Billy J Kramer is one of the originators of the British Invasion, hitting the U.S. charts with his debut stateside single, "Little
Children" in April 1964. But this Liverpool-born singer's career began with massive success in the UK as a member of the stable of
music's most legendary manager, Brian Epstein.
Alongside The Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy was one of the trio of successful acts managed by Epstein that stormed
the UK charts in 1963. Billy's first three hits there, "Do You Want To Know a Secret", "Bad To Me", and "I'll Keep You Satisfied"
were given to Billy by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and all three made the UK Top 10 by the end of the year. The massive number
one hit "Bad to Me" sold over a million copies within the relatively small confines of the United Kingdom.
In 1964, Brian Epstein turned his attention to breaking all three acts in America. By May 2, Billy's latest single, "Little Children",
had cracked the U.S. Top 40, and by May 30th, it was in the U.S. Top 10. Billy made his live U.S. debut on the Ed Sullivan show on
June 7, 1964, and followed up with the other major programs of the day, including The TNT Tami Show, Hullabaloo,
and Shindig.
Propelled by his performance of the song on Ed Sullivan, Billy’s second U.S. single, "Bad to Me", repeated its UK success by
rocketing into the Top 10 at Number 9 by the end of June, while "Little Children" sat at Number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
By the end of July his third U.S. single, "I'll Keep You Satisfied" had charted, reaching the Top 30 in August. By mid-September
another gift from Lennon and McCartney, "From A Window", gave Billy his fourth U.S. Top 30 hit in six months. Billy's chart success
continued in 1965 with "It's Gonna Last Forever" and "Trains and Boats and Planes”. He appeared on "Where The Action Is" during his
1966 U.S. visit.
Now Billy J. Kramer is back in the music business with the 2013 release of I Won The Fight, his first album in more than 30
years. Billy is celebrating the release by taking his new band out on the road.
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