Hi All
I can't tell you how surprised I am to hear from so many people. Thank you so much for making contact. I've never, ever done this before and to be honest, it's a bit scary. I don't even know what "DM's" means. What does DM's stand for? Is this a UK based site or somewhere else? I WILL scan Dad's pictures and happy to speak to anyone who's interested in finding out more about him but I have to be respectful to his sister, my Auntie Maria, who has always shunned anything like this, i.e. any questions about her brother.
I was approached by somebody a few years ago who said he was an author, and he was quite forceful in wanting to find out more. He said he was commissionred to write the authoritative story of the Beatles but how does one know that's for real? Anyway, I chose not to.
For those who are intereted, my maiden name is Ann-Marie Chapman and I was born in August 1961. My Mum and Dad married towards the end of 1959, just before Dad joined the Silver Beatles and they divorced when I was about 2 or 3. I left home at 19, and have never seen my Mum since. She and my stepfather did not agree with my choice of partner and being quite a stong minded character, I stuck to my guns!
When I was a child, my mum told my Dad's family that they should not allow Dad (Norman) to see me and they reluctantly agreed to her wishes. I met up with Dad when I was in my 30's, and was married with two children. It was the happiest moment of my life. My Auntie Maria (Dad's sister) made contact with me again and arranged all of this. It was a life changing experiece. I'm sure that none of this is interesting to any of you who are true Beatles' fans but we were only on the periphary of that story, so what the hell!
I have been blisfully happy and have three lovely children. Hayley is 25 and Ovie is 22. Hayley and Ovie were given their first bicycles by their grandad (we bought them second hand from the newapaper) and I have photos of Dad running alongside them in Sefton Park, teaching them to ride their bikes on Christmas Day. Unfortunately, shortly after we moved from Liverpool to Brigthon in 1993, Dad's lung cancer spread rapidly and he died very soon afterwards. I think it was probably due to the fact that he continued to play in smoke filled venues; it couldn't have helped his condition. He never got to see his youngest grandson, Efe, who is now 11 and is a great football player. Efe loves Liverpool FC, unlike Dad who was an Everton supporter.
I don't know what else to say. I could go on and on; it's been quite a nice experience just wriiting this message and sharing some memories. Some people who know that my Dad was a drummer say it's a shame that he was called up for national service just before the Beatles went to Hamburg, but to be honest, the life of a so-called pop star is fraught with problems and I don't think that lifestyle would have suited him.
Bye for now.
Best wishes to all.