William "Faron" Ruffley (born 8 January 1942) is an English singer, known for being the lead vocalist for Faron's Flamingos.
Faron Ruffley | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | William Ruffley |
| Born | 8 January 1942 Liverpool, England |
| Genres | Merseybeat |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Member of | Faron's Flamingos |
| Formerly of | Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Big Three |
Early life and education edit
William Faron Ruffley was born in 15a Goodison Road, just behind Goodison Park, in 1942.[1] He is of Cherokee descent, and "Faron", his middle name and later stage name, was taken from a Cherokee Indian name.[2] His father was a session musician and played in Ted Heath's band.[1]
Ruffley attended Gladys Street Primary School, then Stanley Park Road, where he was a Head boy.[1] Ruffley then attended Liverpool College of Art.[3] He was a member of the choir at St Luke’s Church and Chester Cathedral.[1]
Career edit
Ruffley's first band was "The Odd Spots".[1] During 1959/1960, Ruffley had briefly played rhythm guitar in a group called "Johnny Tempest and the Tempest Tornados", a band that didn't last long due to Tempest's death from a brain tumour aged 21. Shortly before they disbanded, Ruffley took over as lead vocalist, and they were called "Faron and the Tempest Tornados".
In January 1961, Faron left the Tempset Tornados to join an eight-week tour with Gerry and the Pacemakers in Hamburg, Germany.[2] Once the tour ended, Ruffley formed Faron's Flamingos. They were one of the first examples of the Merseybeat sound with their cover of "Do You Love Me". Faron had many versions of the band, including a version that was active in France.[2]
In November 1963, Ruffley and Flamingo guitarist Paddy Chambers joined The Big Three.[4][5] Faron was the bass player during this time, taking a few lessons from Merseybeat bassist Billy Kinsley.[6] Ruffley left the group some time around October 1964, along with Paul Pilnick. Faron soon formed a new version of the Flamingos after departing from the Big Three. In 1999, Ruffley reunited with member Brian Griffiths to perform a few Big Three numbers for a charity event.[5]
He formed a small band with Brian Jones (of The Undertakers) and toured around Liverpool. He reformed the Flamingos in 1985.[2] Ruffley was advised by doctors to retire from touring in the 2000s, but is semi-active as of 2024.[2] In the 2000s, he was working on an autobiography.
Ruffley toured in the "Class of '64" lineup, that featured members of various British Invasion groups.[7]
Personal life edit
Ruffley married a woman from Corsica.[2] He lived in France for some time but moved back to Liverpool when his mother fell ill.[2] Ruffley is a born-again Christian. When he was fifty years old, he suffered a heart attack and spent some time in hospital. By the time he was sixty years old, he had suffered five heart attacks and had to have a quadruple heart bypass. A stroke left him unable to speak for six weeks and he also had both hips replaced, with metal replacements for some bones in his leg and toes. He recalled, "I've been dead three times and they've brought me back. Now I'm a born-again Christian and I firmly believe there is a God, I've been up there and seen the light".[2]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e "Mersey Beat - Faron's Flamingos". Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Sixties City - Bill Harry's Sixties - articles from the creator of iconic 60s music paper Mersey Beat". sixtiescity.net. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
- ^ "East L.A. Meets Liverpool: My December 2004 Pilgimage". markguerrero.net. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ^ Larkin C (1997). Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music. Muze UK Ltd. p. 55. ISBN 0-7535-0149-X.
- ^ a b "THE BIG THREE". www.7inchrecords.com. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ "The Iron Door Club - Faron's Flamingos". www.rickresource.com. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ Metason. "William & Hyde". ArtistInfo. Retrieved 2024-05-13.