Best of the Beatles (17 page)
Read Best of the Beatles Online
Authors: Spencer Leigh
To avoid repetition, and to save you remembering everyone, this brief guide lists some of the personalities in this book:
| Ron Appleby    | 1960s Southport promoter. |
| Neil Aspinall | The Beatles' road manager, and now manager of Apple Corps. |
| Tony Barrow | The Beatles' press officer (1963â66). |
| Mona Best | Mother of Pete, Rory and Roag and owner of the Casbah Coffee Club. |
| Roag Best | Pete Best's half-brother, born 1962. Also a drummer. |
| Wayne Bickerton | Member of the Pete Best Four (1963â66). Producer of the Rubettes. |
| Joe Brown | Singer-guitarist known for âA Picture of You.' |
| Howie Casey | Saxophonist, Seniors (1961â62), Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes (1963â64). Later with Wings. |
| John Cochrane | Drummer, Wump and his Werbles (1960â61), Midnighters (1962â63), Chuckles (1963â66). |
| Peter Cook | Lead guitarist, Kansas City Five (1962â63) and Earl Royce and the Olympics (1963â65). Plays excellent blues guitar. |
| Lee Curtis | Lead singer with the All Stars (1962â67). Owns guest house in Weston Super Mare and entertains residents. |
| Rod Davis | The Quarry Men (1957â58). |
| Paddy Delaney | Doorman, the Cavern Club. |
| Paul Du Noyer | Lennon biographer who edited Q magazine (1990â92). |
| Ray Ennis | Lead singer of the Swinging Blue Jeans since 1957. |
| Clive Epstein | Younger brother of Brian Epstein. Died 1988. |
| Joe Flannery | Friend of Brian Epstein and manager of Beryl Marsden and his brother, Lee Curtis. Writing his autobiography. |
| Ritchie Galvin | Drummer, Earl Preston and the TTs (1962â65). Now plays with Liverpool country bands. |
| Len Garry | The Quarry Men (1957â58). |
| Johnny Gentle | Liverpool rock 'n' roll ballad singer managed by Larry Parnes. |
| Jim Gretty | Guitar tutor who sold instruments at Frank Hessy's. |
| Eric Griffiths | The Quarry Men (1957â58). |
| Johnny Guitar | Rhythm guitarist with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Despite industrial injury to his shoulder, still plays Merseyside clubs. |
| Johnny Gustafson | Cass and the Casanovas (1959â60), the Big Three (1961â63), the Merseybeats (1964). |
| Colin Hanton | The Quarry Men (1957â59). |
| Bill Harry | Editor Mersey Beat newspaper and Beatles chronicler since. |
| Johnny Hutchinson | Cass and the Cassanovas (1959â60), the Big Three (1961â64). |
| Bert Kaempfert | MOR German orchestra leader and record producer. |
| Brian Kelly | Impresario who ran dances in the northern suburbs of Liverpool. He also ran Alpha Sound in Crosby. |
| Astrid Kirchherr | German photographer and Stu Sutcliffe's girlfriend. |
| Ted Knibbs | Manager of Billy J. Kramer. Sold contract to Eppy for £50. |
| Billy J. Kramer | With the Coasters (1960â63) and the Dakotas (1963â67). |
| Sam Leach | Entertaining Merseybeat impresario. Calls himself The Man That Merseybeat Forgot and thinks he's being ironic. |
| Mark Lewisohn | Top Beatles authority â knows more than George Harrison. |
| Lord Woodbine | Friend of Allan Williams who ran a steel band. Still on Merseyside and subject of a radio biography in 1998. |
| Dave Lovelady | Drummer, Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes (1961â62), the Fourmost (1962â78). |
| Mike McCartney    | Paul's brother (aka Mike McGear) and part of Scaffold. |
| Ray McFall | Owner, the Cavern Club (1959â66). |
| Beryl Marsden | Many say she was better than Cilla, but never had breaks 'til she sang in Tarzan and the Lost City (1998) |
| Fred Marsden | Gerry's brother and drummer, Gerry and the Pacemakers (1957â67). Now runs the Pacemaker driving school in Formby. |
| Gerry Marsden | Leader of Gerry and the Pacemakers. |
| George Martin | The Beatles' record producer. Autobiography called All You Need Is Ears and he retired in 1998 when his hearing was failing. |
| George Melly | Flamboyant Liverpool jazz singer and writer. |
| Tommy Moore | Silver Beatles' drummer (1960), who died in 1981. |
| Trevor Morais | Drummer, Faron's Flamingos (1962â63), then The Peddlers. |
| Paul Murphy | Liverpool singer/producer who worked for Polydor in Hamburg. At one stage he owned The Star-Club tapes. |
| Mitch Murray | Songwriter â âHow Do You Do It', âYou Were Made For Me'. |
| Larry Parnes | London manager of Billy Fury, Johnny Gentle, etc. |
| Al Peters | Merseyside blues musician; currently fronts Lawnmower. |
| Mark Peters | Lead of Mark Peters and the Silhouettes (1963â67), which included his brother Steve Fleming. |
| Earl Preston | Lead singer with The TTs. Still sings regularly around Liverpool. |
| Harry Prytherch | Drummer, The Remo Four (1959â61), Group One (1961â64). Presents The Merseybeat Story in North West theatres. |
| Brian Redman | In a hectic 12 months, drummed with the Four Jays, the Fourmost, the Dominoes and the Cascades. Settled with The Hillsiders. |
| Dick Rowe | Head of A&R at Decca. Died 1986. |
| Ian Sharp | Friend of young Lennon, became actor/director Richard Tate. |
| Tony Sheridan | Norwich rock 'n' roll singer who found success in Hamburg. |
| Pete Shotton | The Quarry Men (1957â58) and John's best friend. Worked at Apple and now a millionaire through Fatty Arbuckle's. |
| Mike Smith | Producer who worked for Dick Rowe at Decca. |
| Mimi Smith | John Lennon's aunt, Mary Elizabeth Smith. Died 1991. |
| Phil Spector | Created The Wall of Sound with The Crystals, and The Ronettes, and later produced Beatles John and George. |
| Rory Storm | Real name Alan Caldwell. Singer with the Hurricanes, died 1972. |
| Alan Sytner | Founding owner, the Cavern Club (1957â59). |
| Geoff Taggart | St Helens guitarist who wrote for Shakin' Stevens and the Shadows. |
| Garry Tamlyn | Authority on drumming techniques at Australian university. |
| Alistair Taylor | Brian Epstein's personal assistant and âMr Fixit' to the Beatles. |
| Cy Tucker | Vocalist/guitarist with Earl Preston and the TTs. |
| Jurgen Vollmer | Photographer friend of Astrid Kirchherr. |
| Lou Walters | Guitarist with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. |
| Andy White | Drummer on âLove Me Do', later with New York Police Band. |
| Allan Williams | Liverpool entrepreneur, owned the Jacaranda, the Blue Angel and, for a short time, the Beatles. |
| Bob Wooler | Liverpool promoter and DJ, the Cavern Club. |
(This list of participants was drawn up when I wrote the original book in 1998. I did consider bringing it up-to-date but I was writing âDied' by so many of them, I found it rather dispiriting and stopped.)
The following books have been consulted.
Best, Pete & Patrick Doncaster,
Beatle! The Pete Best Story
(Plexus, 1985)
Best, Pete & Bill Harry,
The Best Years of The Beatles
(Headline, 1996)
Brown, Peter & Steven Gaines,
The Love You Make
(Macmillan, 1983)
Clayson, Alan,
The Quiet One – A Life of George Harrison
(Sidgwick and Jackson, 1990)
Clayson, Alan,
Ringo Starr – Straight Man or Joker?
(Sidgwick and Jackson, 1991)
Coleman, Ray,
John Winston Lennon
(Sidgwick and Jackson, 1984)
Coleman, Ray,
Brian Epstein
–
The Man Who Made The Beatles
(Viking, 1989)
Davies, Hunter,
The Beatles
–
The Authorised Biography
(Heinemann, 1968)
Du Noyer, Paul,
We All Shine On
(Carlton, 1997)
Foster, Mo,
British Rock Guitar
(Northumbria Press, 2011)
Frame, Pete,
The Beatles and Some Other Guys
(Omnibus Press, 1997)
Goldman, Albert,
The Lives of John Lennon
(Bantam, 1988)
Gottfridsson, Hans Olof,
The Beatles – From Cavern to Star Club
(Premium Publishing, 1997)
Giuliano, Geoffrey,
Tomorrow Never Knows– 30 Years of Beatles Music and Memorabilia
(Paper Tiger, 1991)
Harry, Bill,
The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopaedia
(Virgin, 1992)
Harry, Bill,
The Encyclopaedia of Beatles People
(Blandford, 1997)
Hertsgaard, Mark,
A Day in The Life – The Music and Artistry of The Beatles
(Macmillan, 1995)
Howlett, Kevin,
The Beatles at the Beeb
(BBC, 1982)
Leigh, Spencer & Pete Frame,
Let’s Go Down The Cavern
(Vermillion, 1984)
Leigh, Spencer,
Speaking Words of Wisdom
(Cavern City, 1991)
Lewisohn, Mark,
The Beatles Live!
(Pavillion, 1986)
Lewisohn, Mark,
The Complete Beatles Chronicle
(Pyramid, 1992)
McCartney, Paul & Barry Miles
, Many Years From Now
(Secker & Warburg, 1997)
McDonald, Ian,
Revolution in the Head – The Beatles’ Records and the Sixties
(Fourth Estate, 1994)
Marsden, Gerry & Ray Coleman,
I’ll Never Walk Alone
(Bloomsbury, 1993)
Peebles, Andy,
The Lennon Tapes
(BBC, 1981)
Norman, Philip, Shout!
The True Story of The Beatles
(Hamish Hamilton, 1981)
Sheff, David,
The Playboy Interviews with John Lennon and Yoko Ono
(Playboy Press, 1981)
Shotton, Pete & Nicholas Shaffner,
John Lennon in my Life
(Coronet, London, 1984)
Taylor, Alistair & Martin Roberts, Yesterday –
The Beatles Remembered
(Sidgwick and Jackson, 1988)
Thompson, Phil,
The Best of Cellars
(Bluecoat Press, 1984)
Wenner, Jann,
Lennon Remembers – The Rolling Stone Interview
(Straight Arrow, 1971)
Williams, Allan & William Marshall,
The Man Who Gave The Beatles Away
(Elm Tree, 1975)
The journalist, author and broadcaster Spencer Leigh was born in Liverpool, England, and is an acknowledged authority on the Beatles. He has been broadcasting his weekly show,
On the Beat
, on BBC Radio Merseyside for more than 25 years and, over that time, has conducted more interviews about the band – all captured on tape – than anyone in the world. He has written over twenty-five books, hundreds of album sleeve notes and he writes obituaries of musicians for
The Independent
and the
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
. He is an Honoured Friend at Sir Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) and he has a Gold Badge of Merit from the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters. Spencer continues to live on Merseyside.
Published by McNidder & Grace
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©Spencer Leigh
www.spencerleigh.co.uk
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Torquil MacLeod has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
A catalogue record for this work is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9780857161017