Billy J. Kramer (born William Howard Ashton, 19 August 1943, in Bootle, Liverpool, England) was a British Invasion / Merseybeat singer.
Billy came to the attention of Brian Epstein, ever on the look-out for new talent to add to his expanding roster of local artists. Kramer turned professional but his then backing band, The Coasters, were less keen, so Epstein sought out the services of a Manchester based band, The Dakotas.
Collectively, they were named Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas to keep their own identities within the act. Once the Beatles broke through, the way was paved for a tide of "Merseybeat" and Kramer was offered the chance to cover "Do You Want to Know a Secret?
With record producer George Martin, the song "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" was a number two UK Singles Chart hit in 1963, 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. "I'll Keep You Satisfied" ended the year with a respectable number four placing.
Billy was given a series of songs specially written for him by John Lennon and Paul McCartney which launched him into stardom. I'll Keep You Satisfied, From A Window, I Call Your Name and Bad to Me all became international million sellers for Billy!.
The year 1965 saw the end for the Merseybeat boom, and the next Kramer single was "It's Gotta Last Forever", which harked back to a ballad approach. In a year where mod-related music from the likes of The Who prevailed, the single missed completely. Kramer's cover of "Trains and Boats and Planes" saw off Anita Harris' cover version only to find itself in direct competition with its composer, Burt Bacharach's effort, which won the day. Kramer's effort still reached a respectable number 12, but was the group's swansong, as all future cuts missed the chart. After releasing "We're Doing Fine", it too missed the charts leaving singer and group to part company
Band Members:
Billy J. Kramer: born, 19 August 1943, in Bootle. Leadsinger
Mike Maxfield: born February 23, 1944 in Manchester, England. Leadguitar
Tony Mansfield: born 28 May 1943, Salford, Lancashire - Drummer
Robin MacDonald: born 18 July 1943, Nairn, Scotland - Rhythm Guitarist / Bassist (from July 1964 onwards)
Ray Jones: born Raymond Jones, 22 October 1939 - Bassist (up to July 1964)
Mick Green: born Michael Robert Green, 22 February 1944, in Matlock, Derbyshire. Joined in 1965. Green is a legendary English rock and roll guitarist.
Discography:
1. Listen - Parlophone PCS 3047 - 1963
Tracks:
1. Dance With Me / 2. Pride / 3. I Know / 4. Yes / 5. Twelfth Of Never / 6. Sugar Babe / 7. Da Doo Ron Ron / 8. Its Up To You / 9. Great Balls Of Fire / 10. Tell Me Girl / 11. Anything Thats Part Of You / 12. Beautiful Dreamer / 13. Still Waters Run Deep / 14. I Call Your Name / 15. Do You Want To Know A Secret (*) / 16. Ill Be On My Way (*) / 17. Bad To Me (*) / 18. Ill Keep You Satisfied (*) / 19. Little Children (*) / 20. They Remind Me Of You (*) / 21. From A Window (*) / 22. Second To None (*) - (*)bonus-tracks on some CD versions
Rating : 8
2. Little Children - Imperial LP 9267 (US) - 1964
Tracks:
1. Little Children / 2. Da Doo Ron Ron / 3. Dance With Me / 4. Pride / 5. I Know / 6. They Remind Me of You / 7. Do You Want to Know a Secret / 8. Bad to Me / 9. Great Balls of Fire / 10. It's up to You / 11. Tell Me Girl
Rating : 6
3. I'll Keep You Satisfied - Imperial LP 9273 (US) - 1964
Tracks:
I'll Keep You Satisfied / 2. I Call Your Name / 3. Beautiful Dreamer / 4. Twelfth of Never / 5. Sugar Babe / 6. I'll Be on My Way / 7. From a Window / 8. Second to None / 9. Anything That's Part of You / 10. Still Waters Run Deep / 11. Yes / 12. Cruel Surf
Rating : 7
4. Trains and Boats and Planes - Imperial LP-9291 - 1965
Tracks:
1. Trains And Boats And Planes / 2. Mad Mad World / 3. Twilight Time / 4. Under The Boardwalk / 5. When You Walk In The Room / 6. Sneaking Around / 7. To Take Her Place / 8. When You Ask About Love / 9. Don't Do It No More / 10. I Live To Love You / 11. Tennessee Waltz / 12. Irresistible You
Rating : 8
5. The EMI Years - (comp.) EMI 1991
Tracks:
1. Do You Want To Know A Secret / 2. Bad To Me / 3. I Call Your Name / 4. I'll Keep You Satisfied / 5. I Know / 6. I'll Be On My Way / 7. Cruel Sea / 8. Little Children / 9. Second To None / 10. They Remind Me Of You / 11. From A Window / 12. Sneakin' Around / 13. I'll Be Doggone 14. Neon City / 15. Take My Hand /16. Trains And Boats And Planes / 17. That's The Way I Feel / 18. It's Gotta Last Forever / 19. We're Doing Fine / 20. Forgive Me / 21. Going Going Gone / 22. You Can't Live On Memories
Rating : 8
6. The Best of Billy J. Kramer - EMI America 1991
Tracks:
1. Do You Want to Know a Secret / 2. I'll Be on My Way / 3. Bad to Me / 4. I Call Your Name / 5. Pride / 6. I Know / 7. Tell Me Girl / 8. I'll Keep You Satisfied / 9. I'm in Love / 10. Little Children / 11. They Remind Me of You / 12. From a Window / 13. Second to None / 14. Mad, Mad World / 15. It's Gotta Last Forever / 16. Don't You Do It No More / 17. When You Ask About Love / 18. Trains and Boats and Planes / 19. That's the Way I Feel / 20. That Ain't Good for Me / 21. Neon City / 22. I'll Be Doggone / 23. We're Doing Fine / 24. Take My Hand / 25. You Make Me Feel Like Someone
Rating : 8
7. The Very Best of Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas - Music for Pleasure 1997
Tracks:
1. I'll Keep You Satisfied / 2. Do You Want To Know A Secret / 3. I Call You Name / 4. Sneakin' Around / 5. Second To None / 6. Bad To Me / 7. Cruel Sea / 8. Magic Carpet / 9. Oyeh / 10. I'll Be On My Way / 11. Sugar Babe / 12. It's Up To You / 13. Little Children / 14. From A Window / 15. It's Mad Mad World / 16. Neon City / 17. Trains And Boats And Planes / 18. It's Gonna Last Forever / 19. That's The Way I Feel / 20. I'll Be Dogone / 21. We're Doing Fine / 22. Forgive Me / 23. Millionaire / 24. Humdinger / 25. My Girl Josephine / 26. Take My Hand / 27. San Diego / 28. Ships That Pass In The Night / 29. You Can't Live On Memories
Rating : 8
8. At Abbey Road 1963-1966 - EMI 1998
Tracks:
1. Do You Want To Know A Secret / 2. I'll Be On My Way / 3. I Call Your / 4. Dance With Me / 5. Sugar Me / 6. I Know / 7. I'll Keep You Satisfied / 8. Little Children / 9. They Remind Me Of You / 10. Second To None / 11. From A Window / 12. When You Walk In The Room / 13. It's A Mad Mad World / 14. To Take Her Place / 15. Under The Boardwalk / 16. It's Gotta Last Forever / 17. Sneakin' Around / 18. Trains And Boats And Planes / 19. I Live To Love You / 20. Neon City / 21. That Ain't Good For Me / 22. I'll Be Doggone / 23. Down In The Boondocks / 24. We're Doing Fine / 25. Forgive Me / 26. Listen / 27. Take My Hand
Rating : 8
9. Golden Legends - Direct Source - 2000
Tracks:
1. Bad to Me / 2. Do You Want to Know a Secret / 3. Dizzy / 4. Little Children / 5. I'll Keep You Satisfied / 6. Trains and Boats and Planes / 7. From a Window / 8. Latest Flame / 9. Boys Cry / 10. When You Wish upon a Star
Rating : 6
Essential Album!
Original album as listed and rated on “Rate Your Music” - April 5 - 2008
340 Little Children - 1964
373 I'll Keep You Satisfied - 1964
380 Listen - 1963
902 The Best of the EMI Years - 1991
Check and Rate Here!
“Rate Your Music” - April 5 - 2008
My Suggestion For a 80 minutes (app.) Best Of Compilation:
1. Take My Hand ( Green/MacDonald ) Single 1966 / The EMI years
2. Bad To Me ( Lennon/McCartney ) Little Children
3. Tell Me Girl ( Smith ) Listen
4. From a Window ( Lennon/McCartney ) I'll Keep You Satisfied
5. I'll Be on My Way ( Lennon/McCartney ) Single 1963 / The EMI years
6. Trains and Boats and Planes ( Bacharach/David ) Trains and Boats and Planes
7. I'll Keep You Satisfied ( Lennon/McCartney ) I'll Keep You Satisfied
8. I Know ( Martin/Wooler ) Listen
9. You Can't Live on Memories ( Hodgson/Kramer ) The EMI years
10. I Call Your Name ( Lennon/McCartney ) Listen
11. Still Waters Run Deep ( Perper/Gasper ) Listen5
12. Second to None ( MacDonald ) I'll Keep You Satisfied
13. Don't Do it No More ( ) Trains and Boats and Planes
14. Neon City ( Scott ) Single 1965 / The EMI years
15. Sneakin' Around ( Bryant ) Trains and Boats and Planes
16. Do You Want to Know a Secret ( Lennon/McCartney ) Listen
17. The Twelfth of Never ( Webster ) Listen
18. Anything that's Part of You ( Robertson ) Listen
19. Little Children ( Shuman/MacFarland ) Little Children
20. I'll Be Doggone ( Robinson/Moore/Tarplin ) Single 1965 / The EMI years
21. Forgive Me ( MacDonald/Green ) Single 1966 / The EMI years
LINKS:
Official Web-site
Wikipedia
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