Thank you for that, LB999. Sorry to hear about his passing.

It really was pushy of me to just have phoned your father up like that -  without a proper introduction from a mutual acquaintance. He seemed to be a very gracious man with a wonderful sense of humor.

I can't wait to look at some personal family photos of him.

You are making a lot of fans of the Beatles and their Liverpool story really happy.

Quoted from liverbird999

Hi - I've just stumbled across these posts while doing some research myself.  Norman Chapman was my Dad and unfortunately, he died from cancer over 10 years ago.  I read somewhere that someone said he was a teacher down South. What a load of old rubbish .  He opened his own picture framing business in Southport, where he was very happy indeed.  The problem with Dad was that he was a fantastic picture framer, a really artistic man, but he was a generous type of person who would give things away rather than charge a proper price for them!  

It's lovely to hear some of then nice things that people remember about him; he was indeed a very gentle character who was reluctant to talk about his very brief stint with the Silver Beatles.  He only has one remaining sibling left, who lives a five minute walk away from the Jacaranda.  When I was in Livepool two years ago, my Auntie Maria took me to the Jacaranda, where my Dad's old drumkit is hanging above the bar.  I've only got one or two pics of Dad; one with the Saturated Seven, and old Joe Royal.  He and Dad continued to be friends and even though old Joe passed away some time ago, young Joe still remembers to send my Auntie a christmas card.

I have to tell you that the picture that's been posted on this site is not my Dad!  I laughed my head off when I saw it...can't wait to show my kids tomorrow!  

Thanks again for remembering him in a lovely way.

Hi Liverbird, welcome to DM's. It's a privilege to have you around here. I was the one who posted the picture of Norman earlier. I found it on a Brazilian Beatlessite. The problem is that we don't know what he should look like!    We'll be luckybirds if you would like to share your pictures with us. I'll be happy to post them for you if you don't know how.

Welcome to the forum Liverbird. It's great to have people here who are directly connected to The Beatles! Makes me feel starstruck.

Thanks for dropping in and setting us straight, Liverbird999! It's so neat that you found us. It would be really neat to see a proper picture of your dad. I'm sure many of us would be willing to help you post it, if you're unsure of the procedure.

Thanks for sharing your memories.

To Liverbird,
I'd like to get in touch with you to discuss the entry on your father for my next edition of 'The Beatles Encyclopedia.'

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.

^What wonderful news to occur on this forum.  Welcome Liverbird and thanks for putting us straight in such a dignified manner. Hope you & Bill sort some history out. All the very best.

DM are the initials of this websites Russian creator, Dmitry Murashev. I'm so glad your dad is still honoured in such a way, with the hanging drum kit and now maybe a rightful place in the encyclopedic chapters of The Beatles. Warms my heart for you. Losing a parent can be like a black hole. To know they are alive in peoples memories is a great comfort.

Glad you found us.

what a fantastic sharing....we thank you ever so much anne marie...we will not push you around like some of those crass authors......you share whatever you feel like....and not just about mr chapman...
if anyone else trys to bully a story out of you,just show them the door...
it is sad that norm passed on but it is fantastic that you did in fact meet up with him again and he got to meet grandchildren...that has got to be a guys second favorite feeling..i would think number one would being the childs father...
my father never got to meet any of my kids...i named one after him too..charles......my pop had a massive stroke that paralyzed the right half of his body...he was placed in i c u and never recovered..the vetrans hospital was where they moved him..where we speculate he was not monitored round the clock for he had an early morning seizure which in the next day ended his stay on this big blue marble...but lets not end this thing on a sad note...
i just fixed chuckys bike tire and he went riding...

Quoted from An Apple Beatle

I'm so glad your dad is still honoured in such a way, with the hanging drum kit and now maybe a rightful place in the encyclopedic chapters of The Beatles. Warms my heart for you. Losing a parent can be like a black hole. To know they are alive in peoples memories is a great comfort.

Glad you found us.

Ditto!

Your story was so moving and honest, Ann-Marie. Obviously you did the right thing by sticking to your guns-- good for you! I so enjoyed hearing your perspective both on your life and your father's. Thank you so much for brightening our day.

Same here.

Quoted from Bill Harry

To Liverbird,
I'd like to get in touch with you to discuss the entry on your father for my next edition of 'The Beatles Encyclopedia.'

Bill, did this actually took place? And is there anything we can do to help you with this next edition?

Bobber, no, I haven't heard anything. I wanted her to check the entry on Norman Chapman in my encyclopedia for accuracy and add anything further she thought was relevant.