sorry haven't signed in for several weeks. Got tied up putting this event together for the first USA concert of the Pete Best Band 2008 tours in Buffalo NY on 5/9. Rumor has it there may be the debut of new PBB music, but we won't know until the first show on May 8th in Burlington Ontario. (club 54).
Bruno was a fan from West Derby in Liverpool, not to be confused with Bruno Koschmeider of the Kaiserkeller. The book I wrote with Pete 'The Best Years Of The Beatles', is available at a normal rate on Pete Best's own site.
I just finished listening to that 97 Rock Pete Best interview.
He sounds so happy.
Bravo, Pete.
What a classy guy.
The Beatles were really blessed to have been surrounded by a bunch of pretty nice people like: Pete, Neil, Mona, Brian, George, Mal, Astrid, Klaus, Jurgen, Sam L., Bob W., Bill H, etc., etc., etc.
One Thing I Can Tell You Is You Got To Be Free Words Of Love
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Found while surfing:
Ex-Beatles drummer Pete Best rocks on
By ROBERT M. COOK bcook@fosters.com Article Date: Saturday, May 10, 2008
DOVER — Pete Best, the Beatles' original drummer, said his fondest memory of playing with the world's most famous rock band happened on Dec. 19, 1960.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Best had just returned from playing several gigs in Hamburg, Germany. When they left England, very few people in Liverpool knew who they were. Now they were clad in leather jackets, cowboy boots and armed with a new style of electrifying rhythm and blues at the Casbah Coffee Club that was owned by Best's mother, Mona Best.
"She threw them the lifeline," said Best, who is scheduled to perform with the Pete Best Band at Jonathan's Restaurant in Ogunquit, Maine, on Thursday. That night in 1960, the Casbah club was filled to capacity with teenagers who were ready to embrace some good rock 'n' roll.
"I will never forget the expression when we played the first notes of 'Long Tall Sally' on the kids' faces," Best recalled Friday afternoon during a telephone interview from the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Buffalo, N.Y., where his band was scheduled to play that night.
Suddenly, there was a great roar that ushered in the beginning of what was to become Beatlemania, Best recalled.
"It was a moment of magic," the now 66-year-old Best said.
But Best's career with the Beatles was short-lived. Just before his former band mates became successful British pop stars in 1962, the decision was made to replace him with Ringo Starr.
Former Beatles Manager Brian Epstein broke the news to Best and Best never spoke with John, Paul or George again.
John Lennon was murdered by Mark David Chapman on Dec. 8, 1980, and George Harrison succumbed to cancer on Nov. 29, 2001. McCartney and Starr are the two surviving Beatles.
It took Best many years to recover from the pain he felt and he even hung up his drum sticks from 1968 to 1988 so he could focus on raising his two daughters and his marriage to his wife of 40 years, Kathy Best. He also worked as a civil servant in his native Liverpool.
"That decision changed my lifestyle," said Best. "I've been fortunate enough to ride the test of time."
There have been many theories about why Best was dismissed. Some believe the band wanted a new drummer after Beatles producer George Martin heard Best's playing on a demo of "Love Me Do" in 1962 and thought it wasn't good enough.
Others have speculated that McCartney and Lennon were jealous of Best's good looks and popularity with the band's female fans. The exact reason was never communicated to Best by Epstein or anyone else within the Beatles' circle.
Today Best believes his dismissal was part of the Beatles' evolution to a higher musical realm. When the Beatles got on the music charts and became more known within the music industry, "It put John, and Paul and George in a different league."
Sometimes Best said he views his dismissal from the Beatles as a blessing in disguise because fame comes with a heavy personal and emotional price tag.
"The price that John paid was too costly as far as I'm concerned," Best said.
Through it all, Best said he never stopped wanting to be a drummer in a band so he could play the kind of rock 'n' roll he did with the Beatles.
Today Best said he is the happiest he has ever been and fully enjoys playing many of the same songs the Beatles performed in Hamburg clubs like the Kaiserkeller, the Star Club and the Cavern Club in Liverpool.
He and his brother, Roag Best, share the drumming duties in his current band that features three vocalists who belt out stirring renditions of "My Bonnie," "Twist and Shout," "Money," and "One After 909."
"I think it does bring back the energy" the Beatles generated, Best said.
The Pete Best Band is in the midst of its 2008 spring tour in the U.S. and Canada, which includes a concert at Tupelo's in Londonderry on May 17.
The band will release a CD in September titled, "Hayman's Green," which is named after the street where the Casbah Coffee Club is located. Best has also written books chronicling his early Beatle years and enjoys the celebrity.
"I'm famous for not being famous," Best said.
Best also feels very proud today that he has a prominent place in Beatles history.
"The pride comes from the fact when you see the enjoyment that you're giving to the audience," Best said. "What we love about clubs is the intimacy with the audience."
Many of the songs the band plays were featured on the Beatles "Anthology I" CD in 1995 and netted Best and his family up to $4 million pounds in royalties.
He saw it as a way for the surviving Beatles to say thank you for helping the group find its signature sound in the early years.
"It was nice for it to happen," Best said. "It was totally unexpected and it was icing on the cake."
Best also believes he is reliving part of the dream he experienced when he was the Beatles' drummer.
"I can enjoy myself and I can live," Best said. "I feel like I'm doing OK."
When asked why he believes the early Beatles music is still relevant for so many people today, Best replied that it gives people a chance to experience the Beatles when they were a young, energetic rock 'n' roll band.
"It brings the show to the people and gives people a taste of what they were like before they were recording artists," Best said.
Many of the songs the band plays were featured on the Beatles "Anthology I" CD in 1995 and netted Best and his family up to $4 million pounds in royalties.
Well, that's a relief. Better late than never, I suppose. I'm glad he got a chance to enjoy his contribution to their legacy at last, as he certainly went through some misery to begin with. *hugs him... oh yeah, I already did that*
All you've got to do is choose love. That's how I live it now. I learned a long time ago, I can feed the birds in my garden. I can't feed them all. -- Ringo Starr, Rolling Stone magazine, May 2007
For all I know, Ringo might be a yogi disguised as a drummer! - George Harrison
I heard a funny story from someone who went to see Pete Best giving a lecture about his Beatle days. During the lecture, Best did a fairly obvious running gag of "then I met Paul, er, Paul (pretending to forget) what's his name again?" Unfortunately, there was a completely humourless fan in the audience, who not realising it was a gag, stood up and helpfully shouted "It's Paul McCartney!" And later on, when Pete Best redid the same gag for the other Beatles, this fan kept on standing up going "It's John Lennon!" and "It's George Harrison for god sake, you worked with him!". Excruciating at the time, but funny in retrospect.
Ugh! What a horrible story! Wasn't any intelligent person sitting near this "fan" who could say, "It's okay, buddy. Grow a sense of humor."
I heard Pete is funny at these talks. He did a bit of talking between sets during the concert I saw but... I couldn't understand him! His accent was too thick. From the people up front who were laughing (perhaps they could lip read?) he was pretty funny.
All you've got to do is choose love. That's how I live it now. I learned a long time ago, I can feed the birds in my garden. I can't feed them all. -- Ringo Starr, Rolling Stone magazine, May 2007
For all I know, Ringo might be a yogi disguised as a drummer! - George Harrison
Ugh! What a horrible story! Wasn't any intelligent person sitting near this "fan" who could say, "It's okay, buddy. Grow a sense of humor."
I heard Pete is funny at these talks. He did a bit of talking between sets during the concert I saw but... I couldn't understand him! His accent was too thick. From the people up front who were laughing (perhaps they could lip read?) he was pretty funny.
That is crazy!! Most accents mellow out over time, or at least stay the same. I've herrrrd Pete talk on youtube, he seemed fairly intelligible. Do you think it was a bad sound system at the venue (lots of echo), or maybe there was some alcohol involved, perish the thought!
I love John, I love Paul, And George and Ringo, I love them all!
Here's a piece I found that Bill wrote for Mersey Beat when Ringo replaced Pete. (Hope you don't mind Bill)
MERSEY BEAT EXCLUSIVE STORY BEATLES CHANGE DRUMMER!
Ringo Starr (former drummer with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes) has joined The Beatles, replacing Pete Best on drums. Ringo has admired The Beatles for years and is delighted with his new engagement. Naturally he is tremendously excited about the future.
The Beatles comment "Pete left the group by mutual agreement. There were no arguments or difficulties, and this has been an entirely amicable decision."
On Tuesday, September 4th, The Beatles will fly to London to make recordings at E.M.I. Studios. They will be recording numbers that have been specifically written for the group, which they have received from their recording manager George Martin (Parlophone).
THE BEATLES TO PLAY CHESTER
As a result of the phenominal Box Office success of the Beatles during their 4-week season of Monday nights at the Plaza Ballroom, St. Helens, the directors of Whetstone Entertainment, controllers of the ballroom, have engaged the Beatles for a series of four Thursday night sessions at the Riverpark Ballroom, Chester, which commenced on 16th August.
I've herrrrd Pete talk on youtube, he seemed fairly intelligible. Do you think it was a bad sound system at the venue
Maybe it was a bad sound system. I hadn't thought of that. It was terribly frustrating, because I've listened to the Beatles a lot, and I just couldn't get what Pete was saying.
I know I certainly got smashed after the show (sat up drinking with some friendly Canadians), but Pete was sober, but very tired, poor man. I know because I was forced to hug him four times for the requisite mug shot, because my flash wouldn't go off.
All you've got to do is choose love. That's how I live it now. I learned a long time ago, I can feed the birds in my garden. I can't feed them all. -- Ringo Starr, Rolling Stone magazine, May 2007
For all I know, Ringo might be a yogi disguised as a drummer! - George Harrison
Pete Best doesn`t seem to be a very clever guy. As George Martin says he was rather gloomy, aloof and tied-lipped, out of the place. I dont think there is any point in their meeting each other, what can they say to each other? Though, certainly, as a fan i would like to watch them and to listen to any kind of conversation they may have. So from my egotistical point of view i am for the encounter.
I can't help feeling that some of George Martin's current comments have been influenced by the Beatles books he's read. It was very common in the early Sixties for Londob A&R men to use session drummers - on a variety of bands ranging from the Beatles to Procol Harum. When the Beatles sacked Pete, George Martin told Mo Best: "I never suggested that Pete Best must go. All I said was that for the purposes of the Beatles first record I would rather have a session man. I never thought that Brian Epstein would let him go. He seemed to be the most saleable commodity as far as looks went. It was a surprise when I learned they had dropped Pete." When Ringo replaced him, Ron Richards. George Martin and Paul McCartney all said they were unhappy with the way Ringo played on their first recording session, so a second one was arranged. When they arrived drummer Andy White was there and Ringo thought 'They've done a Pete Best on me.' Martin said, "He (Ringo) couldn't do a roll - and still can't, though he's improved a lot since. Andy was the kind of drummer I needed. Ringo was only used to ballrooms. It was obviously best to use someone with experience."
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