Billy Fury, a photo from Merseyside, England

Photographer's Note

This is a statue of Billy Fury, the english Elvis Presley. It is situated on the Albert Dock development in Liverpool.

As a fan of music I thought it fitting that I should pay tribute to him. He is credited with being the first UK rock star to release a live album, which influenced many. In the late 1950's, early 60's a young man called John Lennon, in a band called the Silver Beetles, entered a battle of the bands type competition that also had Billy Fury on the bill. The Silver Beetles won but it was conditional on them sacking their bass player, Stuart Sutcliffe. John Lennon refused and so they forfeited their chance at fame. John Lennon is reported as saying he didn't care because he only entered the competition so that he could get Billy Fury's autograph, which he did.

So while Liverpool is steeped in the history of the Beatles, don't forget Billy Fury a very successful chart topping star, a hero of John Lennon's before the Beatles found fame.

Enjoy.

kathryn_weir, Royaldevon, timecapturer, ACL1978, Sonata11, carlo62 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

kathryn_weir (1742) 2012-08-31 1:33

Hello Michael,
Thanks for your informative note. You have many interesting shots from Liverpool which demonstrate such a diverse subject matter. You have chosen a very effective POV for this one which helps the statue to stand out in the low light conditions. I particularly like the way the light and shadow plays on the different surfaces of the sculpture.
Thanks for sharing and enjoy your weekend
Kathryn

Royaldevon (17791) 2012-08-31 2:00

Hello Mike,

Love the notes and the memories.
Anyone, who didn't know better, would have thought this was a statue of Elvis!
I didn't see Billy but did see The Beatles at the Cavern ... Yeh! Yeh! Yeh!

I love the pov you have chosen which sets him against the pale sky, emerging from the shadows, like a true superstar! The hip tilt and the shiny textures are very evident. I particularly like how the angle of the arm suggests a diagonal across the frame.

Have a good day,
Bev :-)

Noel_Byrne (7352) 2012-08-31 2:31

Hi Michael,
I did indeed think this was Elvis from the thumbnail, its a very iconic pose. Your composition is perfect, and I love the POV. The colours in the sky behind are excellent. I must admit to not being familiar with this artist, so thanks for the informative note!

best wishes
Noel

timecapturer (30324) 2012-08-31 3:44

Hi Mike
like the way you have captured this shot. No loss of detail despite being back lit so top marks on the light management. Actually it is the light that gives the image impact and a real sense of nostalgia. It's like "he's never been gone" Sorry, couldn't help myself. ;-)

Have a great weekend - regards Brian.

ACL1978 (5775) 2012-08-31 7:20

I'll echo what everyone else has said - great job with very low light. There's almost a live show feel here, as though the lights are just coming up on him.

I'd never heard of him either, and the story about John Lennon is awesome. Ironic, of course, that Sutcliffe would quit the band soon anyway - maybe Lennon should have taken the deal!

Andrew

Sonata11 (28331) 2012-08-31 9:13

Hello Michael,
I like this statue of singer.You captured him wonderfully. In thumbnail, he really looks like Elvis. I like that the statue is in kine of shadow, which gives a special mood. Wonderfully executed. Well done and pleasent to look at. Thanks for sharing and informative note.
All the best and have s great WE,
Barbara

carlo62 (12582) 2012-08-31 14:56

Ciao Michael
un omaggio molto bello, non conoscevo questo personaggio, ma ha incrociato tanti altri personaggi che sarebbero diventati più famosi di lui.
Saluti
Carlo

dkmurphys (36801) 2012-09-01 1:36

Hi Michael,
Very nice statue and an artistic presentation with the eveninig background and the soft light. Well seen, have a nice weekend.

Daniel

SnapRJW (18722) 2012-09-08 9:25

Hi Mike - I'm on the road at the moment and have a few minutes to catch up with TE. Love this.... memories but also a strong composition with goos context. take care. rosemary