On a November day in 1970, at a momentous time in the most consequential year of his life, one of the most famous people in the world was sitting alone on a blanket by the ocean south of the pier in Deerfield Beach, as far away from the pressure of being George Harrison as he could get.

The Beatles guitarist and songwriter had just days before put the finishing touches on his solo album, “All Things Must Pass,” a deeply personal statement that would forever change critical perceptions of Harrison as an artist. As he sat on the beach, the album was mere weeks away from being revealed to the public on Nov. 27.

At the same time, the album’s release would be tangible evidence, if the world still needed it, that the long and winding road of the Beatles’ fractious breakup was coming to an end. Paul McCartney would file a lawsuit to dissolve the partnership the following month.

The rumor of Harrison’s presence over the course of some 10 days in Deerfield Beach — closely guarded by locals, some who admit to never having actually seen him — sounds so unlikely, so fantastical, that it’s fair to wonder if it actually happened. George Harrison in Deerfield Beach? Seriously?

Longtime resident Jeff Fisk, a Beatles fan from an early age who bought the 45 of Harrison’s single “My Sweet Lord” on the day it was released, was a fifth-grader when the chatter hit the playground at St. Ambrose Catholic School in January 1971.

The story he heard, which had spread through the local surfing community, was too good to be true: Harrison was at the beach when he was recognized by a surfer chasing after his board and, upon questioning, admitted his identity. The surfer, a respected figure on the waves in Deerfield Beach, was named Paul McCartney.

Source: Ben Crandell, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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Director Sam Mendes' "The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event" has cast some power women actors for pivotal roles.

Sony Pictures announced Friday, Oct. 31, that "Shogun" star Anna Sawai will play John Lennon's wife Yoko Ono, and "White Lotus" star Aimee Lou Wood will star as George Harrison's wife Pattie Boyd, who later married Eric Clapton.

Mia McKenna-Bruce will star as Ringo Starr's first wife, Maureen Starkey (née Cox), and Saoirse Ronan will play Paul McCartney's wife, Linda McCartney (née Eastman).  "Maureen, Linda, Yoko and Pattie are four fascinating and unique figures in their own right - and I’m thrilled that we’ve managed to persuade four of the most talented women working in film today to join this amazing adventure," Mendes said in a statement.

At CinemaCom in April, Mendes announced the stars of these intersecting music biopics: Paul Mescal is playing McCartney, Joseph Quinn will play Harrison, Barry Keoghan will be drumming as Starr, and Harris Dickinson has been cast as Lennon.

"The Beatles changed my understanding of music. Pretty much, they made up my first memories," Mendes said in April. He revealed that all four films – which will be in production for over a year – will come out in April 2028, calling it "the first binge-able theatrical experience."

Here's the brief bios on the real-life characters:

Linda Eastman (Ronan) was a celebrated photographer when she met Paul McCartney in 1967. There was an instant attraction and McCartney later said, "The first time I saw her, I just knew."
John Lennon first met the Japanese artist Yoko Ono (Sawai) at a London exhibition of her work. Although Lennon was married at the time, he was immediately intrigued by Yoko, and the two eventually became inseparable creative partners for the rest of his life.
Pattie Boyd (Wood) was a successful model when in 1964 she met George Harrison on the set of the Beatles movie "A Hard Day’s Night." The two began dating and later married, with Boyd sharing Harrison’s growing interest in Eastern mysticism.
Maureen Cox (Mia McKenna-Bruce) was an early fan of The Beatles who met Ringo Starr at the Cavern Club in 1962. Their romance blossomed quickly. They married in 1965 and had three children together.

Source: Bryan Alexander/usatoday.com

Legendary drummer Ringo Starr reportedly fell on stage during a recent concert.

TMZ reported Starr, 83, took the tumble while he was performing with his "All-Starr Band"at Rio Rancho Events Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico Wednesday night.

The media outlet said Starr tripped while he was singing "Give Peace A Chance" during the show's encore. "But he got right back up and made light of the sitch -- while continuing the show," TMZ reported.

Starr and his band, which is comprised of artists such as Edgar Winter, Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Warren Ham, Gregg Bissonette, and Hamish Stuart, just kicked off a fall 2023 tour. With a little help from my friends, we're getting together again. I know we're going to be in a city near you, so peace and love," Starr says in a video he shared on social media. "Hope to see you."

The band was forced to postpone several shows in 2022 because he and a few fellow members tested positive for COVID.  The shows were originally planned for 2020, but were initially postponed due to the pandemic.

Starr, whose real name is Richard Starkey, is a nine-time Grammy Award winner. He and Paul McCartney are the two surviving members of the classic rock band The Beatles.

John Lennon was 40 years old when he was shot and killed outside his New York apartment building on Dec. 8, 1980. George Harrison died at the age of 58 on Nov. 29, 2001 after a long battle with cancer.

Source: JESSICA A. BOTELHO /wgxa.tv

Despite years in the spotlight as The Beatles rose to become one of the most successful rock acts ever, John Lennon once revealed that his post-band period brought him the greatest joy. ‌

However, his son Sean Ono Lennon has now clarified his father's remarks from decades past. After emerging in the 1960s and rapidly achieving global superstardom, The Beatles were considered the world's premier musical phenomenon, though their collaboration essentially concluded in the early 1970s when Paul McCartney departed the group.

As a solo performer residing in America with his wife, Yoko Ono, Lennon performed two shows at Madison Square Garden in 1972 for the "One to One" benefit concerts, which supported children with disabilities.

After those Madison Square Garden performances with his wife, he notably declared, "That Madison Square Garden gig was the best music I enjoyed playing since the Cavern or even Hamburg."

Yet during a conversation with Lennon's son Sean on BBC Radio 6 Music, host Chris Hawkins questioned whether his father's post-Madison Square Garden remarks indicated he "had fallen out of love with music?"

‌Sean responded by suggesting there was "a bit of a myth around that," explaining he believed his dad's statements better reflected John having "fallen out of love with a certain kind of fame."

Elaborating further, he revealed his father's genuine feelings about The Beatles, explaining, "I think he'd fallen out of love with having to be part of the machinery of a pop machine, you know.

"I think that was, even though he was always rebellious within that framework, I think that he still resented, you know, having to be a Beatle in a way. I think he really wanted to move on from that, you know."  ‌

Lennon was often the most critical of The Beatles' endeavors, both in and out of the recording studio, and continuously voiced negative views even after the group called it quits. He wasn't ever shy to throw certain Beatles songs under the bus.

In fact, Lennon wasn't happy with any of The Beatles' songs, it turns out, and once confided in one of the most important figures in the band's life, their producer, George Martin, who was often referred to as the fifth Beatle, about a wild wish he had about their tunes.

Source: Danny Gutmann, Hannah Furnell/irishstar.com

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The Beatles' meteoric rise to fame was nothing short of dramatic. After becoming the biggest band in Liverpool in 1962, they took the UK by storm in 1963, securing their first official number one single with 'From Me to You', followed by their debut album 'Please Please Me' topping the charts after its release in March.

By 1964, they were a global sensation. The Fab Four were in the midst of a 19-date concert residency in Paris on January 25, 1964, when their manager Brian Epstein informed them that they had achieved their first number one in America with 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' topping the US's Cashbox charts.

The song reached number one on the USA's main chart - the Billboard Hot 100 - by February 1 and remained there for seven weeks. At this point, Epstein decided it was time to capitalise on international markets.

Given The Beatles' early success in the clubs of Hamburg, Berlin-based Odeon Records suggested to Epstein and producer George Martin that singing in German would boost record sales in West Germany. Consequently, The Beatles were ushered into the Pathé Marconi studio in Paris on January 29 to sing in a foreign language.

Translations of 'She Loves You' and 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' were provided, but John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison were not particularly enthusiastic about the idea. They would have preferred to stay in their hotel, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Mr Martin recalled in 'The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions' by Mark Lewisohn: "I fixed the session for late morning. Norman Smith, myself, and the translator, a chap named Nicolas, all got to the studio on time, but there was no sign of The Beatles. We waited an hour before I telephoned their suite at the George V hotel.

"Neil Aspinall answered: 'They're in bed; they've decided not to go to the studio'. I went crazy – it was the first time they had refused to do anything for me. 'You tell them they've got to come, otherwise I shall be so angry it isn't true! I'm coming over right now'.

Source: Dan Haygarth/uk.news.yahoo.com

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Speaking with The Guardian earlier this year, John Lennon’s oldest son Julian Lennon said that Beatles projects like Peter Jackson’s Get Back or the newly restored Let It Be are “news to me half the time.” That was also the case with Sam Mendes’ four simultaneous biopics. “Normally I’m kept out of all the Apple and Beatles stuff,” Julian explained in a recent interview with Rolling Stone. “Sean [Lennon, his half-brother] and I have a great relationship, but he can’t even talk to me about that stuff legally, which is a little uncomfortable, because he wants to tell me stuff, but he can’t. But Sean got in touch and said, ‘Listen, Sam Mendes wants to get in touch.’ I went, ‘Really? Why?’ I hadn’t even heard of the four new Beatles films. And initially, I just thought to myself, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. Another freaking Beatles film? Haven’t we had enough?'” He laughed.

Julian’s interactions with the filmmaker seem to mark a difference from how he’s usually treated by the Beatles’ management. “Sam and I met earlier this year and had lunch. He was an absolute gentleman,” the musician and photographer gushed. Mendes asked him for stories he might remember of the Beatles phenomenon, but Julian admitted he was too young to remember much. “Then he said, ‘The most important thing for me, Jules, is that I want to make sure that your story and your mother’s story are told with absolute clarity and truth, whatever that means.’ And I just said, ‘I truly appreciate that.'”

Source:  Mary Kate Carr/avclub.com

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