THIS year commemorates 30 years since the untimely passing of rock ‘n’ roll legend, Billy Fury. The singer and his support band The Tornados were a 1960s phenomenon storming their way to the hearts of fans.

So much so that Michael King, himself a Billy Fury superfan, has created a theatre show based on the music of the star, called The Billy Fury Years. The sparkling show, covering much of the teen idol’s back catalogue, is heading for the Regent Centre, Christchurch on February 8.

Michael’s show is not just a tribute, but a theatrical experience of life in rock and roll Britain during the 1960s.

He uses the timeless songs of Billy Fury, like Last Night Was Made For Love, I Will, Wondrous Place, Jealousy, Halfway To Paradise and many more, in a two-hour show performed by his carefully-chosen band.

Billy Fury was born Ronald William Wycherley in Liverpool on April 17, 1940. He 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 contributed to his death in 1983. His band, The Tornados, had their own style and their own hits, such as Telstar, and performed the theme tune to the children’s favourite Stingray.

The Tornados, who included Hampshire’s own pop idol, Heinz Burt, were the backing band for Fury when he was at the height of his fame. And The Tornados’ legendary drummer Clem Cattini will be joining The Billy Fury Years Tour.

Combined, Billy and The Tornados epitomised the feel of the era, the new teen sound that changed the face of music.

In the sixties Billy Fury had more Decca hits than any other artist including the Rolling Stones. He equalled The Beatles’ record of 24 hits and spent a total of 332 weeks in the UK charts. He was the fourth biggest selling artist of the sixties after The Beatles, Cliff and Elvis.