* En anglais uniquement
Billy Kinsley was the co-founder and bassist/singer with
the Merseybeats. Born in Liverpool in 1946, he was attracted to rock & roll before he was in his teens, and got an almost premature start in the field when he and his longtime friend singer/guitarist Tony Crane formed
the Mavericks, later rechristened
the Pacifics, then
the Mersey Beats, and finally
the Merseybeats. At age 16, he was already living every young English rock & roller's dream, playing backup to
Little Richard as a member of the group, at a show in New Brighton, and between his and Crane's singing and playing, the band was fluent in a range of styles, from serious R&B shouters to lyrical, harmony-based numbers.
At the end of 1963, with one single already charted in England and a second one -- "I Think of You" -- about to break (and carry
the Merseybeats into the U.K. Top Five),
Kinsley decided to leave the group, owing to his impending marriage and his desire to stay closer to Liverpool. In the waning days of the year, while playing in Germany, Crane,
Kinsley, and their manager approached
Johnny Gustafson, bassist and singer, late of Liverpool's Big Three trio, at a Frankfurt club called the Arcadia and offered him
Kinsley's spot. He was able to accept as soon as he returned from Frankfurt, and to replace
Kinsley in the interim, Bob Garner came in on bass, until
Gustafson was back in England. Crane and
Gustafson formed a songwriting team, while
Kinsley retreated to Liverpool. He didn't abandon music, however -- he kept his hand in performing locally with a group called
the Kinsleys, which included Dave Percival on lead guitar and vocals, Dave Preston on drums, and Danny Alexander on rhythm guitar. Their history is, at best, spotty --
the Kinsleys never got to record or attract audiences outside of Liverpool, and by December of 1964,
Billy Kinsley had returned to the fold, replacing
Gustafson, who was fired -- if Pete Frame's account is to be believed -- for inquiring about the division of earnings within the group. Yet
the Kinsleys were good enough and popular enough that they were worth keeping alive, even if the group's namesake was no longer a member; his replacement was none other than Bob Garner, and they lasted into 1965.
Kinsley's return helped sustain
the Merseybeats across an ensuing 18 months of declining fortunes, at the end of which he and Crane reshaped their sound and image entirely. Abandoning their instruments, they became the Merseys and, with
Kit Lambert and
Chris Stamp (who already managed
the Who) managing their business and creative affairs, they enjoyed an immense hit with "Sorrow," backed by a band known as the Fruit Eating Bears. They failed to score with their rendition of
Pete Townshend's "So Sad About Us," however, and several hoped-for creative hookups with
the Beatles and their Apple label failed to materialize, and by late 1968 the Merseys had called it quits. At this point,
Kinsley became a session musician, and played with
Paul McCartney as well as playing on recording sessions for Liverpool-based singer/songwriter (and Kirkbys and
23rd Turnoff alumnus)
Jimmy Campbell's first two albums. Together,
Kinsley and
Campbell organized
Rockin' Horse, which cut an LP entitled Yes It Is (Philips), and the two later played as part of the backing band for
Chuck Berry on his 1972 tour of England.
After cutting a pair of singles, "Annabella" and "You Make My Day," for Epic Records,
Kinsley revived
Rockin' Horse in 1975 as a quartet with Tony Coates (guitar, vocals), Roger Scott Craig (keyboards), and Derek Cashin (drums). They were signed to British Warner Bros. but before the ink was dry, they'd changed their name to
Liverpool Express. They released an unsuccessful debut single, but they saw success in 1976 with "You Are My Love," which just missed the British Top Ten but got them onto Top of the Pops four times during its nine-week chart run. Their next two singles, "Hold Tight" and "Every Man Must Have a Dream," charted more modestly, but the group was taken seriously enough to be booked onto a European tour with
Rod Stewart. Two LPs,
Tracks and Dreamin', were also released in 1976 and 1977, respectively, and the group scored three consecutive South American hits in 1977.
Liverpool Express continued right into the 1980s, their credits including a string of chart singles around the world and an invitation from Prince Charles to perform at a Royal Gala Performance.
Meanwhile, Tony Crane had revived their old group as Tony Crane & the Merseybeats.
Kinsley continued his separate professional path until he got caught up in the revival of interest in early English rock & roll that took place in the late '80s. He cut some sides with a group known as the Class of 1964, whose ranks included such veteran Liverpool performers as
Michael Pender from
the Searchers -- their album later appeared on CD as Cavern Days. By 1993, he had begun working once more with Crane, and since then the group has been playing regularly to audiences in England well past its 40th anniversary. ~ Bruce Eder