Beatles News
He's known for this three-word mantra.
When the average person hears the name Ringo Starr, a few things might come to mind: The Beatles. Drums. "Yellow Submarine." Thomas and Friends. And, of course, there's always the musician's iconic catchphrase: "Peace and love."
It's long been assumed by many that Starr, 84, came up with his motto after visiting India with the other Beatles — John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison — in 1968. But as he recently told the Associated Press, Starr was actually inspired to coin the phrase after spending time in a particular American city.
“It actually came, for me, from San Francisco, where the hippies were,” Starr said. “They were, of course, great peace and lovers, and then it changed. But I found a picture the other day of the four of us [giving the peace sign]...I didn’t invent it, I just picked it up. Johnwas a big proponent of peace and love, and it just came to me.”
In the years since, however, Starr has come to appreciate the true value of his message, which the world might need to hear now more than ever.
“I think it’s important every day — and right now the world is going through a madness. Maybe it’ll help,” Starr said.
Later in the same interview, the drummer admitted that he's naturally “an optimist, not a pessimist," referencing the challenges of his early life (which included contracting tuberculosis and spending two years in a sanatorium, where he learned to play the drums).
Source: parade.com/Jacqueline Burt Cote
Some Beatles critics were quick to blame the Fab Four for the rise of drug culture, particularly psychedelics and marijuana, in the late 1960s, but George Harrison had a different idea about who was really responsible for the public’s interest in LSD and weed. While it’s true that much of the Beatles’ later work was heavily influenced by this psychedelic drug and the mental and visual revelations they had while taking it, the band didn’t feel it was their obligation to lie about it.
When someone asked about their recreational drug use, they were honest. And as Harrison once argued during a 1971 appearance on the Dick Cavett Show, that was the real problem. George Harrison Says Beatles Weren’t Responsible For Drug Culture
To pin the rise of drug use and counterculture solely on the Beatles would be wholly overestimating their cultural influence as a singular musical group. The Beatles were massive, certainly, but hardly big enough to inform an entire generation of global citizens without any extra help. The Beatles were one thread in a larger tapestry of societal change. They didn’t invent LSD. They were merely one of the thousands of people who started trying it recreationally in the mid-1960s. And even then, this was after the drug had already been present in psychiatric and other scientific circles for decades.
Nevertheless, the Beatles were one of the biggest bands in the world in the mid-1960s. If they said jump, most of their fans would ask, “How high?” Social influence of this size comes with its fair share of downsides, including the fact that critics will often lobby your personal choices against you in the context of other people’s choices. Because the Beatles did LSD, the media tried to blame other people using LSD on them. But as George Harrison argued during a 1971 appearance on the Dick Cavett Show, he and his bandmates simply didn’t believe that to be true.
Source: americansongwriter.com/Melanie Davis
If you’re under 60, you probably heard the line “I read the news today, oh boy” before encountering the song it opens. Even after you discovered the work of the Beatles, it may have taken you some time to understand what, exactly, it was that John Lennon read in the news. The “lucky man who made the grade” and “blew his mind out in a car” turn out to have been inspired by the young Guinness heir Tara Browne, who’d fatally wiped out in his Lotus Elan. The figure of 4,000 holes in the roads of Blackburn came from another page of the same edition of the Daily Mail. These are just two of the memorable images in “A Day in the Life,” which sonically reconstructs the fabric of the nineteen-sixties as the Beatles knew it.
In his new video below, Evan Puschak, better known as the Nerdwriter, calls “A Day in the Life” “arguably the Beatles’ best song.” Critic Ian MacDonald is rather less ambiguous in his book Revolution in the Head: The Beatles’ Records and the Sixties, proclaiming it “their finest single achievement.”
And if any single factor shaped its development, that factor was LSD. “A song about perception — a subject central both to late-period Beatles and the counterculture at large — ‘A Day in the Life’ concerned ‘reality’ only to the extent that this had been revealed by LSD to be largely in the eye of the beholder,” he writes. Lennon may have proven to be the group’s most dedicated enthusiast of that shortcut to enlightenment. It’s worth noting, as Puschak does, that it was Browne who first “turned on” Paul McCartney.
Source: openculture.com/Colin Marshall
The Beatles' split was famously acrimonious and left them on bad terms with one another. Factors including John Lennon's relationship with Yoko Ono, emerging creative differences and a disagreement over the appointment of Allen Klein at their label Apple Records are all cited for the break up of the world's biggest band.
However, it seems the troubles really began during the recording sessions of the band's 1968 record 'The White Album', which were notoriously feisty. Ringo Starr left the band for a period, fed up with the mood, as The Beatles clashed.
About that period of recording, Paul McCartney said: "There was a lot of friction during that album. We were just about to break up, and that was tense in itself". John later added: "The break-up of The Beatles can be heard on that album."
In September 1969, after the band had recorded the majority of what became 'Let it Be' (the 'Get Back' sessions) and 'Abbey Road', John told Paul, George Harrison and Ringo that he wanted a "divorce" from The Beatles. Paul went away to work on his first solo album 'McCartney', believing it was all over for the group.
Paul has said he told his bandmates in advance that he would release 'McCartney' with a press release announcing his departure from The Beatles in April 1970. The Beatles had released 'Let it Be' as a single in March 1970, so the new album was renamed after it and they set a May 1970 release date for that album - following the film's premiere.
But with record label Apple wanting to avoid a clash and Paul not wanting to speak to them due to his disapproval of manager Klein, Ringo went to his home with a letter from himself, John and George asking him to move his release date. Paul and Ringo had a huge row and he threw the drummer out of his house.
Source: liverpoolecho.co.uk/Dan Haygarth
Years before the Beatles sold hundreds of millions of albums themselves, they were looking for a record deal that would save them from playing racy Hamburg venues, only to be given an uncredited performance opportunity on an album they didn’t even like that much. As the old adage goes, beggars can’t be choosers, right?
The recording process might not have been everything the band dreamed of. Still, it was an interesting precursor to a life they would soon become well-acquainted with: that of an original recording artist. But before that could happen, the lads had to pay their dues.
The Beatles’ Uncredited Album Gig From Early Hamburg Days
As is so often the case in the music industry, the Beatles got their start as a backing band, not the original band we know and love today. The group cut their teeth across Europe, performing for hours on end for solo performers, entertaining nightclub attendees into the wee hours of the morning, and other kinds of “jukebox” gigs that make playing music feel like, well, a real job. Countless green performers will “pay their dues” in this way in the hopes that these backing gigs will lead to something bigger for themselves, and the Beatles were no exception.
When solo performer Tony Sheridan needed a backing band to cut a few records in the studio, the Beatles obliged. But once they got there, they quickly realized that this wasn’t the “big break” they had been looking for. As George Harrison recalled in Anthology, “It was a bit disappointing because we’d been hoping to get a record deal ourselves.” Moreover, the band walked into the session with a great deal of confidence. “We thought it would be easy,” John Lennon added. “The Germans had such s***** records. Ours were bound to be better. We did five of our own numbers. But they didn’t like them.”
Instead, the band recorded covers with Sheridan providing lead vocals, including “My Bonnie.” When the time came to list the band on the singles, Bert Kaempfert, the band leader and producer, changed the Beatles’ name to the Beat Brothers. “This is more understandable for the German audience,” Paul McCartney recalled him telling the band. “We went along with it,” he said. “It was a record.”
It Didn’t Take Long For Those Tables To Turn
The Beatles might have left the German recording session with their tail between their legs. But that humility didn’t last long. It would only take a few years for the band—properly billed under their own name—to reach international stardom. What’s more, they managed to do so with their original music. This was still a novelty at a time when most music was written by songwriters, not by the performing artist. When Tony Sheridan first released his records with “the Beat Brothers” as his backing band, even songs where he wasn’t present, like “Ain’t She Sweet” and “Cry For a Shadow,” were still primarily billed to him, not the future Fab Four.
Source: americansongwriter.com/Melanie Davis
One of the world’s largest permanent Beatles collections is moving to downtown St. Pete.
Penny Lane, a not-for-profit museum dedicated to the legacy of the Beatles, will open in 2026 at 146 2nd Street North on the first floor of the Palais Royale office building. The new space will be more than four times the size of the current location and offer a more immersive experience for visitors. Founded in January 2017 by Dr. Robert Entel, a local radiologist, the museum began in a 500-square-foot storefront at 730 Broadway in Dunedin.
Over the past eight years, it has welcomed more than 10,000 visitors per year from around the world. Despite having over 1,500 items in the collection, only about 400 to 500 are currently on display due to space limitations. That will change with the move to a new 2,100-square-foot space in downtown St. Pete.
Penny Lane will occupy 2,100 square feet on the first floor of the Palais Royale office building in downtown ST. Pete
The expanded museum will allow for many never-before-seen pieces to be showcased, including large items like Beatles-themed jukeboxes, pinball machines, and gumball machines that couldn’t fit in the original location.
The new location will be designed and built by Pinellas Park-based Creative Arts Unlimited, which also created the Saigon Blonde bar in downtown St. Pete. It will feature immersive lighting and sound effects that transport visitors back to the Beatles’ Liverpool roots. A timeline of the band’s evolution will guide guests through their journey from the Cavern Club to global superstardom.
Guests will find a wide range of memorabilia, such as autographed guitars, signed documents, Beatles toys, posters, pins, and even strands of the Beatles’ hair. A serape once owned by Ringo Starr is also part of the collection. The museum was co-founded by Colin Bissett, a Liverpool native who went to school with Pete Best’s brother. Best was the Beatles’ original drummer before Ringo Starr joined the band.
Dr. Robert Entel, Founder of Penny Lane, the Ultimate Beatles Museum. Dr. Entel began collecting Beatles memorabilia in 1982. Since then, he has built a one-of-a-kind collection that celebrates the music, fashion, culture, and impact of the Beatles.
“The Beatles weren’t just a band. They were a revolution,” said Entel in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “They changed the way music was written, recorded, and experienced. We want to preserve that legacy for future generations.”
Source: stpeterising.com
On June 1, 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono recorded the anti-war tune “Give Peace A Chance”. The song would be officially released a few days later, but the scenario surrounding the recording of the song is quite interesting. And if you’re a diehard Lennon fan, you probably know the story quite well.
Though the song itself is an uplifting tune against violence, some listeners found the song (as well as its recording process) to be in poor taste. The Story Behind the Recording of “Give Peace a Chance”
“Give Peace A Chance” was originally written by John Lennon alone, though it was credited to Lennon–McCartney. The tune was written while Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, staged their famous “bed-in” honeymoon in Montreal, Canada. This, specifically, is where the controversy comes in.
The title of the song came from a phrase that Lennon would say when asked by reporters what the purpose of the bed-in was: “Just give peace a chance.” Fans of Lennon thought that the stunt, which involved the pair simply sitting in bed on two separate occasions for about a week at a time, was a solid nonviolent protest against the Vietnam War. Many critics at the time called the song that came from the stunt “clever.”
Source: americansongwriter.com/Em Casalena
The 82-year-old singer-songwriter found fame in the 1960s and has gone on to release a number of hits including Live and Let Die and Let It Be. Now, Paul works as the lead patron of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA).
In his role, the Wings frontman still visits the educational facility to support the students on their graduation day. Another person who works at LIPA is David Stark who shared with The Mirror US Paul's commitment to the students.
"For the last 20 years I've been involved with LIPA, which Paul is the patron of, and he was instrumental in getting that off the ground in the early 90s," Stark explained. He continued, "They have the graduation day every year in July and I give out the same writing advice every year. And Paul's always there. So he makes a big effort."
Paul also holds one-on-one sessions with the songwriting students before their graduation, according to Stark. He explained, "He'll sit down with each of them for half an hour or so to talk about their songs. He's great. He really is."
He continued, "He makes a big effort and I'm very proud to work with him." Stark has met Paul several times and shared what he's really like when the cameras aren't on him.
"I met him many times and he's just a great guy," Stark told us. "And, you know, not all people realize that he does all this on the side and he makes a big effort."
He continued, "He's very open. He'll talk. He's happy to talk to students or kids or anybody. He's very encouraging. He really is. And, you know, he's going to be 83 in June. That's amazing."
Paul isn't the only member of The Beatles Stark has connections to. Shortly after the death of John Lennon, he met the singer's aunt, Mimi Smith. Recalling his meeting with Mimi, Stark told us, "I really got on with her."
Source: themirror.com/Scarlett O'Toole
He explained how they'd been introduced by a mutual friend who was visiting Mimi at the time. Stark remembered clearly what he and Mimi talked about, with John's aunt telling him everything about the musician's early life.
"She's telling me everything about John and his early life. You know, how he was wise and gabby when he was a kid," he explained. Mimi also showed Stark all of John's old school exercise books, as well as his school tie and cap.
Artwork from more than 100 records will be displayed at Lincoln Castle from Thursday 5 June to Sunday 24 August.
They will include The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Duran Duran's Rio, and Elvis Presley's eponymous debut album from 1956.
The exhibition, called Playback: Art of the Album Sleeve, will also include contributions from some of the designers behind the covers.
Malcolm Garrett, who created covers for Buzzcocks, Duran Duran and Peter Gabriel, and Mark Farrow, the man behind sleeves for the Pet Shop Boys, is among the artists who have taken part in a film about their inspirations.
Kimberley Vickers, the castle's general manager, said: "Album art is so much more than packaging – these iconic covers have become era-defining images that have shaped popular culture."
The exhibition, which will be on display in the Victorian prison at the castle, will be free for annual pass holders and included in the price of a day ticket.
Source: Paul Johnson/bbc.com
On this day in 1967, The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, a boundary-pushing record that redefined what a rock album could be. With psychedelic sounds, orchestral arrangements and a concept-driven structure, Sgt. Pepper’s quickly climbed to No. 1 on the charts and is now widely considered one of the most influential albums of all time.
Another transformative moment came on June 1, 1974, when Dr. Henry Heimlich first published details of his abdominal thrust technique — now known as the Heimlich maneuver — in the journal Emergency Medicine. The method, which helps choking victims by dislodging food from the airway, has since been credited with saving thousands of lives. June 1 has since been recognized as National Heimlich Maneuver Day.
June 1 also marks World Milk Day, created by the United Nations in 2001 to recognize the importance of milk in global nutrition. The day is now celebrated in more than 80 countries, highlighting the role of dairy in agriculture, health and economic development.
If that’s not enough, history buffs might raise a glass of Scotch today in honor of a 1495 entry in Scottish records, marking the first known written reference to whisky, according to the History Channel. A monk named John Cor was commissioned to make “aqua vitae” — the water of life — at Lindores Abbey.
Source: cleveland.com/Molly Walsh
