Faron, "The Panda Footed Prince of Prance"

Written on the toilet wall of The Grapes near the Cavern:

“Faron has the best rock n roll voice on Merseyside after me

signed John Lennon.”

William Faron Ruffley (nicknamed ‘The Panda Footed Prince of Prance’ by Bob Wooler) is a legend on Merseyside, but his magical stage presence stretched beyond this region. As Faron’s Flamingos, they entertained audiences with their unique brand of rock 'n' roll. Their version of ‘Do you Love Me’ was hailed as the best version of the song by most people. Unfortunately, having told Brian Poole about the song, Poole quickly recorded it and made it a hit, even though it was inferior to the Flamingos' version.

Faron is a natural performer and entertainer, known and loved by fans and music legends alike. He was a good friend of John Lennon in particular, but also friends with the rest of The Beatles. He sang with them four or five times, and appeared many times on the same bill. Up until recently he was still performing, an act I have witnessed at Merseycats and at the Cavern – and you can understand why he was such a favourite.

I had the honour and privilege of speaking with him for nearly two hours, even though he was unwell - a true mark of the man. The last twelve months (2005-2006) have been especially difficult for him, as his health has deteriorated to the extent that after a serious heart attack - as he says ‘I have died three times’ - he can no longer perform, which is a shame, as he is an original, unique talent, recognised by many international stars and performers over the years.

Currently writing his autobiography – which should be superb – he kindly told me some great stories.

Faron on John Lennon:

“We were great friends and he, like many others, would sleep over at my house, and my mum would look after us all. When I see things in books like John was a homosexual (over the trip with Brian to Spain – David Bedford) then I can say it’s absolute rubbish. We once shared a bed with three girls on one occasion and, believe me, there was not a gay bone in his body – I know!

He was a great friend to me. One occasion I remember was us sitting in town and having a drink, and I mentioned I was after a leather jacket. He went over to the Army and Navy Store (it used to be opposite Lewis’ and The Adelphi) and then he ran back over. He told me there were three left. We went back over but they were something like £8. I only had £5, so he gave me the other £3 and said buy it; I could pay him back whenever.

I never did and he never asked for it. That was the measure of John that not many people saw.

Another time we were confronted by a gang whose leader was well known for beating up as many people as he could. I am not the tallest, but John just showed them his belt with this great big buckle on it and then proceeded to walk right through them. That was John looking out for me.”

This is an excerpt from the full interview. Read the book for the full story from Faron.