Billy J Kramer and the Dekotas

'In many ways, Billy J. has remained more the conventional pop singer than some of his colleagues', declared the Top Twenty Annual in 1964, 'He has never had his hair in a  "Beatles" haircut, and his clothes might almost be considered conventional!  Yet he continues to pull audiences his way with his own particular white-teeth charm and strong voice'. 

Born William Howard Ashton in Liverpool on 19 August 1943, Billy J Kramer chose his stage name at random from a telephone directory.  The 'J' was  added later at John Lennon's suggestion believing it gave him a 'tougher edge'.  Kramer recalled: 'I was called in to a meeting with Brian at his office and John Lennon was there. Brian said to me, "John's come up with an idea.  He thinks your name would sound much better if we added the initial 'J' to it.  How does Billy J. Kramer sound?" I said, "That's OK by me, but what do I say to the press if they ask me what the 'J' stands for?" John said, "You can tell them it stands for Julian" To tell you the truth, I didn't like the name Julian and refused to use it.  I didn't now at the time that John had a son and had named him Julian in memory of his mother'.

He was still a trainee engineer when his performances at local rock clubs brought him to the attention of the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein. Kramer was keen to turn professional, but his backing band The Coasters were less enthusiastic, so Epstein acquired the services of Manchester band, The Dakotas who were only persuaded by the promise of their own recording deal.  The Dakotas comprised of Mike Maxfield (lead guitar), Robin McDonal (rhythm guitar), Ray Jones (bass guitar) and Tony Mansfield (drums).

Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas broke through on the new Merseybeat craze with the Beatles' song Do You Want to Know a Secret? which reached number two.  They followed this with another Lennon and McCartney song, Bad to Me which reached number one.

I'll Keep You Satisfied reached number four at the end of the year and appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, Shindig, and Hullabaloo ensured their success in the United States as part of the British Invasion.

Kramer's first single of 1964 was Little Children, a song written by two Americans, Mort Shuman and John Leslie McFarland. Despite strong opposition from Brian Epstein and producer George Martin (who both felt that Billy should stick with another Lennon/McCartney song), Billy stood firm and had the satisfaction of seeing the song reach number one in Britain and the top ten in the United States. 

The year 1965 saw the end of the Mersey Beat boom, and with it Kramer's career went into decline.   He asked Paul McCartney if he could provide him with another song and Paul offered him Yesterday, but Kramer turned it down. 

As a solo artist he has continued to perform touring Europe and the United States.  He finally finally fulfilled a long time ambition to move to the United States. He presently resides on Long Island, New York with his wife Roni, his two sons, and his dog Elvis.

See Billy J Kramer and the Dekotas perform 'I'll Keep You Satisfied'

For more information on Billy's current projects check out his website at http://www.billyjkramer.com/