Do You Want to Know a Secret?: The Autobiography of Billy J. Kramer (Studies in Popular Music) - Hardcover

Kramer, Billy J.; Shipton, Alyn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1781793611 ISBN 13: 9781781793619

Publisher: Equinox Publishing, 2016

Synopsis

In this autobiography Billy J. Kramer (born William Ashton) tells his rags to riches story, from his working class childhood in Liverpool to the racy world of international pop music. Managed by Brian Epstein, produced by George Martin, and friend, confidante and colleague of the Beatles, Kramer gives a definitive insider's account of the birth of the Liverpool sound and also the British Invasion of the USA. But there are dark secrets in the Kramer story. Before he reached his twenties, he was in the grip of drugs and alcohol, and there were constant tensions between him and his backing band, the Dakotas. When the screaming stopped, he reinvented himself as a cabaret performer, and some of his best records were made in the years he was out of the limelight. With a young family, drink and pills made his domestic life, and eventually his professional life, a struggle. In this no-holds-barred account, Kramer brings to life the vibrancy of the sixties. He then reveals how he exorcised his demons and forged a new career in the United States. He assembles his current band, shows a growing mastery of songwriting, and returns to national tours of Britain and the USA, keeping the flame of the Mersey sound alive. The lifetime of experience he brings to his new songs infuses every page of this enthralling read.

About this title

About the Author

Billy J. Kramer is a singer, songwriter and bandleader, whose career with The Dakotas took him into the top ten on the British and American charts, including three UK number one hits. Born in Liverpool he now lives in the United States. Alyn Shipton has co-authored many musicians' biographies, including most recently, that of chart topping jazz bandleader Chris Barber. His life of singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson won the 2014 ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for pop biography.

Review

"He was the most handsome man on stage, and well-dressed too." Ringo Starr~ ~ "Billy J. Kramer and his band The Dakotas have always been an inspiration to me." - Peter Frampton~ "Seeing and hearing Billy J Kramer in the early days of what became known as the Merseybeat scene was an inspiration to all us teenagers in England. At last someone real was taking it over! Peter Noone

"Billy J. Kramer's story takes you on the full roller-coaster ride of British Invasion superstardom, rock and roll excess, sobriety, love, and music redemption. This is a don't miss for any music fan." -Ken Dashow, DJ at WAXQ (Q104.3) New York City

"Billy is without a doubt the most unique, charming, welcoming and humble human being I've ever met. His enthusiasm and youthful outlook are so inspiring and (thankfully) contagious. Billy's depth of feeling and thinking are beyond the norm." --Don Celenza, record producer

"My friend Billy has seen it and has been through it all. He is a musical survivor. He is real and tells it like it is, 'cause he has been there. If you are disappointed by the truth don't ask Billy for an opinion. His only fault is his kindness. I love the man and consider him one of my best friends." - Liberty DeVitto, drummer~ "...Billy J. Kramer's autobiography, 'Do You Want to Know a Secret,' [provides] not only Billy's own story, but what he witnessed first-hand of the Beatles, Lennon and McCartney in particular, who wrote most of Billy's greatest songs. This makes Billy's account refreshingly original, real, and important. [...] We're fortunate indeed that Billy has given us such a vibrant, colorful, incisive, and fact-filled book." ---Paul Levinson, Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress, paullevinson.blogspot.co.uk

"In a neatly presented hardback illustrated throughout by b&w photos, Kramer and his co-writer Alyn Shipton...tell the story of a Liverpool railwayman who became a leading figure in Mersey mania." --Russell Newmark, The Beat, May 2016 ~ "This book is an easy, well organized read and Billy doesn't airbrush out the low points. His path intersects with the Beatles throughout. [...] I had wanted to read the book because of the Beatles connection, but by the time I reached the later chapters, I had come to know Billy and wanted to know what came next for him as well. Anyone with an interest in the Mersey Beat era and the Liverpool music scene will want to read this excellent book." ----Michele Copp, British Beatles Fan Club, Issue 59

Edition details

• Publisher: Equinox Publishing
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1781793611
• ISBN 13: 9781781793619
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 200