The Beatles Billy Fury and the Fourmost
The Four Jays backed Billy Fury on That’s Love, a hit in May 1960, arguably the 1st Merseybeat hit – The Beatles Billy Fury and the Fourmost.
Podcast
The Beatles Billy Fury and the Fourmost
The 1st Merseybeat hit record
To hear the radio show, The Beatles Billy Fury and the Fourmost
Author of Rock’n’Roll Unravelled, Derek Shelmerdine‘s
guest segment, The Beatles Unravelled
on The Mop Tops & The King radio show.
First broadcast during the week: 30 June to 6 July 2023.
Syndicated on over 100 radio stations around the world.
weekly schedule – times and stations
The Beatles Billy Fury and the Fourmost
The Beatles’ Love Me Do entered the UK charts on 11 October 1962 and is usually considered to be the first Merseybeat hit.
However, over two years earlier, “Billy Fury with The Four Jays” charted with the Billy Fury composition That’s Love.
Liverpudlian Billy Fury was backed by early Merseybeat group the Four Jays, an early name for Merseybeat hitmakers The Fourmost.
This gave Billy Fury his fourth hit in May 1960. It scored top-20 in the UK and is arguably the first Merseybeat hit.
THE FOUR JAYS
The Four Jays appeared at the Cavern evening session, three weeks before the Beatles’ first evening session.
The Fourmost formed in Liverpool as the Blue Jays in 1958. Shortly before their Cavern debut they changed their name to The Four Jays, then The Four Mosts, before settling on The Fourmost.
FOURMOST LINKS TO THE BEATLES
The Fourmost have a number of direct links to the Beatles.
They were both, managed by Brian Epstein, signed to Parlophone and produced by George Martin. The Foremost also scored two UK top-20 hits with Lennon-McCartney penned songs, Hello Little Girl and I’m In Love.
In 1969 as Format, the Fourmost released their version of the Beatles’ song Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.
HELLO LITTLE GIRL
The Fourmost’s first UK hit Hello Little Girl, entered the charts on 12 September 1963. It was produced by George Martin and peaked at #9. Moreover, it was John Lennon’s first composition and a regular part of the Quarry Men’s set.
When the Beatles auditioned for Decca on 1 January 1962 they lost out to Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. They performed Hello Little Girl that day and that is one of the tracks on their Anthology 1 album.
Gerry and the Pacemakers also recorded Hello Little Girl as a possible follow-up to their second #1 – I Like It. They decided against releasing it and opted instead for You’ll Never Walk Alone. This gave them their third consecutive #1 hit single and Liverpool Football Club adopted the song as the club’s anthem.
I’M IN LOVE
On 26 December 1963 the Fourmost’s I’m in Love entered the UK charts. It gave them their second hit and reached #17. Lennon-McCartney wrote the song.
Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas also recorded a version of I’m in Love. This provides another Beatles connection. They were managed by Brian Epstein and signed to Parlophone. Billy J’s version was not released at the time.
THE FOURMOST LINK TO ELVIS
The Fourmost also have a direct link with Elvis Presley.
Their last UK hit was Leiber and Stoller’s Girls, Girls, Girls. The title song from Elvis’s eleventh movie.
The Fourmost’s Girls, Girls, Girls entered UK charts on 9 December 1965. It was their sixth and last UK hit and reached #33.
Leiber and Stoller wrote the song for the Coasters.
Unlike some of their Merseybeat stablemates, they failed to capitalise on the British Invasion and never managed to trouble the Billboard Top-40.
Rock’n’Roll Unravelled – the book
Written by Derek Shelmerdine, Rock’n’Roll Unravelled tells the story of rock’n’roll from its roots to 1970s punk. Not just the music but also the influences such as the Vietnam War and Civil Rights struggle.
Rock’n’Roll Unravelled‘s unique three-part structure
Timeline – On This Day – Pocket Histories
brings the music and times of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s vividly to life.
