<<Jack Good page

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 Marty Wilde
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


Don Lang and the Frantic Five

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....
"There were 26 Drumbeat shows on BBC TV. Billy did two of the early shows but then the producer, Stewart Morris, took Billy to task over Billy's struggle with the lyrics of a song he was performing.

"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!