The legendary musician William Howard Ashton, better known by his stage name, Billy J Kramer, is a singer who most famously had several hit records in the 1960s primarily written by Lennon and McCartney. He also toured extensively with The Beatles, and was managed by Brian Epstein. His autobiography, Do You Want to Know A Secret, was published in 2016.
Born and raised in Bootle, near Liverpool, Ashton was working for British Railways on an engineering apprenticeship while he played guitar with a group in his spare time. He switched to being a vocalist and chose the name Kramer at random from the telephone directory. After he came to the attention of music entrepreneur Brian Epstein, Kramer decided to turn professional and was teamed up with the Manchester-based group The Dakotas. They signed with Parlophone under George Martin, and had a UK chart hit in 1963 with Do You Want to Know a Secret, and then with another Lennon and McCartney penned track, Bad to Me. This reached No.1, sold over a million copies, and was awarded a Gold disc. Success continued, and peaked with Little Children, which became their biggest hit. Their debut album, Listen…, was released in 1963 and they were to have three more albums, ending with 1965’s Trains and Boast and Planes. Their final single together was 1966’s You Make Me Feel Like Someone.
Kramer then went solo, continuing to perform and release singles. He also worked in cabaret and TV with his new band, until the mid-1980s, which also saw the release of his album, Kramer Versus Kramer. In 2012 he went back into the studio for the first time in years to record a new album, I Won the Fight, which was released in 2013.
Kramer occasionally connects with his followers and fans through Instagram, and Twitter, posting pictures and videos of his life around entertainment. He is also available for that personalised shout-out via the Cameo platform.
