Rare Quarrymen Photo Unearthed!

L-R: Paul, John and George, circa 1959. Image: PA Media

A rare photograph of the Quarrymen has emerged. The grainy image is believed to have been taken in mid-1959 in Liverpool and shows John, Paul and George playing their guitars.

Pete Best confirmed on Twitter that the photo was taken in the living room of 8 Hayman's Green, which is above the Casbah Coffee Club and the photo may have been snapped by his mother, Mona Best. This may have been one of the first times they started performing at the venue and the photo could have been during a rehearsal. It would seem that it was taken while they were performing as a trio before Stuart and Pete joined them and the band came to call themselves the Beatles. A marvellous and rare photograph of three friends who couldn't know they'd go on to shake the world just four years later....or perhaps they did? Is that a knowing smile from John in the picture?

The photograph emerges on the 50th anniversary of Paul McCartney announcing he was quitting the group in 1970.

Beatle Fests Around The World.

The Mathew Street Festival is part of Liverpool's Annual Beatle Week celebration. (Image: sirtobiandtheenglishman.blogspot.com)

The Beatles were, and still are, a cultural phenomenon. This is a fact and is not disputed by anyone with half a brain.

So, annually, all over the world, there are celebrations of their music, the people who made up the band, the myths, the legends, the people who surrounded them and helped their phenomenal wave of success that started in Liverpool, England and still continues to ripple through the ages.

Each new generation finds the Beatles. Each new generation falls in love with them, their music and everything about them.

Some of the biggest Beatles fests are The New York Metro fest, which usually happens around April time, then there's the Chicago fest, which operates in August.

Perhaps the most coveted of all the fests in the world is the one that happens in the Beatles' hometown of Liverpool. That one is called 'Beatle Week' and usually runs around the end of August with the festivities going on all around the city centre, most especially in the Cavern Club and around Mathew Street, the hub of Beatles activity in the late 50s/early 60s.

If you are wanting to visit Liverpool during this time, or indeed, any time, we highly recommend you take the Beatles Pilgrimage Tour.

The Liverpool fest is really one of the best fests in the world, the people of Liverpool are charming, kind, lovely and funny....remind you of anyone?

The Beatles Popularity In Liverpool.

Just Four Fab Boys From Liverpool: The Beatles at 20 Forthlin Road in 1963.

Upon their return from their first trip to Hamburg in 1960, The Beatles popularity in Liverpool started with a bang, their appearance at Litherland Town Hall caused the young teens of the city to become enraptured with them. Before that, they had been considered by many of their contemporaries to be "no good" and a "bum group" but that trip to Hamburg, Germany changed them. Over there, their raucous playing of Rock and Roll became huge amongst the people that frequented the Reeperbahn. They couldn't get enough of this band and their playing just got better and better.

Upon their return to Liverpool, they were treated as if they were a German group, with their new fans remarking that they spoke good English. Their popularity in Liverpool reached its peak in 1962, by then they'd made over a hundred appearances at the Cavern Club on Mathew street and under their manager Brian Epstein, they were growing out of Liverpool. After 1962, the Beatles became the most famous band in Britain and then after that, the world. Liverpool continued to watch its most famous sons become more successful with each passing year. Today, their childhood homes and the places they touched are Liverpool's most coveted tourist attractions and they'll forever continue to be so, because of the Beatles.

Beatles Interview Series: 1962 - The First Radio Interview

There's a great site, called The Beatles Ultimate Experience, that's been around quite a while, which has collected and pain-stakingly transcribed as many Beatles interviews as humanly possible, from 1962, through to 1984.  We're going to start a new 10-part series we're calling The Beatles Interview Series, where we share many of the interviews from that site with our readers here at The Beatles Through The Years.

First up is a radio interview with the Beatles from 1962, transcribed by Jay Spangler, and described by Beatles biographer Mark Lewishon, as The Beatles very first radio interview.  Per Jay Spangler, "The interview was recorded for Radio Clatterbridge, a closed-circuit radio station serving Cleaver and Clatterbridge Hospitals, on the Wirral."

MONTY: It's a very great pleasure for us this evening to say hello to an up-and-coming Merseyside group, The Beatles. I know their names, and I'm going to try and put faces to them. Now, you're John Lennon, aren't you?"
JOHN: "Yes, that's right."
MONTY: "What do you do in the group, John?"
JOHN: "I play harmonica, rhythm guitar, and vocal. That's what they call it."
MONTY: "Then, there's Paul McCartney. That's you?"
PAUL: "Yeah, that's me. Yeah."
MONTY: "And what do you do?"
PAUL: "Play bass guitar and uhh, sing? ...I think! That's what they say."
MONTY: "That's quite apart from being vocal?"
PAUL: "Well... yes, yes."
MONTY: "Then there's George Harrison."
GEORGE: "How d'you do."
MONTY: "How d'you do. What's your job?"
GEORGE: "Uhh, lead guitar and sort of singing."
MONTY: "By playing lead guitar does that mean that you're sort of leader of the group or are you...?"
GEORGE: "No, no. Just... Well you see, the other guitar is the rhythm. Ching, ching, ching, you see."
PAUL: "He's solo guitar, you see. John is in fact the leader of the group."
MONTY: "And over in the background, here, and also in the background of the group making alot of noise is Ringo Starr."
RINGO: "Hello."
MONTY: "You're new to the group, aren't you Ringo?"
RINGO: "Yes, umm, nine weeks now."
MONTY: "Were you in on the act when the recording was made of 'Love Me Do'?"
RINGO: "Yes, I'm on the record. I'm on the disc."
(the group giggles)
RINGO: (comic voice) "It's down on record, you know?"
MONTY: "Now, umm..."
RINGO: "I'm the drummer!"
(laughter)
MONTY: "What's that offensive weapon you've got there? Those are your drumsticks?"
RINGO: "Well, it's umm... just a pair of sticks I found. I just bought 'em, you know, 'cuz we're going away."
MONTY: "When you say you're going away, that leads us on to another question now. Where are you going?"
RINGO: "Germany. Hamburg. For two weeks."
MONTY: "You have standing and great engagements over there, haven't you?"
RINGO: "Well, the boys have been there quite alot, you know. And I've been there with other groups, but this is the first time I've been there with the Beatles."
MONTY: "Paul, tell us. How do you get in on the act in Germany?"
PAUL: "Well, it was all through an old agent."
(laughter)
PAUL: (chuckles) "We first went there for a fella who used to manage us, and Mr. Allan Williams of the Jacaranda Club in Liverpool. And he found the engagements so we sort of went there, and then went under our own..."
JOHN: "Steam."
PAUL: "Steam... (laughs)
JOHN: "...as they say."
PAUL: "As they say, afterwards, you know. And we've just been going backwards and forwards and backwards and forwards."
MONTY: (surprised) "You're not busy at all?"
PAUL: (jokingly) "Well yes, actually. Yes. It's me left leg. You know. The war."
(laughter)
MONTY: "George, were you brought up in Liverpool?"
GEORGE: "Yes. So far, yes."
MONTY: "Whereabouts?"
GEORGE: "Well, born in Wavertree, and bred in Wavertree and Speke -- where the airplanes are, you know."
MONTY: "Are you all 'Liverpool types,' then?"
RINGO: "Yes."
JOHN: "Uhh... types, yes."
PAUL: "Oh yeah."
RINGO: "Liverpool-typed Paul, there."
MONTY: "Now, I'm told that you were actually in the same form as young Ron Wycherley..."
RINGO: "Ronald. Yes."
MONTY: "...now Billy Fury."
RINGO: "In Saint Sylus."
MONTY: "In which?"
RINGO: "Saint Sylus."
JOHN: "Really?"
RINGO: "It wasn't Dingle Vale like you said in the Musical Express."
PAUL: "No, that was wrong. Saint Sylus school."
MONTY: "Now I'd like to introduce a young disc jockey. His name is Malcolm Threadgill, he's 16-years old, and I'm sure he'd like to ask some questions from the teenage point of view."
MALCOLM: "I understand you've made other recordings before on a German label."
PAUL: "Yeah."
MALCOLM: "What ones were they?"
PAUL: "Well, we didn't make... First of all we made a recording with a fella called Tony Sheridan. We were working in a club called 'The Top Ten Club' in Hamburg. And we made a recording with him called, 'My Bonnie,' which got to number five in the German Hit Parade."
JOHN: "Ach tung!"
PAUL: (giggles) "But it didn't do a thing over here, you know. It wasn't a very good record, but the Germans must've liked it a bit. And we did an instrumental which was released in France on an EP of Tony Sheridan's, which George and John wrote themselves. That wasn't released here. It got one copy. That's all, you know. It didn't do anything."
MALCOLM: "You composed 'P.S. I Love You' and 'Love Me Do' yourself, didn't you? Who does the composing between you?"
PAUL: "Well, it's John and I. We write the songs between us. It's, you know... We've sort of signed contracts and things to say, that now if we..."
JOHN: "It's equal shares."
PAUL: "Yeah, equal shares and royalties and things, so that really we just both write most of the stuff. George did write this instrumental, as we say. But mainly it's John and I. We've written over about a hundred songs but we don't use half of them, you know. We just happened to sort of rearrange 'Love Me Do' and played it to the recording people, and 'P.S. I Love You,' and uhh, they seemed to quite like it. So that's what we recorded."
MALCOLM: "Is there anymore of your own compositions you intend to record?"
JOHN: "Well, we did record another song of our own when we were down there, but it wasn't finished enough. So, you know, we'll take it back next time and see how they like it then."
(long pause)
JOHN: (jokingly) "Well... that's all from MY end!"
(laughter)
MONTY: "I would like to just ask you-- and we're recording this at Hume Hall, Port Sunlight-- Did any of you come over to this side before you became famous, as it were? Do you know this district?"
PAUL: "Well, we played here, uhh... I don't know what you mean by famous, you know.
(laughter)
PAUL: "If being famous is being in the Hit Parade, we've been over here-- we were here about two months ago. Been here twice, haven't we?"
JOHN: "I've got relations here. Rock Ferry."
MONTY: "Have you?"
JOHN: "Yes. Oh, all sides of the water, you know."
PAUL: "Yeah, I've got a relation in Claughton Village-- Upton Road."
RINGO: (jokingly) "I've got a friend in Birkenhead!"
(laughter)
MONTY: "I wish I had."
GEORGE: (jokingly) "I know a man in Chester!"
(laughter)
MONTY: "Now, that's a very dangerous thing to say. There's a mental home there, mate. Peter Smethurst is here as well, and he looks like he is bursting with a question."
PETER: "There is just one question I'd like to ask. I'm sure it's the question everyone's asking. I'd like your impressions on your first appearance on television."
PAUL: "Well, strangely enough, we thought we were gonna be dead nervous. And everyone said, 'You suddenly, when you see the cameras, you realize that there are two million people watching,' because there were two million watching that 'People And Places' that we did... we heard afterwards. But, strangely enough, it didn't come to us. We didn't think at all about that. And it was much easier doing the television than it was doing the (live musical performance) radio. It's still nerve-wracking, but it was a bit easier than doing radio because there was a full audience for the radio broadcast."
MONTY: "Do you find it nerve-wracking doing this now?"
(laughter)
PAUL: (jokingly) "Yeah, yeah."
MONTY: "Over at Cleaver Hospital, a certain record on Parlophone-- the top side has been requested. So perhaps the Beatles themselves would like to tell them what it's going to be."
PAUL: "Yeah. Well, I think it's gonna be 'Love Me Do.'"
JOHN: "Parlophone R4949."
(laughter)
PAUL: "'Love Me Do.'"
MONTY: "And I'm sure, for them, the answer is P.S. I love you!"
PAUL: "Yeah."

Source: Interview transcribed by www.beatlesinterviews.org from the audio flexi-disc included in original-edition copies of the 1986 book 'The Beatles Live' by Mark Lewisohn

In Memoriam: Cilla Black (1943 - 2015)

Cilla Black with her manager Brian Epstein in 1964.

Cilla Black has died at the age of 72 following a stroke at her home in Spain. Cilla was born Priscilla White in Liverpool on 27 May 1943 and began her career as a singer in 1963 following a stint as a coat check girl in the Cavern Club. Championed by the Liverpool groups, many of them would let her get up and sing during their set. The most notable of these were Rory Storm and the Hurricanes and the Beatles. John Lennon famously referred to her as "Cyril".

The Beatles were under the management of Brian Epstein and Cilla, who was being managed by her boyfriend Bobby Willis at the time, decided to go with Brian which turned out to be the smart move. Her first audition for Brian turned out to be a failure as the Beatles backed her during 'Summertime' and the key was wrong for Black's voice. A second time seeing Cilla persuaded Epstein that he should sign her and Cilla's first single, the Paul McCartney written 'Love of the Loved' which the Beatles had recorded during their New Year's Day 1962 audition for Decca, was a relative failure compared to the success of Epstein's other artists, most notably the Beatles.

Black's next single, a cover of 'Anyone Who Had A Heart' which had been a major success for Dionne Warwick in the US, hit number one in the UK in 1964. (Much to Dionne's everlasting annoyance) and she followed that one up with a second number one in the song. 'You're My World'. Another McCartney/Lennon song 'It's For You' peaked at number 7 on the UK charts.

Black's recording career with Parlophone lasted until 1973. Shortly before his death, Epstein arranged with the BBC to have Cilla present her own show. 'Cilla' lasted from 1968 to 1976. After 1976, Cilla's career went on the downturn and by the early 80s, her TV appearances were rare.

Black (far left) presenting Blind Date in the 90s

After a comeback performance on the chat show Wogan in 1983, Black returned to ITV with the shows 'Surprise Surprise' (1984 - 2001) and 'Blind Date' (1985 - 2003). Both of these shows were roaring successes for Black and she became well known to British TV audiences (myself among them) for her catchphrase of "We're gonna have a lorra, lorra (lot of) laughs tonight!" and referring to people in the Scouse way, e.g: "Our Graham".

Black largely retired from television after Blind Date came to an end in 2003. She was a guest panelist on the morning topic show 'Loose Women' but since her husband and manager Bobby Willis had died in 1999, she had lost her best friend and confidant and never was the same.

After her death, tributes poured in from her celebrity friends, Paul & Ringo were among those who shared their condolences and her long time friend Paul O'Grady, a fellow scouser, was in shock. Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, he said "Please tell me this isn’t true? We’ve been friends for nearly 20 years. She’s like my sister. Apart from her hearing she was all right. We had a week together in Barbados at the beginning of the year and I saw her on my birthday. I thought she was well. I can’t believe it, to tell you the truth."

Black is survived by her three sons with Bobby: Robert, who became her manager after his father died, Ben and Jack.

Tra, Cilla.

Melissa Danielle's Liverpool Adventure, Part 2.

In Part 1, we read about Melissa arriving in Liverpool, England from Melbourne, Australia a few days before Paul McCartney's concert at the Echo Arena. She saw the sights of Liverpool that will forever be synonymous with the Beatles and now she's going to see her favourite Beatle, Paul McCartney for her first time live in his hometown and she's got a perfect view....

"The time had finally come...I was in the arena! DJ Chris Holmes was playing mixes of Paul/Beatles songs..."

"I couldn't believe how close I was to the stage!

and then after what felt like an eternity..."

"I was totally in awe! I felt like I was in a dream.  I distinctly remember Paul looking at me, reading my sign that said I'd come from Australia just to see him and sort of nodding at me and making a "wow!" face...he did that twice! Once during Hey Jude when he was at the magic piano which was right in front of me and again during another song which I forget but I'm pretty sure it was Got To Get You Into My Life!" 

"During Back In The USSR Paul looked STRAIGHT at me and sang for about 20 seconds or so but it felt like so much longer! I had the biggest smile on my face and I was singing back to him! I wish I got it on video! I couldn't stop shaking, I was in shock!"

"Paul looking right at me! (He did this 4 times) I was jumping around like a crazy woman trying to get his attention so he might have been frightened! After playing for almost 3 hours including 2 encores the show was finished.  I didn't want him to go! I had the best time of my life and I'm so glad i faced my fear of traveling to another country alone so I could see him.  It was well worth it! He is the
GREATEST!"

 The End.

I'd like to thank Melissa for sharing her story and her pictures with us. She is one of Paul's most devoted fans and we are so glad that she got the chance of seeing Paul McCartney in his hometown. As a Paul fan myself, I know exactly what she went through on her first time seeing him but seeing him in Liverpool is just magical. I hope she manages to see Paul several more times!

Melissa in the grip of PPD (Post Paul Depression) Albert Dock, Liverpool on the day after the concert.

You can follow Melissa on Twitter for more Beatles & Paul McCartney goodness!
  

Melissa Danielle's Liverpool Adventure, Part 1.

As you may have read, Melissa Danielle has told her fan story to us at TBTTY before and after we learned she was going to Liverpool to see Paul McCartney in concert at the Echo Arena in May, we begged her to tell us the story of the adventure she had there so we could share it with you all. She agreed and she even let us have some of her pictures of the trip too!

So here it is, in her own words and photos, Melissa Danielle's Liverpool Adventure, Part 1!

"I've been dreaming of seeing Paul McCartney in concert for what feels like a VERY long time and I was beginning to think it would never happen.  I live in Australia and Paul hasn't toured here since 1993 when I was only 3 years old, Why the bloody hell not, Paul?!

So when he announced a UK tour I knew I HAD to go no matter what the cost!  I was sitting at my computer an hour before the tickets were to go on sale on Paul's website because I was so nervous I was going to miss out!  As soon as the tickets went up I managed to get a VIP 2nd row from the stage ticket to the Liverpool show!  What better place is there to see Paul for the first time?!  I was so happy I cried and then cried a little bit more when I saw how empty my bank account was.  Here are a few photos of my adventure from Melbourne, Australia to Liverpool, England..."

 "After 3 very long flights and 3 different trains I finally arrived in Liverpool. I've never been so happy to see Lime Street!"

"My view from the Premier Inn, Albert Dock where I stayed. You can see the River Mersey and the Echo Arena where I saw Paul play!"

"Some shots of the Royal Liver Building and a close up of the Liver Bird!"

"And here are some shots from the Beatles Story Museum, which my hotel was right next to!"

"Some more Liverpool shots! The Mersey River, the Billy Fury monument, the Lambananas, the Fab 4 Cafe, the Cavern club and Paul on a pillar!"

 "I decided to go on the Magical mystery Tour of Liverpool! I went to all the usual Beatles sites such as John, Paul, George and Ringo's childhood homes, Strawberry Field, Penny Lane, St. Peter's church where John and Paul met and many other places!"

"After the sightseeing, the big day had finally arrived....I was going to see Paul! This is my VIP Ticket! We attended a VIP dinner and drinks at the Hard Day's Night hotel before the show where we got given this Wristband. The whole room was filled with pictures of Paul and they served champagne and vegetarian snacks, which was great as I am a vegetarian!" 

"It was nearly time for the show but I couldn't wait to get a glimpse of Paul! I met up with my friend Shannon and her boyfriend Stew and waited for Paul to drive into the arena...it was freezing cold and he was very late! After lots of false alarms a black car started to drive slowly up the road and a window rolled down...IT WAS PAUL! I SAW HIS CUTE LITTLE FACE!! He waved smiled and drove off into the arena...I couldn't believe I just saw THE Paul McCartney..."

End of Part 1. 

In Part 2, Melissa's story of seeing Paul live in concert in his hometown of Liverpool! Stay tuned!
   

The Day John and Paul Met.

An Artist's Impression of what Paul & John's meeting might have looked like.

John Lennon was performing with his band The Quarrymen at the Woolton Village Fete at St. Peter's Church in Liverpool on this day in 1957 when his friend Ivan Vaughan brought someone to see him. That someone was Paul McCartney. Ivan figured that John & Paul would get along due to their love of music but he surely couldn't have known he was bringing together two blokes who would go onto be half of the world famous Beatles, let alone be one of the most prolific songwriting partnerships the world has ever known. To Ivan, he was just introducing his mates to each other.

Sadly, Ivan is no longer with us. He died in 1993 after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease. Touched by his death, Paul McCartney (who shared an exact birthday with him) wrote a poem for him entitled "Ivan".

Jive with Ive...

The ace on the bass...

He introduced to me...

At Woolton fete...

A pal or two...

(Excerpt from the poem "Ivan" by Paul McCartney)

So thanks Ivan Vaughan. Thank you very much.

Ivan Vaughan, Circa 1960s

Paul McCartney's Memories of Liverpool in the Echo.

Macca is Back: Ahead of his return to Liverpool, he spoke to the Echo about the city.

Macca is due to play Liverpool this week and he recently spoke to the Liverpool Echo about his memories of the city he grew up in. Here are some quotes from the Interview:

"I love that journey, The thing I always do is give whoever I’m with the tour. I go along and I say ‘this is where we played our first gig’ and ‘that’s where John’s mum lived’ or ‘that’s the old Garston gas works’. We always go down Forthlin Road and I’ll see if there’s anyone outside. Last time there was a fella there saying I didn’t really live there. I wound the window down and said hello."

That must have been an awkward moment for the fella!


"Growing up in Speke I have so many memories of that area. All the old stories come out,
I remember John and I going up to the airport on our bikes to watch the planes. It makes me smile to think that named the airport after him."

On the question of what John would think of the airport being named after him, he said this:


"I think he would have been well chuffed. He wouldn’t have believed it when we were kids on our bikes. In later life he would have been chuffed."

He went on to talk about how his memories of being a kid are sharper and how he occasionally has to pinch himself and take the mickey out of himself because of this great life he's led. On meeting Elvis, despite rumours and reports to the meeting between the Beatles and the King being a slightly muted and tense affair, Paul remained upbeat about it:


“He was great. A lovely man. That was before he went to Vegas with all the rhinestones. He was so talented, so charismatic. A real star, you know. Just like you’d hope he’d be.”

On his routine before a show, Paul says he chills out in his dressing room and apparently does a thing with hot water and Olbas oil to help his voice. He admits that the ritual is probably useless but it makes him feel better.

I personally feel that Paul should drink at least some water during the show. Not TOO cold because that tends to be detrimental. I understand he might be worried about needing a pee during the set and wouldn't want to leave the stage before the encores but surely a little water wouldn't hurt?

Lastly, we are looking forward to hearing all about your experiences at the shows in the UK! We hope you all have a great time and TBTTY knows you will!

Fan Stories: Erica Williams

 

The Cavern Proudly Presents: Erica Williams in her first appearance at the Cavern.
 Here she is everybody, the woman that stole my heart (alright, alright, I paid her to take it!), Ladies & Genitals, Erica Williams!



1. What's your name?

Erica Williams

2. How old/young are you?

25-35 would be the box I would check here... you know, if there were boxes.  :-p

3. Where are you in the world?

Austin, Texas, The Live Music Capital of the World!! (read that with lots of echo.)

4. What is your earliest Beatles memory?

My EARLIEST Beatles memory is seeing my mom's "Meet the Beatles" record in our record collection when I was really little and used to like looking through her albums.  I really feel like I've always known who they were though.  I became a FAN, however, when my aunt first showed me the film, A Hard Day's Night, when I was about 11.  But, I didn't become COMPLETELY OBSESSED until much more recently, in 2005 when I first saw Paul in concert.

5. Did you ever attend a Beatles concert between 1960 and 1966? 

Unfortunately, only in my dreams.

6. Have you met any of the Beatles? Or anyone associated with them?

I have met Paul McCartney!!  Shook his hand too!  I also met Sam Leach in Liverpool and saw Allan Williams in the same place, but didn't speak to him.  Oh, and I've met Dhani Harrison.  Hey, kids count, right?

7. Have you ever seen John, Paul, George or Ringo on a solo tour/gig?

I've seen Paul five times and Ringo twice.  Sadly, John was gone before I was born and George never toured America when I was growing up.

8. In what way have the Beatles inspired you? Did you take up a career because of them?

The Beatles inspire me to get up in the mornings and breathe in and breathe out all day long, simply by having existed.  They are life.  They also inspired me to try and learn to play guitar, which never actually happened because, unfortunately, they never inspired me to have more patience.

9. Ever been to the UK on a Beatle Pilgrimage? Where did you go and what did you see?

Every trip to the UK is a Beatles Pilgrimage if you're a fan.  Yes, I've been a few times, each time I get to see a little more.  Mainly, as far as Beatley places go, I've been to London and Liverpool.  In London, I've been to Abbey Road, Paul's house on Cavendish Ave., the old Apple HQ on Savile Row, the old Apple Boutique on Baker Street, the old Indica Gallery, and probably other places I can't remember.  In Liverpool, I've been to John and Paul's houses, the Cavern Club, the Grapes pub, the old Jacaranda, Paul and George's school, which is now LIPA, and John's art college.  I still want to go to the Casbah though.

10. What is the craziest thing you have done as a fan?

Possibly the craziest thing I've done as a fan, is when I decided one afternoon to fly that same evening to New York City, from Austin, and sleep on the street for a night and a half for the chance to meet Paul McCartney.  :-)


----------------------


Erica is an amateur genealogist and runs an incredible family history website and is always on the lookout for more clients at extremely affordable rates! Check it out at:

http://ourfamilytreesite.blogspot.com/

Richard Starkey Appreciation Post.

Keeping the Beat in the Beatles, 1966.

Let us just take a moment to appreciate the genius of Richard Starkey, aka Ringo Starr.

Over the years, many have come to disparage Ritchie with the snide jokes about being the luckiest bloke in the world and not being as talented as the other three. I call that utter BOLLOCKS.

John, Paul & George were lucky they found him, lucky he wanted to join them as without Ringo, they wouldn't have got out of Liverpool.Without Ringo, they may never have had as big a grip on the USA as they had (and still have). When the Beatles first landed in the states, Ringo was the most famous Beatle out of all them because of his distinctive stage name, also it was probably the only name that teenagers' parents could remember.

Simply, without Richard Starkey, (who was the original boy who lived, Harry Potter fans), the Beatles wouldn't be as legendary as they are today.

Still keeping the Beat with his All Starr Band in 2014. (Photo taken by Author)

Paul is "Out There" In Liverpool This May, Will You Be Seeing Him?

He's Out There: Macca returns to Liverpool this May, Will you see him?

CALLING ALL MACCA FANS!

Paul is going back to his hometown of Liverpool! He'll be playing the Echo Arena on the 28th of May and the gig is SOLD OUT. Which is expected as it's bloody Paul McCartney!

What I want to know is, who is going to see him and who will do a guest review of the concert for this blog? I know how hard that is for some of you after seeing Paul McCartney live. All you want to do is scream, cry, scream, twist, shout, cry, watch back your footage you took and/or go on you tube and watch Paul videos of the concert you saw because you simply NEED to relive it again.....and again......and maybe again....and again.....one more time......

I keep in contact with some of you and know a lot of you are travelling from far and wide to come in for this concert. Some of you may be going to the two nights at the O2 Arena in London and the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham? Sadly, that's going to be his only dates in the UK.....for now at least!

But this concert in Liverpool is the most coveted. Paul McCartney, playing in his hometown, the place where he started out on the road to success, only a few miles from where he first met his songwriting partner John, it's going to be overwhelming for some of you I know.

Since we sadly cannot attend this concert, we've decided to reach out to the fans who are going so you can tell us all about your experience seeing this wonderful man in concert in his hometown of Liverpool. We want to know EVERYTHING. The sights, the sounds, the songs, every little thing.

So, if you are interested, please contact me on Twitter or on Facebook and we shall talk all about Paul!

Remembering John Lennon: The Founder of the Beatles.

Lennon in 1963

I know I will probably spark debate with my title but the way I see it, John Lennon was the de-facto leader of the Beatles. They grew out of HIS Quarrymen. Paul joined John's band, George joined and then Ringo.

Of course, as history shows, the Beatles were very much a four man group with all of their ideas getting equal billing but John Lennon proved time and time again that he was the leader, not just because he was older than Paul & George, but because he saw things in a slightly different way which made him a natural act to follow.

For all of Lennon's faults, he was human after all, he had a precocious talent for wordplay. Lyrics came naturally to him and he'd often admonish Paul for his half-hearted attempts on songs and even songs that Paul wrote that John thought were dodgy, such as 'A World Without Love' which every time Paul would play it to him and sing 'Please, lock me away...' John would end it with "Yes! Okay!" and cut Paul off completely. (Paul ended up giving the tune to Peter & Gordon who had a number one with it).

John was insecure a lot of the time, right up until his death. I think had he been able to continue living, he would have been much more secure in his place in history. I often think about how great it would have been to have him on Twitter or Facebook. I like to imagine (to coin a phrase) that he would have run them himself and engage in lots of in-jokes with Ringo and George, if he too was still with us.

We all miss John Lennon. 

Lennon in 1979.

Live: Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band at the Winstar World Casino, Oklahoma, 5/7/2014

"I'm Ringo and I play the Drums..."

Last night I fulfilled a lifelong dream. A dream that I had since I was about 8 years old. To see Ringo Starr play his drums live.

Ringo was performing at the Winstar World Casino and Resort just over the Texas border in Oklahoma with his All Star Band, which was comprised of Todd Rundgren on Rhythm Guitar, Steve Lukather (Toto) on Lead guitar, Gregg Rolie (Santana & Journey) on Hammond Organ, Richard Page (Mr. Mister) on Bass, Mark Rivera on Sax and Greg Bissonette on the drums.

Ringo usually has a second drummer to play while he gets up front to sing and the 2 hour show is not only made up of Ringo's material from his solo career and that huge band he was in back in Liverpool (Rory Storm & The Hurricanes) :-P

Steve Lukather, Todd Rundgren, Richard Page and Greg Rolie all performed hits from their respective bands ('Rosanna', 'Bang On The Drum', 'Broken Wings' and 'Africa' were among the non-Ringo songs played).

If you haven't seen Ringo and his All Starr Band yet, you are missing out on a treat. The Winstar Global Event Center which is attached to their Casino and Hotel, was the perfect venue, quite intimate yet big enough for Ringo and the band to rock out.

 All pictures taken by Dominic Williams.