Following the thread about Tommy Moore: does anybody know something about the whereabouts of former Beatles-drummer Norman Chapman? Pictures? I know he played a couple of times with the boys and had to leave because of his duty into military service. I know from Allan Williams' book that they heard him drumming in an office at night and managed to get him into the group. But that's about it. Anybody knows more?

alittle more Norman Chapman - drummer for the Silver Beetles for a few weeks in 1960. Left when conscripted into the Army for two years service in Kenya and Kuwait.

I could only find this-

'In July of 1960, they changed their name once again to the Silver Beatles and acquired yet another drummer for a short time. Sitting in the Jacaranda Club, The Beatles were discussing what they could do about the drumming situation. Allan Williams had gone out to the street when he heard someone drumming away. He called the group outside and they followed the sound of the drumming. The first night the drumming stopped before they found the source, but on the second night, they found Norman Chapman practicing above the offices of the National Cash Register Co. Norman was asked to join The Beatles, but only appeared with them three times before he was called up for national service.'

It would be nice to find some history as to what became of Norman somehow.

Damn Conscription!!! lol

On this Brazilian site I found a picture of Norman Chapman. The picture is protected by copyright, so I could not post it here. Check it out. Also a good opportunity to exercise your Portuguese.

http://www.thebeatles.com.br/clube-da-caverna-noites-selvagens.htm

Quoted from Bobber

The picture is protected by copyright, so I could not post it here.

Not any more!!!! ;D Here's the pic Bobber was referring to:

That's great TE!

Just figured out that the text underneath the picture mentions something like 'just when they thought they had a good drummer, Norman was called to military service for two years. He served in Kenya and Kuwait. The Beatles thought that the army was going to be the end of the band, for John too almost had the age to go, followed by Paul and George. In November 1960 the mandatory military service was extinct in the England. This saved the Beatles. Paul said that the army killed Elvis and would have killed the group.

Nice one Bobber! Looks like a great site actually!

Quoted from The_End

Nice one Bobber! Looks like a great site actually!

It's just that my Portuguese is not really up to date.

Quoted from Bobber

It's just that my Portuguese is not really up to date.

Voce e muito como mim porque eu nao falo Portugese tampouco.

Ah, you don't speak Portuguese either. I thought we had a Brazilian member on the forums? I remember welcoming one.

Quoted from Bobber

Ah, you don't speak Portuguese either.

Ha ha, you translated it! ;D

Norman said that he did not regret being 'called up' for his national service. On his return he became a teacher in the south of England and used to fascinate his students with tales of his brief spell with the Silver Beatles. He continued playing drums and was a member of a trio when he died in 1995 at the age of 58

Quoted from Bill Harry

Norman said that he did not regret being 'called up' for his national service. On his return he became a teacher in the south of England and used to fascinate his students with tales of his brief spell with the Silver Beatles. He continued playing drums and was a member of a trio when he died in 1995 at the age of 58

I would have loved to hear his tales.

     Norman became a member of the Silver Beatles for a short time during the summer of 1960.
     When Tommy Moore left the group following a gig at the Jacaranda coffee bar on Monday 13 June of that year, the Beatles were desperate for a replacement. They were pondering over the problem one night while sitting in the coffee bar when they heard the sound of drumbeats from across the street. Almost directly opposite the Jacaranda in Slater Street was a picture-framing establishment. Norman Chapman worked there as a picture-framer and renovator, and played drums as a hobby, practising on a hire-purchase kit in the offices of the firm in the evenings.
     They went into the street, trying to find where the sound was coming from. They knocked on the doors of the National Cash Register Office and Chapman popped his head out of an upstairs window of the building. They offered him the position of drummer with the band. Chapman, an imposing six-foot-two in height, accepted the job. However, he only managed to appear with them on three Saturday night gigs at the Grosvenor Ballroom, Birkenhead, on 18 and 25 June and 2 July, before he was called up for National Service and was conscripted for two years in Kenya and Kuwait.

I met Norman once in 1989 or 1990.

I got his number from the phone book and just called to say that I was in Liverpool from NYC doing research for a book. I asked if I could possibly interview him about his Beatles' days. He was so surprised and self deprecating on the phone and said it was impossible. But I persisted saying that it was really important for my project to meet with him. He finally agreed to see me, but only if I would be his guest at a charity show for kids he would be attending that very evening.

I arranged to meet up with Mr. Chapman at a working men's club somewhere in Anfield later that night. Perhaps I took a taxi to the address he gave me because I seem to remember the cab driver questioning the advisability of being in that area, at that time of night. The club was not easy to find, but eventually I got there, and the doorman had been expecting me.

He bought me into a large darkened smoky room that was a cross between a theater and a pub. Then I was presented to a table of about four or five nicely dressed men in their late forties. Norman Chapman, the biggest of the bunch, stood up, shook my hand, and introduced me to his table of friends saying, "This guy has come all the way from New York City just to interview me for his book."

That got a great laugh from his friends and sort of broke the ice. He immediately asked me what I wanted to drink, and I said,  "the same as you, please."  I seem to recall that he wound up ordering about half a dozen pints of 'mild,'a type of beer that I had never had before.

The rest of the evening, except for the surprise of watching Ken Dodd on stage, is a bit of a blur, I'm afraid. He brought me there strictly for entertainment value. He really did not want to be the center of attention; that was my role, as far as he and his friends were concerned. And I was happy to play along with the lark.

I had a great time that night. Everything Mr. Harry said in the above post was true. He was a gentle giant, wearing glasses and a long, very un-Beatles looking leather overcoat. A real sweetheart and gentleman. Mr. Chapman completely played down his role as temporary pre-Hamburg Beatles member and reveled in his role as host.

It was a once in a lifetime event for me. Unfortunately, the book did not get finished.

Great story Ligger. Shame about the book though. Do you still have plans to get it published someday?

Good story Ligger. Although I had wished you had asked him a couple of questions about his Beatledays.

I enjoyed that story Ligger. It's a pity no one really interviewed him before his death, or took photos. I remember exactly the place where he used to rehearse because on the ground floor there was a shop which used to frame paintings and I got them to frame my one and only oil painting, a portrait of Virginia I did in 1960. If I knew how to put images onto this I could show you.
I would also have liked further details of the Tommy Moore story.
In the meantime, I wonder if any Beatle friends can help me. I've written a piece about the 'Ringo' special from April 1978 with Carrie Fisher, Angie Dickinson etc, but I have no illustrations for it. Does anyone have any images from that special?

Quoted from Bill Harry

In the meantime, I wonder if any Beatle friends can help me. I've written a piece about the 'Ringo' special from April 1978 with Carrie Fisher, Angie Dickinson etc, but I have no illustrations for it. Does anyone have any images from that special?

http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/b-starr/m-1202483450/

No plans at the moment, although discovering this site has gotten me thinking about revisiting all the memories of the interviews that I did in Liverpool nearly twenty years ago. I met some warm and welcoming folk with many stories still untold.

That's why I enjoy your postings especially, Bill. With each of your writings, I uncover another piece of an incredibly complex and sometimes puzzling tale that still needs to be told. At least for lifelong Beatles fans like me.

Since you just mentioned Ringo, I have to say that my favorite recent Bill Harry revelation is the information that little quiet George Harrison was the person most responsible for ousting Pete, and then acquiring Ringo from Rory. And the reason was so so fundamental. George and Ringo had a special rapport. Many of us had just assumed that it was Paul's jealousy or George Martin's less than positive comments.

I wonder why Paul has never invited Pete Best to play on a session. What a warm gesture that would be. Just one song.

Bill, do you have another example of the George and Ringo connection from that time? I'm sure all of us forum cave dwellers would appreciate any recollections.  

it is probally a good thing that norman did not stay with them as the business eats nice guys for lunch....and norm was to gentle a soul to sacrifice.....

Quoted from Bill Harry

I enjoyed that story Ligger. It's a pity no one really interviewed him before his death, or took photos. I remember exactly the place where he used to rehearse because on the ground floor there was a shop which used to frame paintings and I got them to frame my one and only oil painting, a portrait of Virginia I did in 1960. If I knew how to put images onto this I could show you.
I would also have liked further details of the Tommy Moore story.
In the meantime, I wonder if any Beatle friends can help me. I've written a piece about the 'Ringo' special from April 1978 with Carrie Fisher, Angie Dickinson etc, but I have no illustrations for it. Does anyone have any images from that special?

ok bill there are sites that generates url for pictures...once you have a url you can post the picture....some sites require nothing in the way of sign up or anything....there is image shack http://imageshack.us/
zshare is another one http://www.zshare.net/

if you have a file on your computer either a picture or audio,one of these programs can generate you a link for posting a picture here....you can even create your own avatar....after you have the link you can pick the post image link below and put your url in the middle and viola!!!you haave posted a picture...bill if you need help with this pm me or email me...you know my address...

Quoted from BlueMeanie

Great story Ligger. Shame about the book though. Do you still have plans to get it published someday?

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.

sorry for your loss and hope we were not out of line...welcome to the forums....please stay...

do you happen to have a shareable picture of him?

Yes - I've got two pictures and one or two other family pictures with two of my children, but of course you won't want those :) .  I've got one with him at the drums, with Joe Royal, and another one of him sitting in a bar with a group of young men.  I don't know any of them but others might do.  I'll scan them next week but not sure if I know how to attach.  I'm new to this...but I'll give it a go.

thank you ever so much and we hope you'll become a regular and who says we don't want to see your kids i have 3 myself....
this is jazmyn rose my little girl.....

timmy my 13 year old...
and chucky

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!  ;D  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.

This was an incredibly cool thread to follow.  
Sorry for the loss also, but a thank you for the info that was provided.

Quoted from Bill Harry

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.

I forget to tell you all that Bill and Liverbird have been in contact after all.

it's good to see that piece of history --and norman's story--come full circle. Truth is good.