The Dakotas, Kramer was managed by Brian Epstein during the 1960s and scored hits with several Lennon–McCartney compositions never recorded by the Beatles, among them the UK number one "Bad to Me" (1963). Kramer and the Dakotas had a further UK chart-topper in 1964 with "Little Children" and achieved U.S. success as part of the British Invasion. Since the end of the beat boom, Kramer has continued to record and perform. His autobiography, Do You Want to Know a Secret, was published in 2016.
{snip}
Success
With record producer George Martin, the song "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" was a number two UK Singles Chart hit in 1963, (but number one in some charts), and was backed by another tune otherwise unreleased by the Beatles, "I'll Be on My Way". After this impressive breakthrough another Lennon/McCartney pairing, "Bad to Me" c/w "I Call Your Name", reached number one. It sold over a million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. "I'll Keep You Satisfied" ended the year with a respectable number four placing.
Kramer was given a series of songs specially written for him by Lennon and McCartney which launched him into stardom. "I'll Keep You Satisfied", "From a Window", "I Call Your Name" (recorded by The Beatles themselves) and "Bad to Me" earned him appearances on the television programmes, Shindig!, Hullabaloo (hosted by Beatles manager Epstein) and The Ed Sullivan Show. (Kramer had also been offered Lennon/McCartney's "I'm in Love", and recorded a version in October 1963. In the end, it was shelved and the song was instead given to the Fourmost. In the 1990s, a Kramer compilation album included his version, as well as some recording studio banter on which Lennon's voice could be heard).
The Dakotas enjoyed Top 20 success in 1963 on their own with the Mike Maxfield composition "The Cruel Sea", an instrumental retitled "The Cruel Surf" in the US, which was subsequently covered by The Ventures. This was followed by a George Martin creation, "Magic Carpet", in which an echo-laden piano played the melody alongside Maxfield's guitar. But it missed out altogether, and it was a year before their next release. All four tracks appeared on an EP later that year.
The three hits penned by Lennon and McCartney suggested that Kramer would always remain in the Beatles' shadow, unless he tried something different. Despite being advised against it, he turned down the offer of another Lennon/McCartney song, "One and One Is Two", and insisted on recording the Stateside chart hit "Little Children". It became his second chart topper and biggest hit. In the United States, "Little Children" was backed with "Bad to Me". This was the only debut single of an act on the Hot 100, each of whose sides separately reached that chart's The Top 10 (No. 7 and No. 9, respectively). "From a Window", a Lennon/McCartney composition, was his second and last UK single of 1964, and became a Top Ten hit.
{snip}
Billy J. Kramer With The Dakotas "Bad To Me" on The Ed Sullivan Show
111,273 views Oct 12, 2020
The Ed Sullivan Show
464K subscribers
Billy J. Kramer With The Dakotas "Bad To Me" on The Ed Sullivan Show on June 7, 1964. Subscribe now to never miss an update: https://ume.lnk.to/EdSullivanSubscribe
111,273 views Oct 12, 2020
The Ed Sullivan Show
464K subscribers
Billy J. Kramer With The Dakotas "Bad To Me" on The Ed Sullivan Show on June 7, 1964. Subscribe now to never miss an update: https://ume.lnk.to/EdSullivanSubscribe
Bad To Me Billy J Kramer Dakotas STEREO HiQ Hybrid JARichardsFilm 720p
256,318 views Aug 21, 2018
jarichards99utube
91.3K subscribers
The "Beatles Song" that never was...
Written by Lennon & McCartney. Produced by George Martin. The Beatles did a rough studio recording of this song but it was never released during the 1960s. This version was an international Top-10 Hit Song and part of the famous "British Invasion" of pop music that followed The Beatles popularity.
256,318 views Aug 21, 2018
jarichards99utube
91.3K subscribers
The "Beatles Song" that never was...
Written by Lennon & McCartney. Produced by George Martin. The Beatles did a rough studio recording of this song but it was never released during the 1960s. This version was an international Top-10 Hit Song and part of the famous "British Invasion" of pop music that followed The Beatles popularity.
Billy J. Kramer & Dakotas Live - From A Window ( The Beatles )
246,002 views Aug 19, 2010
Patrick Gannon
7.03K subscribers
This is a Lennon/McCartney tune that the Beatles never recorded. It was given to one of Brian Epstein's other groups under management... Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas.
246,002 views Aug 19, 2010
Patrick Gannon
7.03K subscribers
This is a Lennon/McCartney tune that the Beatles never recorded. It was given to one of Brian Epstein's other groups under management... Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas.