Editing Billy J. Kramer

{{short description|English pop singer (born 1943)}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{BLP sources|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name             = Billy J. Kramer
| image            = Billy J Kramer - Its Gotta Last Forever 1965.png
| caption          = Kramer, 1965
| image_size       = 250px
| birth_name       = William Howard Ashton
| alias            = 
| birth_date       = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1943|08|19}}
| birth_place      = [[Bootle]], Lancashire, England
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}}
| origin           = [[Liverpool]], Lancashire, [[England]]
| instrument       = Vocals
| genre            = Pop, [[Beat music|Merseybeat]], [[British rock and roll]]
| occupation       = Singer
| years_active     = 1963–present
| label            = [[Parlophone]], [[Imperial Records|Imperial]]
| associated_acts  = [[The Dakotas (band)|The Dakotas]]<br />[[The Beatles]]
| website          = {{url|billyjkramermusic.com}}
}}

'''William Howard Ashton''' (born 19 August 1943), known professionally as '''Billy J. Kramer''', is an English pop singer. With [[the Dakotas (band)|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 [[Record chart#Chart_hit|number one]] "[[Bad to Me]]" (1963). Kramer and the Dakotas had a further UK chart-topper in 1964 with "[[Little Children (song)|Little Children]]" and achieved U.S. success as part of the [[British Invasion]]. Since the end of the [[beat music|beat boom]], Kramer has continued to record and perform. His autobiography, ''Do You Want to Know a Secret'', was published in 2016.

==Early life and career==
Kramer grew up as the youngest of seven siblings and attended the St George of England Secondary School, Bootle. He then took up an [[engineering apprentice]]ship with [[British Rail]]ways and in his spare time played rhythm guitar in a group he had formed himself, before switching to become a vocalist. The performing name Kramer was chosen at random from a [[telephone directory]]. John Lennon suggested that the "J" be added to the name further to distinguish him by adding a "tougher edge".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://triumphpc.com/mersey-beat/a-z/billyjkramer3.shtml |title=Billy J. Kramer – Mersey Beat |publisher=Triumphpc.com |date=19 August 1943 |access-date=18 August 2015}}</ref> Kramer soon came to the attention of [[Brian Epstein]], ever on the look-out for new [[artist|talent]] to add to his expanding roster of local artists. Kramer turned professional but his then backing group, the Coasters, were less keen, so Epstein sought out the services of a [[Manchester]]-based group, [[The Dakotas (band)|the Dakotas]], a combo then backing Pete MacLaine.

Even then, the Dakotas would not join Kramer without a recording contract of their own. Once in place, the deal was set and both acts signed to [[Parlophone]] under [[George Martin]]. 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 [[Beat music|Merseybeat]] and Kramer was offered the chance to cover "[[Do You Want to Know a Secret]]?" first released by the Beatles on their own debut album, ''[[Please Please Me]]''. The track had been turned down by Shane Fenton (later known as [[Alvin Stardust]]) who was looking for a career-reviving [[hit record|hit]].

==Success==
With record producer [[George Martin]], the song "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" was a number two [[UK Singles Chart]] [[hit record|hit]] in 1963,<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= British Hit Singles & Albums
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| page= 307}}</ref> (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 [[List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1960s|number one]].<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> It sold over a million copies and was awarded a [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book
| first= Joseph
| last= Murrells
| year= 1978
| title= The Book of Golden Discs
| edition= 2nd
| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd
| location= London
| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/161 161]
| isbn= 0-214-20512-6
| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/161
}}</ref> "[[I'll Keep You Satisfied]]" ended the year with a respectable number four placing.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/>

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 (TV series)|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]] as The Cruel Sea. 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 [[Extended play|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 Records|Stateside]] chart hit "[[Little Children (song)|Little Children]]". It became his second chart topper and biggest hit.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> 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 final UK single of 1964 and became a [[Record chart|Top Ten]] hit.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/>

==After the peak==
The 1965 Kramer single "It's Gotta Last Forever" signified a shift to a [[ballad]] approach. It failed to chart, though Kramer's [[cover version]] of Bacharach and David's "[[Trains and Boats and Planes]]" eclipsed [[Anita Harris]]' version in the UK, reaching number 12. All subsequent releases failed to [[record chart|chart]].<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/>

The Dakotas' ranks were then strengthened by the inclusion of [[Mick Green]], formerly a guitarist with the London band [[Johnny Kidd & the Pirates|the Pirates]] who backed [[Johnny Kidd (singer)|Johnny Kidd]]. This line-up cut a few tracks which were at odds with the balladeer's usual fare. These included a take on "When You Walk in the Room" and "Sneakin' Around". The Dakotas' final outing whilst with Kramer was the [[blues]]-driven "Oyeh!", but this also flopped.

==Latterly==
[[File:BillyAR.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Kramer in 2023, recording at Abbey Road Studios]]
After releasing "We're Doing Fine", which also missed the charts, the singer and group parted company. Kramer, then lived in [[Rugby, Warwickshire]], after marrying a local woman Ann Ginn there in 1968.<ref>{{cite web |title=LOOKING BACK - March 12, 2020 edition By John Phillpott |url=https://www.rugbyadvertiser.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/retro/looking-back-march-12-2020-edition-2449637 |work=Rugby Advertiser |access-date=9 December 2021}}</ref> He had a solo career over the next ten to fifteen years or so, working in cabaret and television with his new band, again from the [[Manchester]] area, consisting of Pete Heaton (bass), John Miller (drums) and Tim Randles (guitar); this later saw changes with Bob Price now on bass and Roger Bell on guitar. In the late 1970s, Kramer teamed up with Bedford musicians Mike Austin (bass), Max Milligan (guitar) and John Dillon (percussion), the one constant member throughout the changes in musicians at this time was his sound engineer Stewart Oakes, performing cabaret in the UK and Europe, whilst also recording "San Diego" and "Ships that Pass in the Night" – after which Kramer eventually went to live in the United States.

The Dakotas re-formed in the late 1980s and recruited vocalist Eddie Mooney and session musician Toni Baker. They still tour and record. Other latter-day members are drummer Pete Hilton and guitarist Alan Clare.

In 1983, Kramer released a solo single on the [[Rak Records|RAK]] label, "You Can't Live on Memories" / "Stood Up", which failed to chart. The following year, 1984, he released "Shootin' the Breeze" / "Doris Day Movie" on 'Mean Records'. Again, this failed to chart.

In 2005, Kramer recorded the song "Cow Planet" for ''Dog Train'', the children's album by [[Sandra Boynton]]. A long-term fan of Kramer, Boynton had sought him out for her project: in 1964, at the age of 11, ''Little Children'' became the first album she ever bought.

In late 2012, Kramer went back into the studio for the first time in years to record a new CD, ''I Won the Fight'', which was released in 2013. The CD features some new songs written by Kramer, as well as some covers.

In 2013, Kramer provided the introduction to the graphic novel ''[[The Fifth Beatle (graphic novel)|The Fifth Beatle]]'' by [[Vivek Tiwary]]. The book was released in November and spent several weeks on the ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' best-seller list, reaching No. 1 in its third week of release.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hardcover Graphic Books|url=https://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/hardcover-graphic-books/list.html|work=[[The New York Times]] |date=17 December 2013 |access-date=17 December 2013}}</ref> He also released a new album, entitled ''I Won the Fight''.

In 2015, Kramer was part of the British Invasion 50th Anniversary tour, performing in the US and the UK.<ref>{{cite news |title=British Invasion 50th Anniversary Concert in Tarrytown, NY: A Review|url=http://paullevinson.blogspot.com/2015/03/british-invasion-50th-anniversary.html|work=Infinite Regress |date=1 March 2015 |access-date=3 March 2015}}</ref> The following year saw the publication of his autobiography ''Do You Want to Know A Secret'', co-written with [[Alyn Shipton]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.meetthebeatlesforreal.com/2016/07/do-you-want-to-know-secret-book-review.html|title=Do You Want to Know a Secret: Book Review|website=Meetthebeatlesforreal.com|access-date=8 October 2019}}</ref>
In February 2024 Billy J released a single “Are you with me” which charted on The Heritage Chart

==Discography==
{{Main|Billy J. Kramer discography}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://billyjkramermusic.com/ Billy J. Kramer official website]
* [http://www.thedakotas.co.uk The Dakotas official website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054942/http://www.zani.co.uk/sixties-legend-billy-j-kramer-talks-to-zani Billy J Kramer Interview 2013]
* [http://www.adiebarrett.co.uk/johnnykidd/related/kramer-disc.htm Discography]
* [http://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/billy-j-kramer Billy J. Kramer Interview] at [[NAMM Oral History Program|NAMM Oral History Collection]] (2017)
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kramer, Billy J.}}
[[Category:1943 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:English pop singers]]
[[Category:English male singers]]
[[Category:English expatriates in the United States]]
[[Category:People from Bootle]]
[[Category:Parlophone artists]]
[[Category:Imperial Records artists]]
[[Category:Liberty Records artists]]
[[Category:Stateside Records artists]]
[[Category:British Rail people]]
[[Category:Beat musicians]]
[[Category:The Dakotas (band) members]]