For just this one performance, in Montreal, guitarist Nick Angelo, from Montreal and his band, the Four Frenchmen got to play as one of the opening acts for the Beatles. They even got a photo taken with three of the fab 4 (where's George?).
Here is a brief story about Nick from 2010 for News Canada written by Kennedy Gordon (there are some errors in the story---Montreal was their LAST Canadian concert for the tour. And really...in September 1964 he knew they were big, but didn't know how big? Where had he been for the past 7 months?)
In 1964, guitarist Nick Angelo stepped onto the stage at the Montreal Forum and rocked the house, not really knowing that the band he was opening for was about to become the biggest in the history of rock 'n' roll.
Fifty years later, surrounded by guitars in his new Bethany music store, he remembers that fateful night.
We knew they were big," he said. But it would be a few weeks before we knew how big."
The band was the Beatles.
It was Sept. 8, 1964, and the Fab Four were playing their first Canadian concert.
Angelo's band, The Four Frenchmen, was the only Canadian group among the opening acts.
I guess we were getting to be pretty big around Montreal," said Angelo.
Back then, there was a band on every corner, but we had a good reputation."
The Four Frenchman went their separate ways a few years later and Angelo got into booking bands before launching his own studio and production facility in Toronto.
Press Release 7th February 2017:
ReplyDeletePreviously unseen footage of The Beatles playing in Montreal during their first tour of North American found lying in a drawer after 52 years.
The colour cine footage from their Montreal performance on 8th September 1964, was filmed by the father of one the “The Four Frenchmen”, who were one of the opening acts for the show and is the only known recoding from the gig.
The ten minute long recording shows the heavy police presence, which had been enhanced due to reported death threats received by Ringo Starr, back stage scenes of the fab four, footage of the supporting acts, the Beatles performance and subsequent press conference.
The 8mm tape was discovered by the camera man’s grandson, Ron Notarangelo, after his grandfather recently passed away and is expected to sell for over £10,000 when it comes up for sale (with full copyright) as part of Omega Auctions annual Beatles Auction next month.
According to auctioneer, Paul Fairweather “this is an incredible find of great historical importance as there is no known footage from this performance, together with the fact that it is so clear and in colour, which is rare for the early 60s.”
http://www.omegaauctions.co.uk/BeatlesAuction.php
Previously unseen footage of The Beatles playing in Montreal during their first tour of North American found lying in a drawer after 52 years.law office of Ronen Kurzfeld
ReplyDeleteRingo looks a little nervous here. Understandable since he had been subjected to death threats.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xlnh1-BUyT4
ReplyDeleteThis is the footage we are talking about in the comments! Enjoy!