Paul stopped the show

 My heart goes out to all of the victims and their families of those that lost their lives, are in critical condition in the hospital, were injured, and/or have PTSD due to the terror that happened at the concert in Houston this past weekend.   A concert should always be a place to have fun, and not a place where tragedy happens.   

A lot of people have been sharing videos of various artists stopping the show due to emergency situations in the audience.   This all made me think about The Beatles.    We know that things got really wild at Beatles concerts.   Fans rushed the stage, passed out, screamed, stood on unstable chairs, threw things, and pushed and shoved to get closer to John, Paul, George, and Ringo.    I am sure there were moments during these concerts that fans felt like their lives might be in danger.  Thankfully no one died during a Beatles concert, but there were a few scary moments.   I think one of the scariest concerts were the two at San Francisco in 1965.   We don't have a video of what happened, but I do have this letter that shows us that Paul did notice what happened and took charge of the situation. 

This letter was written to Bob Bonis from Joan Reyolds.

Monday, September 13, 1965

Hello Bob:

Hopefully, you remember me.  I met you ......I have a son, his name is Joshua.........he has a Lego Building Block set, we let you play with it.  Oh, you remember Joshua???  Well, I'm his mother.  My name is Joan.  I liked you.  Did you like me?

Read in Ralph Gleason's column your name.  You were with the Beatles on their tour.  Yes, Bob, this is a letter regarding the Beatles.  (Does anyone ever write you any more about anything else?)

To continue on...... we went to the evening Beatles concert in San Francisco.  We had front-row center seats.  We were happy.  I went with my husband Nick, Julie Stewart (her husband works with my husband in the Kingston Trio), and a male friend called simply Mayhall.

Anyway, when the show started we were comfortable.  Then, the Beatles came on, the mob surged, we were trapped, Julie, who is five months pregnant, was getting badly kicked, etc.  We were scared for her.  We almost died protecting her.  All the girls were screaming various Beatle names.  We were screaming Paul's name.  We sounded like those girls.  We just wanted help to get Julie out of there. 

Nick made some kind of contact with Paul, who sensed that our screaming was of a different nature.  How this happened amazed us, and we are totally grateful that Paul stopped the show.  We would like to thank him most sincerely and wonder if you can tell us who we should write to, hoping it will get to him.  Or, should we forget it?

I wish I had known you were here when you were here, could have said "Hello" maybe just as well ...........you were busy I imagine.  That is all, we're well.  How are you?  Goodbye.....if you get this note, let me know, if you don't get it, don't let me know.

Very truly yours truly,

Joan Reynolds

Never say "never ever..."

This letter from George's mum must have been written about 50 years ago.   There was a lot of rumors going around that the Beatles were breaking up, and it was nice for Louise to assure this fan, Kathy, that the guys were "never, ever" breaking up and "we will always be a group."  I wish that was true---but in 1967 the turmoil hadn't yet begun.

The final answer

Whenever I read Paul's "self-interview" that came out with the McCartney album, I never read it as "the Beatles are breaking up."   I felt like he sort of left it open.   And I think in 1970, I would have thought that the guys were taking some time to work on their own projects, but would get back together in a few years as the Beatles and make another album.    Who ever heard of a rock n roll band formally breaking up anyway?    But Paul squashed all of that hope in this August 1970 letter to Melody Maker.

These fans are awesome!

Somebody has to find their tape!!!

Shea '66 letter

Don't forget that you can click on the photos to make them larger.

Paul's letter to Jean

This letter and record from 1962 that Paul McCartney sent to a fan named Jean is up for auction through the Darlington Auction House later this month.   How fun it must have been to have been a Beatles fan during those early days when the lads would write back to you.  

Letters From Mum-- A Review

When Louise Harrison mentioned in her book, My Kid Brother's Band that she had plans to release the letters her mother sent to her during the years of Beatlemania, I was thrilled at the possibility.    The senior Louise Harrison is  a much loved figure in Beatles fan history, and she was known for having a great sense of humor and for writing letters.      Many of the letters she sent to fans between 1963-1970 have appeared on this blog over the years.

Letters from Mum is a audio book from George's sister, Louise.    She reads letters that her mother sent to her from Liverpool to her home in Benton, Illinois during the year of 1963.     I really enjoyed this audio experience.    Louise did a great job reading the letters her mother sent her.   Her Liverpudlian accent really added to the mood of the letters and I am glad that it is her voice that we hear and not an unknown narrator.

The letters themselves are very interesting.  In the middle of hearing a mother telling her daughter normal day to day events, you also get to hear about the beginning of Beatlemania through the eyes of George Harrison's mother.    She talks about fans and mania and about going to Beatle concerts.   She also writes to Louise about George's trip to the U.S. to visit her and how Ringo changed his mind and decided to go to Greece instead of the United States.    It was especially interesting to hear what she had to tell her daughter about Brian Epstein and work Louise was trying to do for him (basically---don't promote all of Brian's groups---focus on your brother).  

I really liked having Mrs. Harrison's humor shine through.   I had to laugh at the story of how she was trying to sneak things through the airport duty free.

The only part of this audio that I disliked was the last track.    It was not a letter written by Mrs. Louise Harrison, but instead was something sister Louise wrote after her brother's death in 2001.   It was a rambling speech that talked about the Benton house turning into a Bed and Breakfast, Louise's charity, Drop In and seeing her brother for the last time.    I didn't feel like this speech fit in with the rest of the material in this disc.    It really should have been left off.

However, don't let that last track denture you from this treasure.  It can be purchased as a CD for $15 or a digital download for $10.   I bought mine through the itunes store.   You can purchase it directly from Louise Harrison's website as well.

http://www.lettersfrommum.com/shop/

Drew and Dy at Apple

In 1968, two musician friends from England, Keith Drewett and Peter Dymond came to London on to audition with a music publisher.    While in a taxi, they spot Paul McCartney standing outside of the Apple Boutique.   They jumped out of the cab and ran up to the bass player and asked him to listen to their music and give his opinion on if it was any good.   Surprisingly, McCartney asked the boys if they had a tape that he could listen to.    They did not have one with them.   So Paul invited them into the empty boutique and got a tape recorder.    The guys played six songs for Paul while the tape was running.   Paul smoked a cigarette while Drew and Dy (as they were known) were performing for him and two others.    Shortly afterwards the duo received this letter:

A contract with Apple arrived afterwards and they signed it and met with Paul again and ran through their songs with him.   Paul had them write down the chords to their songs.   

Then on August 12, 1968 Drew and Dy went for a session at Savile Row.   Apple had just recently moved this office and fans were starting to gather in large crowds on the outside steps.  Paul was there, working with the two guys and even played "Lady Madonna" on the piano for just the two of them!     They worked on three songs during the session and Mal Evans and Francie Schwartz came into the studio because they liked what they heard.

There was a session musician on the drums (who was drinking heavily during the session) and a session bass player.   But the other musician on the tracks was Paul McCartney himself.   He sang harmonies and played  guitar.    

Paul wasn't pleased with the session musicians by the end of the session and wanted to get back together with Drew and Dy at a later date to finish up.

But they didn't hear back from Paul and they were anxious to get a record out, so they eventually decided to end the relationship with Apple.     However, their memory of recording with Paul McCartney lives on.


Information found:
http://www.triumphpc.com/mersey-beat/beatles/drew.shtml

http://www.tracksauctions.com/paul-mccartney-drew-and-dy-1968-rosetti-airstream-electric-guitar/

Much thanks to Benoit

A letter from Mimi

Here is a letter Aunt Mimi wrote to a fan after John's death.    I think we often forget how difficult John's death was on Mimi and how far away she must have felt afterwards.    Thank goodness Yoko allowed her to keep her house!

Chicken Skin Music

George and Olivia at Elton and Renate John's party on March 3, 1988

George's letter to Mal

I find it interesting that the letter that George Harrison sent to Mal Evans, giving his approval of Mal's book has surfaced but Mal's manuscript is still MIA.   

The tickets are with Mr. Epstein

Wendy---always taking care of Brian's work for him

Almost a McCartney

This letter is currently available for bid on ebay.    I think it is a pretty neat piece of Beatles/McCartney history.    As a teacher, I can only imagine how difficult it was for Heather to adjust to a new school not just in a new town, but in a new country.   I am glad that her former teacher says here that Linda and Paul were involved in her education and helping her adjust.   Maybe bringing the class pet, Snowy, home for the weekend was a special treat for young Heather.

A 50 year old letter

I know that I have posted this before, but it is well worth posting again 50 years after it was written.  

 

A check from Apple

I thought this was interesting.   Once the Official Beatles fan club closed down, people who were still members received a refund check from Apple for the remaining amount of their membership dues!   I can't even remember how many fan magazines and fan clubs I have joined over the years and never got money back when they went under.   There are some magazines (cough cough Good Day Sunshine cough cough) that I had just renewed my membership to and they folded soon afterward without sending me anything in return.   I think it just goes to show want a top-notch fan club the Official Beatles Fan club really was.

Stolen Guitar

This is interesting.   George had some bad luck with guitars over the years.  Did he get this one back?

Paul's resignation

This is an interesting letter.   Over a year after Paul announced the break up of the Beatles, Paul sends a letter to fans saying that he is no longer a Beatle.    Why did it take him so long?  Why did he feel the need to send out this letter?

I notice that he does not address them as "Beatle People" as letters to fan club members usually were addressed, but just as "people."   This was done on purpose no doubt to really hit home.    I bet it was sad to read "Now I'm not a Beatles any longer...."

Does anyone know if this letter was really mailed out?    Does anyone recall receiving such a letter?  Since it is not signed (signature instead of just the typing) it makes me wonder. 

I really need to do more research on the history of the fan club.  

Letters from Apple

I shared something I recently won off ebay and here is yet another something I recently lost.   Some responses from Apple from Peter Brown to a fan.   I find these very interesting.   Did the fans just not "get" that the Beatles had broken up?    It was August of 1970 and this fan is asking something about the Beatles playing live.   The funniest one is where Peter Brown is telling the fan that yes Paul lives at 7 Cavendish Avenue but don't send mail to him there.  

Here is a fun fan letter written by "Jenny" in 1963. George wrote her back, with a short letter an then wrote on her original letter to answer her questions. I think it is hilarious that she wrote George and asked him to marry her, but at the same time says that she thinks Paul is the best looking! How funny!

Fan letter

Here is a fan letter that John wrote to one of his fans. Lucky girl!!