Welcome back to the Chatterbox Redux podcast
with Sue and Nick. Our special guest on this
edition is Billy J. Kramer. And now on Chatterbox
UK, we're just lucky enough to welcome for the
very first time, a living legend, Billy J. Kramer.
Billy, welcome to Chatterbox. How are you? Hello,
Billy. Pleasure to be on Chatterbox. Nice to
see you. Great to meet you as well. Right. Now,
2024, I know we've got a Christmas single to
talk about, but it's been quite a year. Now,
I'm very much a statistician, we say, and using
the statistics, of your songs this year, your
singles you brought out mainly, it's great to
see that you've hit the top 20 three times this
year and that is equal to the number of hits
you had in 1963, so you've actually equaled your
record of 63. And of course you've had your album
out, so big congratulations. That's very interesting
to know. You know, that's from the CD Are You
With Me, you know. I recorded that at Abbey Road,
you know, and I think the first Are You With
Me, I think it was a great record and it was
a great video. I did the video on Living For
A While and then it's a tribute to Brian Epstein,
I thought it was a nice song. I couldn't have
done it without you, My Sweet Rose, which is
my partner. And now the Christmas song is another
thing. Yeah. Now, if that gets in the top 100,
no reason why it can't when you've actually had
songs getting to 14, 14 again, and 18. No reason
why that's not going to be a hit. And that would
be your best year in terms of... chart statistics
that you've ever had. So let's talk about that.
That is amazing. I'm thrilled with that. You
know, actually, it's number 19 this week. Brilliant.
There you go sorted. We can now say, Billy J.
Kramer, your most successful year as far as charts
go, and we're talking about the official chart,
you mentioned the heritage chart there, and I've
got a feeling you'll be in the official singles
chart this week coming. I know you're doing lots
of interviews, and this goes out to a lot of
radio stations, so let's hope between us we can
do that for you. When I speak to you next time,
2024 was your most successful year with four
hit singles, I just want to do it. Trust me.
Right. Let's talk about. Yeah, brilliant. It's
fantastic. Let's talk about this Christmas single,
the inspiration behind it and yeah, the story
of it coming out. Yeah. Well, you know, I just
woke up one day and I said to my partner, I was,
you know, I think I'd like to do a Christmas
record. And I called up Tom Hambridge, a friend
of mine, a producer in Nashville. And I said,
I want to do a Christmas song. And he sent me
the Christmas song, you know, Christmas kind
of feeling. It was just a demo, you know, with
him and another guy on acoustic guitars. And
I went to Nashville and recorded there. I've
been to Nashville before. I've recorded there,
but I've never had anything out that I've recorded
in Nashville. You know, I did some things which
we just can never use. I went there specifically
to do this single and it came out great. Absolutely
brilliant. So basically you felt the song was
for you when it got sent to you and added the
Billy J Kramer vocals and the Billy J Kramer
touch and this is what we're hearing today. So
brilliant and if you're over the other side of
the pond why not go to Nashville to sort it all
out. um is it something i mean you said you woke
up morning this year and you thought about doing
a christmas single is it something that ever
crossed your mind like back in the 60s and throughout
your long career has it ever crossed your mind
before was this literally the first time for
a christmas song no i've never you know i've
um i've thought about it but you know it's it's
uh you know uh i've noticed like that we have
the the official christmas songs that come out
every year And I think the thing that swayed
me was the fact that it's a new original song,
you know. I didn't want to cover a song. I didn't
want to do like Christmas singing. You know,
Rudolph the Red Nose didn't really do it. And
I thought it was a good song. I get that totally.
Out of interest. I mean, obviously Christmas,
although things can be turned around quicker
these days, I guess, with everything being digital,
we can work from home and do bits and pieces.
How far back this year, how far back in 2024,
did you actually go to Nashville and put your
vocals on the song? I mean, is it September or
when was it? I mean, it would be... I would say
in the last six weeks. Oh. Wow. There you go.
Very good. Very good. Six weeks, two months at
the most, you know. And we did it in three hours.
I love it. The oldest. Mind you, it's a lot different
to the old tape days, isn't it? And you know,
it's just all digital. You take a little bit
out, add a bit in. Even I can do that. But yeah,
compared to what it was. We didn't do it like
that. No, it wasn't done like that. It's I think
it's a complete taker. I was very pleased with
it Wow Hats off to you again. If that that's
one complete take that's brilliant. Yeah Perfect,
but we are talking to a professional of course
Billy let's have a look just say you you know,
you still do concerts and things like that Just
say any tour you're doing we say 2025 now, whatever
you got planned You go out on that stage What
are the audience really expecting of you? Are
they expecting the 60 songs? The new stuff? What
is it that you're wanting to give them? What
do you prefer out of all your stuff? What's your
hero? I try to do a setlist on something old,
something new, something bar or something blue.
That's what I make a setlist on. Brilliant. Something
old, something new and songs I like to do. Brilliant
Billy, I like it. I'll say you've been very busy.
I know you've been over our side of the pond
as well quite a bit this year. Now tours, we've
got Woody Station's actually listening at the
moment and Can we expect some more touring off
you in the UK next year? I'm hoping to come back
in April or May and do some shows there. That's
brilliant. We'll see if we can nab you a few
weeks from now. That's what I'm working on. No,
let's hope it all works out. I still come back
to the UK quite often. I was back there three
times last year, you know. Brilliant. I did that
moving pictures TV show, you know. Okay, yeah,
yeah, I know. Yeah, brilliant. Sue? Yes, I've
got a question, Billy. The song Little Children,
how did that come about? Because that's my favorite
song of yours. It came about because I, you know,
I got to a point where I heard it, where I'll
keep you satisfied. which got to number three
and then I started just to search out songs and
I was in a place called Ryan Sussex with about
600 acetate you used to get back then you know
which an acetate is a record which is aluminum
with just a coat of plastic it'll only play a
few times before it doesn't sound good anymore
and I woke up one day and I put this demo on
this acetate and it was the songwriter, a guy
called Mort Schumann. He wrote it with a guy
called Leslie McFarland. And it was, you know,
out of all the songs I've done, it was the one
that really struck me the most that I thought
would be a hit. And I presented, you know, Brian
Epstein presented me with the song. It was not
rather difficult to sort of turn down Lennon
McCartney songs, but I thought that it was the
strongest song I had at the time. And I've recorded
it. you know you're not right all the time but
for once i got it right and it was a number one
hit for me it's a lovely song it's my favorite
thank you yeah and ended up to you very well
in america thank you we released there yeah could
have mentioned uh well we mentioned we're from
hastings but of course uh you mentioned rhyme
that's nine or ten miles away we are just very
close to our neck of the woods so yeah yeah and
you mentioned i was in the mermaid hotel though
i know up mermaid street yeah absolutely cobbled
street yeah I've got to pay, you mentioned Brian
Epstein and I've got to pay homage to you about
how tasteful the whole thing of I couldn't have
done it without you was. Not only were you paying
tribute to him, you were thanking him and the
video was just amazing. You know, we could tell
it's from the heart, but it was just a great
piece all round. One to listen to as a song and
the video to watch. It was just amazing. I could
tell all the thought and your heart was there.
I could just tell everything went into it and
it is good. all around. Perfect. Well, you know,
I must say with that song what happened was I'd
laid out, I was going to do a new album for my
60th anniversary and my birthday party there
and I laid out 10 songs and then the guy who
wrote it was a guy called Mark Hudson. I'd been
speaking to him about nine months before about
this kind of song and then he called me. and
said you know there's a song we thought about
well i've done it and he sent it to me and i
had to drop one of the songs because i i thought
it was very appropriate i thought it was a great
song no absolutely no that's how i like the album
and the album we're talking about was that the
one that was released back in the summer uh called
are you with me is that the album you're talking
about i guess it is yes yeah that's the album
okay perfect yeah i like that okay right um before
we let you go uh we're going to do some social
media and things however i'd like to uh because
obviously we have a few guests on on the show
each week uh i know that chesney hawks is uh
chip hawks's son uh he's on he's on the same
show we've got a gentleman who's sort of like
a I don't know how to describe him as a gospel
singer, but he's a religious rock singer. The
way he does it is quite amazing. Now he's called
John Henry Harvey, and he says that he's honored
beyond words to be sharing the bill with Billy
J. Kramer. Billy J. Kramer was instrumental in
me getting into music with the Mercy Sound and
the Dakotas and the early British invasion. God
bless you and Billy so much. There you go, nice
words, nice words. Wonderful, that's very nice
to know. Brilliant, like that. Billy, we've mentioned
April and May next year. I mean, the stuff you're
bringing out, it's as though you've got as much
energy now as you had in the early 60s when you
started. What else can we expect? Can we actually
expect more releases off you next year? You're
going to go for sure. I've got the ball rolling,
I'm going to keep it rolling, definitely. Looking
at you, you're looking great and I'll tell you
what, you don't look like you're going anywhere
anytime soon, put it that way, you look great.
Thank you very much. You look more energetic
than I am and I can knock 30 years off. But darling,
we've interviewed Billy J Kramer. We will remember
when they re -interviewed Billy J Kramer more
than he remembers when he got interviewed by
Nick Prince and Sue. There we go. Billy, let's
do some social media. You've got a website, I
guess, and let's have a look. BillyJKramerMusic
.com. Perfect. And we click on that. It's on
all the sites. Yeah, that's what I was going
to say. Wow, what a lovely, gorgeous picture.
What a handsome man 1965 Lovely picture. He still
looks great. So looks great. So yeah, I'm on
the homepage of your website now Thank you. And
yeah, Billy Billy J Kramer music .com and you
mentioned all your other stuff and We've got
the links down here where people can get onto
your other social media. Anyway There you go.
It's all that I'm on YouTube Yeah, I think that's
where I saw saw saw the videos actually. Yeah
So yes, it's all there and is a nice little website.
So 60s fans and Billy J Kramer fans should take
a look at this website and I see There is some
dates as well and all of your other dates when
they get booked for the UK They're beyond in
the same place. I guess. Yeah, I'm also doing
a cruise in March Nice Nice nice flower power
cruise. That's that sounds brilliant. That sounds
good. I like it So yes now your Christmas song
is already available, of course And as you say,
it's number 18 in the heritage chart I'm going
to be looking for that email to drop Friday from
the official single shot I'm gonna be looking
for you to be even anywhere in the top hundred
means Four singles and the UK singles chart in
one year for the first time on and I do know
what? Even if you do know and you have the daily
mile or someone ring you up saying hey What do
you reckon Billy? I will actually make a point
of just messaging you and congratulating you
so you know it's happened. There you go wonderful
Billy, I'd like to say thank you so much for
letting us do this interview. When Nick got the
email saying he was interviewing, he was well
excited. Yeah, you sort of have to change your
breathing a bit. Now, it doesn't happen very
often. I'll tell you the other one. It was also
a guy from Merseyside. And the other one where
I had to change my breathing this year, like
you, it was Pete Best, Beatles drummer. He knew
I had to like change my breathing because It's
just so good for the show and the listeners love
it. Yeah, there we go. It's been a pleasure.
It's been a pleasure. And for us. Wish you the
best of luck for the future. Thanks, Billy. Take
care, Billy. Thank you very much. This edition
of Chatterbox Redux podcast was presented by
Nick and Sue. We thank our special guest who
was Billy J. Kramer. All inquiries please to
nickelbum at myyahoo .com or we have a postal
address at P .O. Box 26, the old Observer building.
Telford Road St. Leonard's -on -Sea East Sussex
England TN38 9LZ We thank you very much for your
company and look forward to welcoming you again
next time for another Chatterbox Redux podcast
when our special guest will be Alan Clark of
the Hollies. Bye bye for now you