Illustration: GOOGLE IMAGES
29 April, 2026
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Vézelay Abbey, France. Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine De Vézelay.
English: Vézelay Abbey, France.
Français: Le 23 juin 1976 à 14:27 dans la nef de la basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay, le Père Hugues Delautre o.f.m. a donné rendez-vous au soleil, à cet instant précis en culmination par rapport à la terre, pour qu'il lui manifeste le secret de l'édifice. Photographie de François Walch.
Photo: 23 June 1976.
Source: Own work.
Author: Francis Vérillon.
(Wikimedia Commons)
English: Basilica Mary Magdalene, Vezelay, France.
Français : Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France.
Deutsch: Basilika Sainte-Marie-Madeleine
(Maria Magdalena), Vezelay, Département Yonne,
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Frankreich.
Photo: 13 September 2016.
Source: Own work.
Author: DKrieger
(Wikimedia Commons)
The following Text is from Wikipedia, unless stated otherwise.
Vézelay Abbey (French: Abbaye Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay) is a Benedictine and Cluniac Monastery in Vézelay, in the French Department of Yonne.
It was constructed between 1120 and 1150. The Benedictine Abbey Church, now the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine (Saint Mary Magdalene), with its complex programme of imagery in Sculpted Capitals and Portals, is one of the great masterpieces of Burgundian Romanesque Art and Architecture.[1]
Sacked by the Huguenots in 1569, the building suffered neglect in the 17th- and 18th-Centuries and some further damage during the period of The French Revolution.[2]
The Church and hill at Vézelay were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979 because of their importance in Mediæval Christianity and outstanding Architecture.[1] Relics of Mary Magdalene can be seen inside the Basilica.
The Benedictine Abbey of Vézelay was Founded,[3] as many Abbeys were, on land that had been a Late-Roman Villa, of Vercellus (Vercelle becoming Vézelay). The Villa had passed into the hands of the Carolingians and devolved to a Carolingian Count, Girart, of Roussillon.
English: The Great West Door of Vézelay Abbey, France, showing the magnificent Romanesque Tympanum.
Français: Le tympan central du narthex (1140-1150), ouvert pour la sortie de la messe. Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine.
Photo: 15 July 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Vassil
(Wikimedia Commons)
The two Convents he Founded there were looted and dispersed by Moorish raiding parties in the 8th-Century A.D., and a hilltop Convent was burnt by Norman raiders.
In the 9th-Century A.D., the Abbey was re-Founded under the guidance of Badilo, who became an affiliate of The Reformed Benedictine Order of Cluny. Vézelay also stood at the beginning of one of the four major routes through France for Pilgrims going to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, in North-West Spain.
About 1050, the Monks of Vézelay began to claim to hold the Relics of Mary Magdalene, brought, they said, from The Holy Land either by their 9th-Century A.D. Founder-Saint, Badilo, or by envoys despatched by him.[4]
About 1050, the Monks of Vézelay began to claim to hold the Relics of Mary Magdalene, brought, they said, from The Holy Land either by their 9th-Century A.D. Founder-Saint, Badilo, or by envoys despatched by him.[4]
4.png)
Romanesque Tympanum of Saint Lazare Abbey, Autun, France, which depicts The Day of Judgement.
(Compare with the Tympanum of Vézelay Abbey (Above)).
Photo: 20 August 2019.
Source: Own work.
Author: Steffens uploads
(Wikimedia Commons)
A little later, a Monk of Vézelay declared that he had detected in a Crypt at St-Maximin in Provence, carved on an empty sarcophagus, a representation of the Unction at Bethany, when Jesus’ Head was anointed by Mary of Bethany, who was assumed in The Middle Ages to be Mary Magdalene.
The Monks of Vézelay pronounced this to be Mary Magdalene's tomb, from which her Relics had been Translated to their Abbey. Freed captives then brought their chains as Votive objects to the Abbey, and it was the newly-elected Abbot Geoffroy in 1037 who had the ironwork melted down and re-forged as wrought-iron railings surrounding The Magdalene’s Altar.[4]
Mary Magdalene is the prototype of the Penitent, and Vézelay has remained an important place of Pilgrimage for the Catholic Faithful, though the actual claimed Relics were torched by Huguenots in the 16th-Century.
English: Tower of the Basilica of Saint Mary Magdalene, Vézelay, France, (XII/XIIIth Centuries and important restorations of Viollet-le-Duc between 1840 and 1859).
Français: Tour et côté sud de la basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine (XII/XIIIe siècles et importantes restaurations
de Viollet-le-Duc entre 1840 et 1859).
Photo: 17 June 2002.
Source: Own work.
Author: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT
(Wikimedia Commons)
To accommodate the influx of Pilgrims, a new Abbey Church was begun, Dedicated on 21 April 1104, the expense of building so increased the tax burden on the Abbey's lands that the Peasants rose up and killed the Abbot. The crush of Pilgrims was such that an extended Narthex (an enclosed Porch) was built, inaugurated by Pope Innocent II in 1132, to help accommodate the Pilgrim throng.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux preached at Vézelay, in favour of a Second Crusade, at Easter 1146, in front of King Louis VII. Also, King Richard I of England and King Philip II of France met there and spent three months at the Abbey in 1190 before leaving for The Third Crusade.
Thomas Becket, in exile, chose Vézelay for his Whitsunday Sermon in 1166, announcing the excommunication of the main supporters of his English King, Henry II, and threatening the King with excommunication, too.
The Nave, which had been burnt once, with great loss of life, burned again in 1165, after which it was rebuilt in its present form.
The Abbey’s self-assured Monastic Community was prepared to defend its liberties and privileges against all-comers:[5] The Bishops of Autun, who challenged its claims to exemption; The Counts of Nevers, who claimed jurisdiction in their Court and Rights of Hospitality at Vézelay; The Abbey of Cluny, which had reformed its Rule and sought to maintain control of the Abbot within its hierarchy; the Townsmen of Vézelay, who demanded a modicum of communal Self-Government.
The beginning of Vézelay’s decline coincided with the well-publicised discovery in 1279 of the body of Mary Magdalene at Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, in Provence, France, given Regal Patronage by King Charles II, the Angevin King of Sicily.
When King Charles II erected a Dominican Convent at La Sainte-Baume, the Shrine was found intact, with an explanatory inscription stating why the Relics had been hidden. The local Dominican Friars compiled an account of Miracles that these Relics had wrought. This discovery undermined Vézelay’s position as the principal Shrine of The Magdalene in Europe.
Basilica of Saint Mary Magdalene,
Vézelay, France.
Available on YouTube
After the French Revolution, Vézelay stood in danger of collapse. In 1834, the newly-appointed French Inspector of Historical Monuments, Prosper Mérimée (more familiar as the author of Carmen), warned that it was about to collapse, and, on his recommendation, the young Architect, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, was appointed to supervise a massive and successful restoration, undertaken in several stages between 1840 and 1861, during which his team replaced a great deal of the weathered and vandalised sculpture. The Flying Buttresses that support the Nave are his.[6]
The Tympanum of the Central Portal of the Madeleine de Vézelay is different from its counterparts across Europe. From the beginning, its Tympanum was specifically designed to function as a spiritual defence of The Crusades and to portray a Christian allegory to the Crusaders’ mission.
English: Romanesque Tympanum.
Saint-Foy de Conques Abbey, Aveyron, France.
Compare with the Tympanum of Vézelay Abbey (Above).
Français: Le tympan de l’abbatiale Sainte-Foy de Conques.
Il représente le jugement dernier. Auteur: woodstock.
Photo: 10 November 2005.
Author: Original uploader was Woodstock at fr.wikipedia
(Wikimedia Commons)
The Art Historian George Zarnecki wrote: “To most people, the term Romanesque Sculpture brings to mind a large Church Portal, dominated by a Tympanum carved with an apocalyptic vision, usually The Last Judgment.”[7]
This is true in most cases, but Vézelay is an exception. In a 1944 article, Adolf Katzenellenbogen interpreted Vézelay’s Tympanum as referring to The First Crusade and depicting the Pentecostal mission of the Apostles.[8]
Thirty years before the Vézelay Tympanum was carved, Pope Urban II planned on announcing his call for a Crusade at La Madeleine.
Thirty years before the Vézelay Tympanum was carved, Pope Urban II planned on announcing his call for a Crusade at La Madeleine.
In 1095, Urban altered his plans and preached for the First Crusade at The Council of Clermont, but Vézelay remained a central figure in the history of the Crusades.
The Tympanum was completed in 1130. Fifteen years after its completion, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux chose Vézelay as the place from which he would call for a Second Crusade.
The Tympanum was completed in 1130. Fifteen years after its completion, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux chose Vézelay as the place from which he would call for a Second Crusade.
Vézelay was even the staging point for The Third Crusade. It is there that King Richard the Lionheart of England and King Philip Augustus of France met and joined their armies for a combined Western invasion of the Holy Land.
It is appropriate, therefore, that Vézelay’s Portal reflects its place in the history of the Crusades.
English: The Romanesque Tympanum of Moissac Abbey, Tarn-et-Garonne Department, Languedoc, France. (Compare with the Tympanum of Vézelay Abbey (Above)).
Français: Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Moissac.
Deutsch: Abtei Saint-Pierre (Moissac).
Español: Abadía de Moissac.
Polski: Opactwo św. Piotra w Moissac.
Photo: 10 July 2017.
Source: Own work.
Author: 13okouran
(Wikimedia Commons)
In 1976, after more than eight Centuries, Hugues Delautre, one of the Franciscan Fathers previously in charge of servicing the Vézelay Sanctuary, discovered that not only the orientation axis of La Madeleine, but also its internal structure, were determined according to the position of the Earth relative to the Sun.
Every year, just before the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist, the astronomical dimensions of this Church are revealed: When the Sun reaches its highest point of the year, at local noon on the Summer Solstice, the light coming through the Southern Clerestory windows casts a series of luminous spots precisely along the longitudinal centre of the Nave floor.[12][13][14][15]
To understand the meaning of this objective sign, Father Hugues Delautre refers to the 12th-Century texts (Suger, Peter the Venerable, Honorius of Autun) that inhabit the monument with the symbolic mentality of that time, for which sense reveals itself from sensitive signs through the anagogical method (literally “ascent towards the uncreated”), and where one’s gaze is invited to go beyond the reality of the sign to reach the invisible, i.e. God and His Mystery.
Letting himself be progressively informed by the Vézelay light, he so concludes:
“Has not the builder, fascinated by the beauty of the universe which he recognises as the work of God, erected this vestibule to Heaven in imitation of God Who created with order, measure and beauty ?
“He could say, as Solomon did, when he constructed the Temple in Jerusalem exactly according to God’s instructions: Thou hast given command to build a temple on Thy holy mountain; a copy of the holy tent which Thou didst prepare from the beginning (Wisdom 9:8).
“The Nave is the expression of Romanesque man’s admiring submission to the Divine Plan, testified to by all creation. The Heavens declare the Glory of God and the firmament sheweth His handywork” (Psalms 19:1).
“Totus Tuus”. “Totally Yours”.
“The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary”.
Artist: Mariano Salvador Maella (1739-1819).
(Photo: Public Domain).
Illustration: NATIONAL CATHOLIC REGISTER
“Totus Tuus”
(Totally Yours).
Composer: Henryk Górecki.
Sung by: The Choir of New College, Oxford.
Available on YouTube
“Totus Tuus”, a Latin phrase meaning “Totally Yours,”
was the motto of Pope Saint John Paul II.
Taken from Saint Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion to Mary”, it signifies our desire to give ourselves entirely
to Jesus Christ through Mary.
It also expresses our effort to give our all
to every young person we encounter.
“Vox in Rama” Missa Pro Defunctis. Penitential Motets. Composer: Clemens non Papa. The Brabant Ensemble.
“Vox in Rama”
Missa Pro Defunctis.
Composer: Clemens non Papa.
Penitential Motets.
The Brabant Ensemble.
Stephen Rice.
Available on YouTube
[Editor: “Vox in Rama” translates as “Voice in Ramah”, in English. It’s a phrase from the Bible, specifically Jeremiah 31:15, and is also cited in Matthew 2:18. The phrase describes the lamentation of Rachel weeping for her children in Ramah].
Saint Peter Of Verona. Martyr. Whose Feast Day Is, Today, 29 April. Red Vestments.
unless otherwise stated.
Saint Peter of Verona.
Martyr.
Feast Day 29 April.
Double.
Red Vestments.
English: Saint Peter the Martyr.
Espanol: San Pedro Mártir
Artist: Pedro Berruguete (1450–1504).
Date: Circa 1493.
Current location: Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain.
Source/Photographer: Galería online
(Wikimedia Commons)
Born at Verona, Italy, towards 1205, from Manichean parents, Saint Peter, as a child, opposed the heretics. He entered The Order of Saint Dominic. He preserved such purity of body and Soul that he never committed a Mortal Sin.
We read in The Bull of his Canonisation: "A chosen cluster from the Vine of The Church has filled with its generous juice The Royal Chalice: The Branch, from which it has been cut by the sword, was of those which most strongly adhered to The Divine Stem" (Gospel).
The ardour of his Faith so enflamed him that he wished to die for it and his Prayer was heard. "As he lived piously in Christ, it was necessary that he should be persecuted" (Epistle) and an impious assassin, sent by the Manichees, murdered him on the road from Como to Milan in 1252.
Let us ask God to grant us, through the merits of Saint Peter, a Faith so strong (Collect) that it may obtain for us, after all the adversities of this life (Postcommunion), the joys of The Resurrection (Epistle, Communion).
Mass: Protexisti.
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.
Saint Peter of Verona O.P. (1206 – 6 April 1252), also known as Saint Peter Martyr, was a 13th-Century Italian Catholic Priest. He was a Dominican Friar and a celebrated Preacher.
He served as Inquisitor in Lombardy, was killed by an assassin, and was Canonised as a Catholic Saint eleven months after his death, making this the fastest Canonisation in history.
Lay Movement Launches International Campaign For “Total Freedom Of The Traditional Liturgy”.
Illustration: EP.
This Article is taken from, and can be read in full at,
EDWARD PENTIN
Being a Catholic in 2024 is no easy endeavour. The West is undergoing a massive de-Christianisation, so much so that Catholicism appears to be vanishing from the public sphere.
EDWARD PENTIN
Being a Catholic in 2024 is no easy endeavour. The West is undergoing a massive de-Christianisation, so much so that Catholicism appears to be vanishing from the public sphere.
Elsewhere, the number of Christians being persecuted for their Faith is on the rise. What’s more, The Church has been struck by an internal crisis that manifests itself in a decline in Religious practice, a downswing in Priestly and Religious vocations, a decrease in Sacramental practice, and even a growing dissension between Priests, Bishops and Cardinals which, until very recently, was utterly unthinkable.
Yet, among all the things that can contribute to the internal revival of The Church and to the renewal of her missionary zeal, there is, above all, the worthy and reverent Celebration of her Liturgy, which can be greatly fostered thanks to the example and the presence of the Traditional Roman Liturgy.
Despite all the attempts that have been made to suppress it, especially during the present Pontificate, it lives on, continuing to spread and to sanctify the Christian people who are Blessed to be able to benefit from it.
It bears abundant fruits of piety, as well as an increase of vocations and of conversions. It attracts young people and is the fount of many flourishing works, especially in schools, and is accompanied by a solid catechesis.
No-one can deny that it is a vector for the preservation and transmission of The Faith and Religious practice in the midst of a waning of Religious belief and a dwindling number of believers.
This Mass, due to its venerable antiquity, can boast of having sanctified countless Souls over the Centuries. Among other vital forces still active in The Church, this form of Liturgical life stands out because of the stability given to it by an uninterrupted “Lex Orandi”.
Certainly, some places of Worship have been granted, or rather tolerated, where this Liturgy can be Celebrated, but too often what has been given by one hand is taken back by the other, without, however, ever managing to make it vanish.
Since the massive decline during the period immediately following the Second Vatican Council, every attempt has been made on numerous occasions to revive Religious practice, to increase the number of Priestly and Religious vocations, and to preserve The Faith of the Christian people.
Certainly, some places of Worship have been granted, or rather tolerated, where this Liturgy can be Celebrated, but too often what has been given by one hand is taken back by the other, without, however, ever managing to make it vanish.
Since the massive decline during the period immediately following the Second Vatican Council, every attempt has been made on numerous occasions to revive Religious practice, to increase the number of Priestly and Religious vocations, and to preserve The Faith of the Christian people.
Everything, except letting the people experience the Traditional Liturgy, by giving the Tridentine Liturgy a fair chance. Today, however, common sense urgently demands that all the vital forces in The Church be allowed to live and prosper, and in particular the one which enjoys a Right dating back to over a millennium.
Let there be no mistake: The present appeal is not a petition to obtain a new tolerance as in 1984 and 1988, nor even a restoration of the status granted in 2007 by the Motu Proprio “Summorum Pontificum”, which, recognising in principle a Right, has in fact been reduced to a regime of meagrely-granted permissions.
As Lay People, it is not for us to pass judgement on the Second Vatican Council, its continuity or discontinuity with the previous teaching of The Church, the merits, or not, of the reforms that resulted from it, and so on.
Let there be no mistake: The present appeal is not a petition to obtain a new tolerance as in 1984 and 1988, nor even a restoration of the status granted in 2007 by the Motu Proprio “Summorum Pontificum”, which, recognising in principle a Right, has in fact been reduced to a regime of meagrely-granted permissions.
As Lay People, it is not for us to pass judgement on the Second Vatican Council, its continuity or discontinuity with the previous teaching of The Church, the merits, or not, of the reforms that resulted from it, and so on.
On the other hand, it is necessary to defend and transmit the means that Providence has employed to enable a growing number of Catholics to preserve The Faith, to grow in it, or to discover it.
The Traditional Liturgy plays an essential role in this process, thanks to its transcendence, its beauty, its timelessness and its doctrinal certainty.
For this reason, we simply ask, for the sake of the true freedom of the children of God in The Church, that the full freedom of the Traditional Liturgy, with the free use of all its Liturgical Books, be granted, so that, without hindrance, in the Latin Rite, all The Faithful may benefit from it and all Clerics may Celebrate it.
Jean-Pierre Maugendre, Managing Director of Renaissance Catholique, Paris, France.
22 April 2024.
For this reason, we simply ask, for the sake of the true freedom of the children of God in The Church, that the full freedom of the Traditional Liturgy, with the free use of all its Liturgical Books, be granted, so that, without hindrance, in the Latin Rite, all The Faithful may benefit from it and all Clerics may Celebrate it.
Jean-Pierre Maugendre, Managing Director of Renaissance Catholique, Paris, France.
22 April 2024.
This appeal is not a petition to be signed, but a message to be disseminated, possibly to be taken up again in any form that may seem appropriate, and to be brought and explained to the Cardinals, Bishops, and Prelates, of The Universal Church.
Si Renaissance catholique a l’initiative de cette campagne, c’est uniquement pour se faire l’interprète d’un large désir en ce sens qui se manifeste dans l’ensemble du monde catholique. Cette campagne n’est pas la sienne, mais celle de tous ceux qui y participeront, la relayeront, l’amplifieront, chacun à leur manière.
Renaissance Catholique is a Paris-based movement of Lay People working to re-establish the social reign of Christ.
Wednesday. The Octave Day Of The Solemnity Of Saint Joseph. Spouse Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Confessor. Patron Of The Universal Church.
unless otherwise stated.
Wednesday, Octave Day of The Solemnity of Saint Joseph.
Spouse of The Blessed Virgin Mary,
Confessor.
Patron of The Universal Church.
Greater-Double.
[Note: An Octave was given to this Solemnity, rather than to The Feast of Saint Joseph on 19 March, because Feasts falling in Lent may not have Octaves.]
White Vestments.
Saint Joseph and The Infant Jesus.
Artist: Guido Reni (1575–1642)
Source: Date: 1620s.
Collection: Hermitage Museum.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Saint Joseph.
Spouse of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
Confessor and Patron of The Universal Church.
Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY
Artist: René de Cramer.
“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.
Used with Permission.
Today’s Mass might be represented by a Triptych (see, below), showing us that Saint Joseph is the protector, which Divine Providence has chosen for His Church.
1. The Epistle speaks to us of Joseph, who, in The Old Testament, is a figure of Saint Joseph. The dying Jacob prophesies that his son, Joseph, “shall be the Pastor and Strength of Israel, and that The Almighty shall shower Blessings upon him.” And Joseph was established by Pharao over the entire land of Egypt, so that the salvation of all depended upon him. [The Lessons and Responses of the First Nocturn of Matins.] The whole Church has recourse to Saint Joseph with confidence.
2. The Gospel, Collect, and Communion, explaining the connection between the Heavenly Trinity and The Holy Family, this Trinity on Earth, show forth the power of Saint Joseph. Jesus is, at the same time, Son of God and Son of man. Mary is the Spouse of The Holy Ghost, and it is the will of God The Father that Saint Joseph should be considered father of Christ and that he should exercise paternal rights over Him (Preface).
3. Lastly, the Introit, Collects, Alleluia, and Offertory, show us Saint Joseph as the guardian of the new Jerusalem, which is The Church, to watch over her in the midst of all her tribulations.
Full of confidence in the patronage of Saint Joseph, let us honour his Title of Protector on Earth, so as to deserve his help from Heaven (Collect).
Mass: Adjútor.
Creed: Is said.
Preface: Of Saint Joseph.
1. The Epistle speaks to us of Joseph, who, in The Old Testament, is a figure of Saint Joseph. The dying Jacob prophesies that his son, Joseph, “shall be the Pastor and Strength of Israel, and that The Almighty shall shower Blessings upon him.” And Joseph was established by Pharao over the entire land of Egypt, so that the salvation of all depended upon him. [The Lessons and Responses of the First Nocturn of Matins.] The whole Church has recourse to Saint Joseph with confidence.
2. The Gospel, Collect, and Communion, explaining the connection between the Heavenly Trinity and The Holy Family, this Trinity on Earth, show forth the power of Saint Joseph. Jesus is, at the same time, Son of God and Son of man. Mary is the Spouse of The Holy Ghost, and it is the will of God The Father that Saint Joseph should be considered father of Christ and that he should exercise paternal rights over Him (Preface).
3. Lastly, the Introit, Collects, Alleluia, and Offertory, show us Saint Joseph as the guardian of the new Jerusalem, which is The Church, to watch over her in the midst of all her tribulations.
Full of confidence in the patronage of Saint Joseph, let us honour his Title of Protector on Earth, so as to deserve his help from Heaven (Collect).
Mass: Adjútor.
Creed: Is said.
Preface: Of Saint Joseph.
“Te Joseph Celebrent”.
The Hymn (First Tone) of Second Vespers
for The Solemnity of Saint Joseph.
Available on YouTube
28 April, 2026
“The End Of A Pontificate From Hades”. By: Peter Kwasniewski.
“The End Of A Pontificate From Hades”.
By: Peter Kwasniewski.
Available on YouTube
This YouTube broadcast by Peter Kwasniewski will, undoubtedly, elicit massive reaction from certain quarters
of the liberal Left and their associated Media.
Stand by for lots of screeching, high-pitched, reactions.
As other writers and pundits have said, this
broadcast is a wonderful antidote to both the last
few years and the outpouring of slush by the liberal Media.
[Editor: Isn’t it amazing that nobody, I mean nobody,
has even suggested that “you know whom” should be given
the epithet of “The Great” !!!]
Strange that, innit ?
A Blast From The Past: Billy Fury.
Billy Fury.
Photo Credit:
David Redfern/Redferns.
Illustration:
Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.
Ronald Wycherley (17 April 1940 – 28 January 1983), better known by his stage name Billy Fury, was an English musician. An early star of rock and roll, he equalled the Beatles’ record of twenty-four hits in the 1960s and spent 332 weeks on the UK chart.[4]
AllMusic journalist Bruce Eder stated that Fury’s “mix of rough-hewn good looks and unassuming masculinity, coupled with an underlying vulnerability, all presented with a good voice and some serious musical talent, helped turn [him] into a major rock and roll star in short order”.[5]
Billy Fury.
Photo appearing on the BBC Radio 4 Extra programme
“Mike Walker - The Sound of Fury”, which enacts the
life and times of rock’n’roll singer, Billy Fury.
Available to listen
Billy Fury appearing on the Russell Harty Show in 1976.
Available on YouTube
Fury was born Ronald Wycherley at Smithdown Hospital, Liverpool, on 17 April 1940.
He commenced music lessons on the piano before he was a teenager and was bought his first guitar by the age of fourteen.
Wycherley fronted his own group in 1955 but simultaneously worked full-time on a tugboat and later as a docker.
Wycherley fronted his own group in 1955 but simultaneously worked full-time on a tugboat and later as a docker.
He entered and won a talent competition and by 1958 had started composing his own songs.[5]
Wycherley went to meet pop manager and impresario Larry Parnes at the Essoldo Theatre in Birkenhead,[7] hoping to interest one of Parnes’ protégés, singer Marty Wilde, in some of the songs he had written.
Instead, in an episode that has since become pop music legend, Parnes pushed young Wycherley up on stage right away.[5]
Wycherley went to meet pop manager and impresario Larry Parnes at the Essoldo Theatre in Birkenhead,[7] hoping to interest one of Parnes’ protégés, singer Marty Wilde, in some of the songs he had written.
Instead, in an episode that has since become pop music legend, Parnes pushed young Wycherley up on stage right away.[5]
He was such an immediate success that Parnes signed him, added him to his tour, and renamed him “Billy Fury”.[8]
“Jealously”.
Sung by: Bill Fury.
Available on YouTube
He released his first hit single for Decca, “Maybe Tomorrow”, in 1959.[8] He also appeared in a televised play “Strictly for Sparrows”, and subsequently on “Oh Boy!”[5]
Fury concentrated less on rock and roll and more on mainstream ballads, such as “Halfway to Paradise” and “Jealousy”[8] (which reached No. 3 and No. 2, respectively, in the U.K. Singles Chart in 1961).
“Like I’ve Never Been Gone”.
Sung by: Billy Fury.
Available on YouTube
The hit single from the film was “Once Upon a Dream”. There were other notable performances by several British actors and performers such as Richard Wattis, Lionel Blair and Dennis Price.
In 1965, he appeared in the film “I've Gotta Horse”,[8], which also featured his backing group The Gamblers, The Bachelors, Amanda Barrie, Michael Medwin, and Jon Pertwee.
The album from the film was made available in stereo. Billy Fury left Decca Records in 1966, after signing to a five-year recording contract with Parlophone.[5]
Having had more UK hits, such as “It's Only Make Believe” and “I Will” (written by Dick Glasser, not to be confused with the Paul McCartney song), both in 1964, and “In Thoughts of You” (1965), Fury began a lengthy absence from the charts in 1967, and underwent surgery for heart problems in 1972 and 1976 which led to his abandoning touring.[5][8]
In 1973, Fury emerged from a period of semi-retirement to appear as “Stormy Tempest” in the film That'll Be the Day.[8] The film starred David Essex and Ringo Starr; it was roughly based on the early days of the Beatles. Starr was from the Dingle area of Liverpool, as was Fury, and had originally played drums for Rory Storm & the Hurricanes, whom the Stormy Tempest group were said to be modelled on.
In the mid-1970s, Fury went out on the road with Marty Wilde. Away from the spotlight, he focused on wildlife preservation.[5]
Fury’s health deteriorated and he underwent two open heart surgeries — the first in 1972 and the second in 1976.[8]
In 1978, Fury was declared bankrupt for unpaid taxes to the Inland Revenue. The taxes dated back to 1962, and amounted to £16,780. Fury was also forced to sign over his royalties and publishing income.
A new release, “Be Mine Tonight” (1981), failed to make an appearance in the U.K. Singles Chart. Worse was to follow in March 1981, when Fury, working on his own farm, collapsed and almost died. He returned to touring later that year, and his next two singles, “Love or Money” and “Devil or Angel”, barely dented the U.K. chart.[5]
Billy Fury’s headstone at Mill Hill Cemetery, London.
Photo: 25 October 2018.
Source: 20181025_123156
Author: Irid Escent
(Wikimedia Commons)
After returning from a recording session in the early hours of 28 January 1983, Fury collapsed from a heart attack at his home in London.[16]
His manager Tony Read found him unconscious the next morning. He was taken to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, but died later in the afternoon, aged 42.
Rheumatic fever, which he first contracted as a child, damaged his heart and ultimately contributed to his death.[5]
A week after his death, a funeral service was held at the St John's Wood Church in London. Among the mourners were Larry Parnes, Marty Wilde, Jess Conrad, Eden Kane, Tony Read, Hal Carter and Mick Green, in addition to family members, friends and fans.
The choir sang a special version of Billy’s Decca hit “I'm Lost Without You’. After the service, Fury’s body was buried at Mill Hill cemetery, in North London.
In 1999, a TV documentary about Fury called Halfway to Paradise was broadcast on the BBC channel, narrated by Ian Dury.
In 1999, a TV documentary about Fury called Halfway to Paradise was broadcast on the BBC channel, narrated by Ian Dury.
In 2005, Spencer Leigh from BBC Radio Merseyside published a biography book about Fury called Wondrous Face – The Billy Fury Story. In 2008, a biographical documentary film Billy Fury: His Wondrous Story was released on DVD.[14]
On 19 April 2003, a bronze statue of Fury was unveiled by Jack Good at the National Museum of Liverpool Life.[4] The sculpture, by Tom Murphy, a Liverpool sculptor, was donated by “The Sound of Fury” fan club after the money was raised by fans.
On 19 April 2003, a bronze statue of Fury was unveiled by Jack Good at the National Museum of Liverpool Life.[4] The sculpture, by Tom Murphy, a Liverpool sculptor, was donated by “The Sound of Fury” fan club after the money was raised by fans.
Eight of Fury’s EMI recordings remained unreleased on mainstream CD until June 2010, when they appeared on a twenty-nine-track issue, “The Complete Parlophone Singles, released by Peaksoft” (PEA009). The singer’s estate licensed the tracks to benefit his memorial fund, which finances equipment purchases for hospital heart units.
Fury’s life was dramatised for BBC Radio 4 in 1994 as a play called “The Sound of Fury”, written by Mike Walker, and starred Anton Lesser as Fury.[21]
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