BILLY J. KRAMER
Billy J. Kramer (born William Howard Ashton, 19 August 1943 in Bootle, Lancashire, England) is a pop singer. In the 1960’s, he was managed by Brian Epstein, who also managed the Beatles, and he recorded several original Lennon and McCartney compositions. (More from Wikipedia)
The Beatles’ debut album Please Please Me was released in England on EMI/Parlophone Records in March 1963, under the direction of Sir George Martin, who turned 87 earlier this month. Martin had joined EMI in 1950 and oversaw the Parlophone label, which released the early Beatles albums in the UK. The label also featured several other major acts, including the Hollies, Cilla Black, and Billy J. Kramer.
(January 2013)
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Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas had numerous hit songs, including several Lennon/McCartney songs in Britain (Billy J. Kramer was also managed by Brian Epstein) and a major U.S. hit, “Little Children” in March 1964. They used “with” rather than “and” so as to keep separate identities for the singer and the band. The Dakotas by themselves had a hit instrumental in the U.K. with “The Cruel Sea”; for its U.S. release, it was retitled “The Cruel Surf” and was later covered by the Ventures. A curious song by the Dakotas called “7 Pounds of Potatoes” – “ . . . come between me and my love”, according to the lyrics – is included on English Freakbeat, Volume 2 (both the LP and the CD).
(May 2015)
