Billy Fury - His Wondrous Story

Halfway To Paradise, then back again

Britain’s most lauded and authentic rock’n’roll pioneer he may have been, but it was a string of richly orchestrated epic ballads that made Fury a household name in the early 60s. However, those first forays into the music biz are covered in some detail on this disc, packed with vintage stills and archive movie footage.

Luminaries such as Jimmy Savile, John Leyton and Alvin Stardust step up to pay tribute, as do Fury’s brother and mother, never flinching from the less savoury aspects of the dashingly handsome pin-up who was, to many, the UK’s very own Elvis. Fury’s fondness for spliff, and his treatment at the hands of his seedy sexual predator manager Larry Parnes, punctuate the making of some magnificent pop.

The gruelling work schedule Parnes put his charges through is suggested as a major contribution to Fury’s health problems, and questions are asked as to how the singer ended up bankrupt, despite making millions for others at the height of his fame. Images of an emaciated man struggling on the comeback circuit in the 70s are often shocking, and his death at 42 in 1983 seems almost inevitable. A well-structured documentary celebrating a glorious talent, that’s ultimately tinged with sadness.

Odeon | ODNM 007

Reviewed by Terry Staunton
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