Billy Fury (born Ronald William Wycherley), was an internationally successful British pop singer from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, and remained an active songwriter until the 1980s. Rheumatic fever, which damaged his heart, contributed to his death.

Fury concentrated less on Rock 'n' Roll and more on mainstream ballads, such as "Halfway to Paradise" and "Jealousy" (both 1961, each of which reached number 2 in the British Singles Chart). This was Decca's decision to mould Fury into a teen idol after his last self-penned song, "My Christmas Prayer", had failed to chart.

1962 and 1963 were Billy Fury's best years chartwise. However, he was not a typical teen idol; there was too much sexuality in his performances and his renditions were never lightweight in the mould of some singers like Craig Douglas or Jimmy Justice. Fury's fans and contemporaries in music knew he was a rocker and the real thing musically.

In 1962 Fury appeared in his first film Play It Cool, modelled on the Elvis movies. It featured Helen Shapiro, Danny Rivers, Shane Fenton (aka Alvin Stardust) and Bobby Vee who appeared with the Vernons Girls. The hit single from the film was "Once Upon a Dream".

In the film Fury did not get the girl but stayed with his friends. There are notable performances by many well-known British actors and performers such as Richard Wattis, Lionel Blair and Dennis Price. The music highlight of the film is Fury's singing of the title track.

Billy Fury was known for excellent albums. His We Want Billy (released 1963, with The Tornados) was one of the first live albums in British rock history and featured renditions of his major hits and covers of several classic R&B songs such as "Unchain My Heart" by Ray Charles. "Turn Your Lamp Down Low" (recorded in 1965 with backing band The Gamblers) was one of the earliest examples of a British act recording a track in the reggae style (with the emphasis on the second and fourth beats of each bar).

In 1965 he appeared in the film I've Gotta Horse, which featured the band The Bachelors. It was not a success but it seemed more real, and there are many interesting references to the British seaside towns of the 1960s. Appearing in minor roles were Michael Medwin, and Jon Pertwee of Doctor Who fame. The album from the film is available in stereo.

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" in 1965, Fury began a lengthy absence from the charts in 1967, and underwent surgery for heart problems caused by rheumatic fever which led to his abandoning touring.

Despite spending many weeks on the charts, Billy Fury never achieved a number one single, but he remained popular even after his hits stopped. Fury's song "I Will" became a US hit for Dean Martin in 1965 and for Ruby Winters in 1977.