William Ellis Kinsley (born 28 November 1946) is an English musician who was lead vocalist and bassist with
the Merseybeats
The Merseybeats (sometimes written as the Mersey Beats) are an English band that emerged from the Liverpool Merseybeat scene in the early 1960s, performing at the Cavern Club along with the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and other similar ...
until 1966 (although he temporarily left the band to form the Kinsleys).
The group disbanded in January 1966 to resurface as
the Merseys duo.
They
recorded the McCoys
The McCoys were a rock music, rock group formed in Fort Recovery, Ohio, United States, in 1962. They are best known for their 1965 hit single "Hang On Sloopy". Originally named Rick and the Raiders, they changed their name to "The McCoys" from ...
' song "
Sorrow" (also
covered
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of ...
by
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
on his 1973 cover album, ''
Pin Ups
''Pin Ups'' (also referred to as ''Pinups'' and ''Pin-Ups'') is the seventh studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 19October 1973 through RCA Records. Devised as a "stop-gap" album to appease his record label, it is a ...
'') with the band before embarking on a solo career, where he recorded "Bye Bye Baby" (not to be confused with a
Four Seasons track of a similar title), a typical
Merseybeat
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed around Liverpool in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from British and American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle, tradit ...
tune, followed by the singles "Annabella," and "You Make My Day."
Early life
William Ellis Kinsley was born in
Anfield
Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...
, Liverpool.
Career
Kinsley formed the Mavericks in 1960 with
Tony Crane
Anthony Steven Crane (born 8 September 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender, midfielder and makeshift centre forward from 1999 to 2009.
He notably played as a professional for Sheffield Wednesday and G ...
.
Colin Larkin
Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British music writer. He founded and was the editor-in-chief of ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. Along with the ten-volume encyclopedia, Larkin also wrote the book ''All Time Top 1000 Albums'', and edited th ...
, ed. (1997). '' The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' (Concise ed.). Virgin Books
Virgin Books is a British book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Group, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company.
History
Virgin established its book publishing ...
. p. 837. They became the Pacifics in 1961 and then
the Merseybeats
The Merseybeats (sometimes written as the Mersey Beats) are an English band that emerged from the Liverpool Merseybeat scene in the early 1960s, performing at the Cavern Club along with the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and other similar ...
in 1962.
They were signed to
Fontana Records
Fontana Records is a record label that started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records. Fontana Distribution, an independent label distributor, takes its name from the label.
History
Fontana began in the 1950s as a subsidi ...
and in 1964, Billy left the band to form his group, the Kinsleys. After an album release with
John Gustafson, he returned by the end of the year. The Merseybeats ended in 1966, and Kinsley and Crane carried on as the rock duo the Merseys. Their first single was a major hit, a cover of
the McCoys
The McCoys were a rock music, rock group formed in Fort Recovery, Ohio, United States, in 1962. They are best known for their 1965 hit single "Hang On Sloopy". Originally named Rick and the Raiders, they changed their name to "The McCoys" from ...
' "
Sorrow," which reached number 4 in the
UK Singles Chart.
They had a backing band called the Fruit Eating Bears, which included guitarist
Joey Molland
Joseph Charles Molland II (21 June 1947 – 1 March 2025) was an English songwriter and rock guitarist whose recording career spanned five decades. He was best known as a member of Badfinger, the most successful of the acts he performed with. Mo ...
, later of
Badfinger
Badfinger were a Welsh rock music, rock band formed in Swansea in 1961. Their best-known lineup consisted of Pete Ham (guitar), Mike Gibbins (drums), Tom Evans (musician), Tom Evans (bass), and Joey Molland (guitar). They are recognised for th ...
.
The Merseys ended in 1969, and Kinsley, Crane and a new lineup of performers recreated the Merseybeats. Kinsley left the band in 2020, and Crane carries on the band's legacy with his band Adrian.
His session work notably included working for
Apple Records
Apple Records is a British record label founded by the Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists inclu ...
(alongside
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
on at least one song for
Jackie Lomax
John Richard Lomax (10 May 1944 – 15 September 2013) was an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is best known for his association with George Harrison, who produced Lomax's recordings for the Beatles' Apple record label in the late 1 ...
). He also worked on the popular ''Top of the Pops'' record series, which contained anonymous
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s of recent and current hit singles. During this time, he worked with fellow musician friend
Jimmy Campbell and formed the band Rockin' Horse. They recorded one album and toured England and Europe as the backing band for
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...
.
Kinsley later formed
Liverpool Express
Liverpool Express (also known as L.E.X.) are a United Kingdom, British pop rock Band (music), band formed in 1975. They are best known for record chart, charting hit record, hit songs such as "You Are My Love" (which Paul McCartney once declare ...
in the mid-1970s, and again experienced
chart
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphics, graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can repres ...
success with "
You Are My Love", mentioned by
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
as one of his favourite
love song
A love song is a song about love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres. They can come in various formats, from sad and emotion ...
s, plus "Every Man Must Have A Dream", "Dreamin", "Hold Tight," and "Smile." They toured the UK and Europe supporting
Rod Stewart
Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...
, released more singles, and found popularity in South America (they were the first band to play large stadiums in Brazil). They had quite a few hit singles all over South America, and three of their singles ("You Are My Love", "Dreamin," and "Every Man Must Have A Dream") reached No. 1 in the charts.
In 1978, they played at the Royal Gala Performance at the request of
Prince Charles
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms.
Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
at the
Empire Theatre in Liverpool. After three albums and more single releases the following year, they had no further chart success.
Kinsley formed a side band, the Cheats, with members Kenny Parry (guitar) and
Brian Rawling
Brian Rawling is a British record producer and songwriter. He is the managing director of publisher and production company Metrophonic. Rawling has produced singles and albums for artists such as Cher, with whom he won a Grammy in 1999 for his w ...
(drums), playing pubs and clubs in and around Merseyside. In the mid-1980s, Phil Chittuck joined the band in place of Rawling, and they released the following two singles (as Liverpool Express): "So What" and "If You're Out There." Kinsley later took on more session work. Then most notably he joined (with old friend Kenny Parry)
the Pete Best Band
Randolph Peter Best (; born 24 November 1941) is an English retired musician who was the drummer for the Beatles from 1960 to 1962. He was dismissed shortly before the band achieved worldwide fame and is one of several people referred to as a ...
, with whom he recorded a live album ''Live At The Adelphi'' (recorded in 1988), and on which he plays bass and sings lead vocal and is credited with "editing" (the album was not released until the 1990s) as well as working on a single ("Heaven"). In the mid-1990s, Kinsley re-joined the Merseybeats. In 1999, he joined the Pete Best Band and recorded ''Casbah Coffee Club'', where he produced and sang lead vocals, played bass, and rhythm guitar (once again bringing along his friend Kenny Parry to play lead guitar on some tracks). Liverpool Express recorded an album in 2003, ''Once Upon a Time'', which followed a
best of
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
album, and a single, a tribute to the Beatles, titled "John George Ringo & Paul".
In 2009, Spencer Leigh of
BBC Radio Merseyside
BBC Radio Merseyside is the BBC's local radio station serving Merseyside, North and West Cheshire and West Lancashire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds, from studios on Hanover Street in Liverpool. According to RAJAR, t ...
produced a four-part radio series about Kinsley's career, entitled ''It's Love That Really Counts.'' The series featured interviews with Kinsley and others, and music from his career. A book was also issued under the same title, as well as a CD featuring new recordings.
Discography
The Merseybeats
(See Merseybeats discography at
The Merseybeats
The Merseybeats (sometimes written as the Mersey Beats) are an English band that emerged from the Liverpool Merseybeat scene in the early 1960s, performing at the Cavern Club along with the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and other similar ...
)
(See Liverpool Express discography at
Liverpool Express discography
The following is a discography of albums and singles released by the British pop rock band Liverpool Express (also known as L.E.X.).
Albums Studio albums
Compilation albums
Other compilation albums
Extended plays
Demos
Singles
Soundt ...
)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinsley, Billy
1946 births
Living people
English pop guitarists
English male guitarists
English male singers
English pop singers
Musicians from Liverpool
The Merseybeats members
Liverpool Express members