Oh Boy! ran on British television from June 1958 until May, 1959. Billy made his first appearance on 14th February and had a total of six bookings. Vince Eager, a good friend of Billy's in those days, also recalls the less celebrated Drumbeat shows. | ||
Oh Boy! established Billy Fury. His début single, Maybe Tomorrow, raised the stakes among the Brit rock boys. He was the only English solo star who was comfortable sharing a stage with Eddie Cochrane. - Andrew Loog Oldham (Rolling Stones manager). | ||
Video: Don't Knock Upon My Door Audio: My Babe Audio: Colette | ||
10.50pm, 15 June 1958 | Marty Wilde Dallas Boys John Barry Seven Lord Rockingham's XI Neville Taylor and The Cutters The Vernons Girls Cuddly Dudley (Dudley Hessop) Bernice Reading Kerry Martin |
|
10.50pm, 29 June 1958 | Marty Wilde Dallas Boys John Barry Seven Lord Rockingham's XI Neville Taylor and The Cutters The Vernons Girls Cuddly Dudley (Dudley Hessop) Bernice Reading Kerry Martin |
|
13 September 1958
(All further shows at 6pm) |
Bertice Reading Marty Wilde Ronnie Carroll The Dallas Boys Cherry Wainer John Barry Seven Lord Rockingham's XI The Vernons Girls Red Price Cliff Richard and The Drifters |
The LP was recorded on October 19, 1958, before an invited audience, on the day after the eighth show. As in the show, the performers race from one item to the next, without any real break in the music. Cliff Richard and Peter Elliott had prior bookings, so their songs were recorded later and cut in. |
20 September 1958 | Ronnie Carroll Marty Wilde The Dallas Boys Cherry Wainer John Barry Seven Lord Rockingham's XI Neville Taylor and The Cutters The Vernons Girls Red Price Dudley Heslop Cliff Richard and The Drifters |
|
27 September 1958 | Jimmy Henney Ronnie Carroll The Dallas Boys Marty Wilde John Barry Seven Neville Taylor & The Cutters Cherry Wainer The Vernons Girls Lorie Mann Lord Rockingham's XI Red Price |
The New Musical Express reported of Cliff's first appearance: "Jack Good must be held responsible for permitting the most crude exhibitionism ever seen on British television by Cliff Richard...His violent hip swinging during an obvious attempt to copy Elvis Presley was revolting - hardly the kind of performance any parent could wish their children to witness." |
4 October 1958 | Tony Hall Ronnie Carroll Don Lang Marty Wilde The Dallas Boys Neville Taylor & The Cutters Cherry Wainer Lord Rockingham's XI The Vernons Girls Vince Eager Red Price Cliff Richard & The Drifters |
|
11 October 1958 | Ronnie Carroll Valerie Shane The Dallas Boys Neville Taylor and The Cutters Dudley Heslop Cherry Wainer Lord Rockingham's XI The Vernons Girls Red Price Cliff Richard & The Drifters |
|
18 October 1958 | Tony Hall Neville Taylor Cherry Wainer The Dallas Boys The Vernons Girls Marty Wilde Ronnie Carroll Jackie Dennis John Barry Seven Cliff Richard and The Drifters The Cutters Lord Rockingham's XI Red Price |
|
25 October 1958 | Jimmy Henney Cliff Richard The Dallas Boys Neville Taylor and TheCutters The Vernons Girls Cherry Wainer Peter Elliott Red Price Lord Rockingham's XI The Drifters |
|
1 November 1958 |
Tony Hall Cherry Wainer Cliff Richard John Barry Seven Peter Elliott The Dallas Boys Dudley Heslop Neville Taylor and The Cutters Red Price The Vernons Girls Lord Rockingham's XI Bill Forbes |
|
8 November 1958 |
Jimmy Henney The Dallas Boys Peter Elliott Neville Taylor and The Cutters Red Price Cherry Wainer Cliff Richard The Vernons Girls Lord Rockinghams XI Cuddly Dudley |
|
15 November 1958 |
Tony Hall
Cuddly Dudley The Vernons Girls Cherry Wainer The Dallas Boys Cliff Richard and The Drifters Neville Taylor and The Cutters John Barry Seven Peter Elliott Red Price Pat Lawrence Lord Rockingham's XI Two Vernons Girls |
|
22 November 1958 |
Jimmy Henney
Cliff Richard The Dallas Boys Neville Taylor and The Cutters Cherry Wainer Peter Elliott Lord Rockingham's XI The Drifters The Vernons Girls Red Price Cuddly Dudley Lorie Mann |
|
29 November 1958 |
Tony Hall
The Vernons Girls Red Price Cherry Wainer John Barry Peter Elliott Neville Taylor and The Cutters Lord Rockingham's XI `Cuddly` Dudley Emile Ford |
|
6 December 1958 |
Jimmy Henney Michael Holliday Cherry Wainer Lord Rockingham's XI Peter Elliott Cliff Richard The Dallas Boys Neville Taylor and The Cutters The Drifters ` Cuddly` Dudley John Barry Seven Red Price The Vernons Girls |
|
13 December 1958 |
Tony Hall
Cliff Richard Glen Mason Cherry Wainer `Cuddly` Dudley The Dallas Boys Peter Elliot Neville Taylor and The Cutters The Vernons Girls Red Price Lord Rockinghams XI The Drifters Bill Forbes The Two Vernons Girls |
|
20 December 1958 |
Jimmy Henney The King Brothers Cherry Wainer `Cuddly` Dudley Peter Elliott Lord Rockingham's XI Cliff Richard and The Drifters The Vernons Girls Neville Taylor and The Cutters Vince Taylor The Two Vernons Girls |
|
27 December 1958 |
Tony Hall
Neville Taylor and The Cutters Cliff Richard and The Drifters Cherry Wainer Peter Elliott Colin Hicks Vince Taylor The Vernons Girls Red Price Cuddly Dudley William Marshall Lord Rockingham's XI |
|
3 January 1959 |
Jimmy Henney
Don Lang The Dallas Boys Vince Taylor and His Playboys Lord Rockingham's XI Cuddly Dudley Neville Taylor and The Cutters The Vernons Girls Red Price Peter Elliot William Marshall |
|
10 January 1959 |
Tony Hall
Don Lang Terry Dene Mona Baptiste The Dallas Boys Cherry Wainer Vince Taylor and His Playboys Lord Rockingham's XI Peter Elliott Cuddly Dudley Neville Taylor and The Cutters Red Price The Vernons Girls |
|
17 January 1959 |
Jimmy Henney
Cliff Richard and The Drifters Mona Baptiste Cherry Wainer The Dallas Boys Peter Elliott Neville Taylor and The Cutters Lord Rockingham's XI Red Price Bill Forbes The Vernons Girls |
|
24 Janaury 1959 |
Tony Hall
Lonnie Donegan and His Skiffle Group Mike Preston Cherry Wainer Bill Forbes The Hewitt Singers The Dallas Boys Lord Rockingham's XI The Vernons Girls Red Price Neville Taylor and The Cutters Roy Young |
|
31 January 1959 |
Jimmy Henney
Shirley Bassey Cliff Richard and The Drifters The Dallas Boys Don Lang Neville Taylor and The Cutters Cherry Wainer Lord Rockingham's XI The Vernons Girls Red Price |
|
7 February 1959 |
Tony Hall
Lord Rockingham's XI Cherry Wainer Marty Wilde Cliff Richard and The Drifters The Dallas Boys Betty Miller Neville Taylor and The Cutters The Vernons Girls Red Price |
|
14 February 1959 |
Jimmy Henney
Shirley Bassey Lord Rockingham's XI Cherry Wainer Marty Wilde Don Lang The Mudlarks Peter Elliott The Dallas Boys The Vernons Girls Red Price Billy Fury |
|
21 February 1959 |
Tony Hall
Marty Wilde Don Lang The Dallas Boys Cherry Wainer Lord Rockingham's XI Betty Miller The Vernons Girls Red Price Gerry Dorsey Rikki Henderson |
|
28 February 1959 |
Jimmy Henney
Marty Wilde Lord Rockingham's XI Cherry Wainer `Cuddly` Dudley Bill Forbes The Dallas Boys Mike Preston Neville Taylor and The Cutters Red Price The Vernons Girls Dickie Pride Tony Sheridan |
|
7 March 1959 |
Tony Hall
Marion Ryan Cliff Richard and The Drifters Marty Wilde The Dallas Boys Cherry Wainer Vince Eager Mike Preston The Vernons Girls Red Price Lord Rockingham's XI Neville Taylor and The Cutters |
|
14 March 1959 |
Jimmy Henney
Chris Andrews Don Lang Cherry Wainer The Dallas Boys Neville Taylor and The Cutters Red Price Bill Forbes Billy Fury Peter Elliott Tony Sheridan Teddy and Freddy The Vernons Girls |
|
21 March 1959 |
Tony Hall
Dickie Valentine Marty Wilde The Dallas Boys Cherry Wainer Neville Taylor and The Cutters Cuddly` Dudley Red Price Tony Sheridan Gerry Dorsey The Vernons Girls |
|
28 March 1959 |
Jimmy Henney
The Marino Marini Quartet Cliff Richard The Drifters Ronnie Caroll Neville Taylor and The Cutters Cherry Wainer The Dallas Boys The Vernons Girls Red Price Pierce Rogers |
|
4 April 1959 |
Tony Hall
Cherry Wainer Don Lang Lord Rockingham's XI Neville Taylor and The Cutters Mike Preston Lorie Mann Red Price The Vernons Girls Dickie Pride Tony Sheridan Chris Andrews Dean Webb |
|
11 April 1959 |
Jimmy Henney
The Vernons Girls Lord Rockingham's XI Marty Wilde `Cuddly` Dudley Cherry Wainer The Dallas Boys Pierce Rodgers Dickie Pride Lorie Mann Bill Forbes Red Price |
|
18 April 1959 |
Tony Hall
The Inkspots Lonnie Donegan and His Skiffle Group Cherry Wainer The Vernons Girls The Dallas Boys Neville Taylor and The Cutters Lorie Mann Dickie Pride Pierce Rodgers Tony Sheridan Red Price Jack Good's Lord Rockingham's XI |
|
25 April 1959 |
Jimmy Henney
Don Lang Bill Forbes Billy Fury Dickie Pride Cuddly Dudley Michael Cox The Dallas Boys The Cutters Nicky Martin The Vernons Girls Red Price Jack Good's Lord Rockingham's XI |
|
2 May 1959 |
Tony Hall
Marty Wilde Cliff Richard and The Drifters Alma Cogan The Dallas Boys Mike Preston Cherry Wainer Red Price The Vernons Girls Lord Rockingham's XI |
|
9 May 1959 |
Jimmy Henney
Conway Twitty Marty Wilde Cherry Wainer Billy Fury Dickie Pride Cuddly Dudley The Dallas Boys Tony Sheridan and The Wreckers Maureen Kershaw The Vernons Girls Lord Rockingham's XI Red Price Dean Webb |
|
16 May 1959 |
Tony Hall
Conway Twitty Marty Wilde Don Lang Lord Rockingham's XI Cherry Wainer The Dallas Boys Bill Forbes Mike Preston Mike Jackson Pierce Rodgers The Vernons Girls Red Price |
|
23 May 1959 |
Jimmy Henney Renee Martz Cliff Richard Marty Wilde Red Price The Dallas Boys Cherry Wainer Dickie Pride Billy Fury Bill Forbes Lord Rockingham's XI Terry White The Vernons Girls |
|
30 May 1959 |
Tony Hall Jimmy Henney Cliff Richard and The Drifters Marty Wilde The Dallas Boys Cherry Wainer Lord Rockingham's XI Don Lang Red Price The Vernons Girls Cuddly Dudley Mike Preston Neville Taylor and The Cutters Peter Elliott Billy Fury Dickie Pride Bill Forbes |
|
DRUMBEAT:
Vince Eager recalls....
"Billy had been misinformed by the Parnes office as to what song he was performing and Billy had learned the wrong lyrics. "Stewart Morris also had problems with Parnes and didn't like using his artistes. "I was lucky as I had signed two contracts of three months each. "Stewart Morris also knew I didn't get on with Parnes. "There was a silver lining to the story for Billy however as it made him available for more of the later Oh Boy! shows. "Harry and I were having a few beers with Oh Boy! producer Jack Good and Jack commented that he wished he could have done more work with Billy as he could have made him a much bigger name. "The original Drumbeat compere was a DJ named Gus Goodwin who was from Radio Luxembourg. "He didn't work out and after six weeks Trevor Peacock, he of the Vicar of Dibley character "no, no, no, no, no, yes!" took over and stayed for the remaining 20 weeks." Harry adds: And Trevor Peacock was the voice on Hot Hiss Of Steam, the B-side of Jack Good's single You Don't Know What You've Got (attributed to the Big Jim Sullivan Combo). It all comes around!
|