Beatles News
An illustration of Paul McCartney sits under the words “Paul Lives on!” The Northern Star Editorial Board apologizes to the singer for encouraging false rumors of his death. (Eleanor Gentry | Northern Star)
The Northern Star Editorial Board would like to sincerely apologize to Paul McCartney, a musical icon, for our false Sept. 23, 1969, print issue that unethically speculated that he was dead.
A 1969 Northern Star publication shows an article speculating if Paul McCartney is alive. (Bridgette Fox | Northern Star)
In 2004, the Star finally decided to yield to the truth that McCartney is not dead in an article covering the sordid history of the “Paul is dead” rumors.
However, it has recently come to light that our infamous 1969 article was plagiarized from a Times-Delphic article written a week prior to our article. The Times-Delphic is the student-run newspaper of Drake University.
To the Times-Delphic, we sincerely apologize for plagiarizing your journalistic efforts.
Source: northernstar.info
Ringo Starr is inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame where he was the Inaugural recipient of the ... [+] Joe Chambers Musicians Legacy Award on September 24, 2023.
On Sunday afternoon, in front of an invitation-only group of friends and musicians, the legendary Ringo Starr was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame. While the Nashville museum honors musicians of all genres, with the names of many notable recipients on the walls, there was something special in paying tribute to one of the Beatles, and the man Peter Frampton calls “one of the greatest drummers of all time.”
Before the ceremony, Ringo graciously agreed to briefly walk a small red carpet answering a few questions from the media. He touched on his love of country music, noted he has three new EPs in the works, and when asked if he has any advice for up-and-coming musicians he simply said, “Just keep playing. I have grandsons and I tell ‘em the same thing.”
Source: Pam Windsor/forbes.com
The Beatles were awarded their MBE's on 26 October 1965
A complete set of Beatles autographs obtained by a firefighter who was receiving his MBE on the same day as the band are to be sold at auction.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr signed a book for George Goodman at Buckingham Palace on 26 October 1965.
He said it was for his daughter, adding "I don't know what she sees in you" - a comment later repeated by McCartney.
The signatures go on sale in Lichfield, Staffordshire on 9 October.
Mr Goodman's daughter Joy, now 70, said she had had the autograph book "tucked away for years", but felt it was now time to pass it on to a collector who would appreciate it.
Source: Caroline Gall/bbc.com
John Lennon used the phrase "a hard days night" in a short story that came out before The Beatles' song with a similar name. The short story hasn't aged well.
Ringo Starr‘s contributions to The Beatles get understated, but there’s one way they might be overstated. Ringo is credited with coming up with the title of The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night.” John Lennon gave Ringo a lot of credit, while still acknowledging he used the name first. Specifically, John used it in a nonsense story that hasn’t aged particularly well.
In a 1980 interview from the book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, John discussed the origins of the name A Hard Day’s Night. “[Director] Dick Lester suggested the title Hard Day’s Night from something Ringo’d said,” he said. “I had used it in In His Own Write, but it was an off-the-cuff remark by Ringo. You know, one of those malapropisms. A Ringoism, where he said it not to be funny, just said it.” John published In His Own Write, a book of avant-garde stories, in March 1964. For comparison, the film A Hard Day’s Night and the song and album of the same name came in July 1964.
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
1. Ringo Starr
2. Bob Dylan
3. Dolly Parton
4. Willie Nelson
5. Paul McCartney
6. Frankie Valli
7. Mick Jagger
8. Yoko Ono
9. Rod Stewart
10. Dionne Warwick
11. Brian Wilson
12. Buddy Guy
13. Barbra Streisand
14. Pat Boone
15. Dick Van Dyke
16. Neil Diamond
17. Billy Joel
18. Paul Simon
19. Chubby Checker
20. Bill Hayes
21. Bobby Rush
22. Petula Clark
23. Smokey Robinson
24. Linda Ronstadt
25. Dion DiMucci
26. Billie Jean Horton
In the last several years we’ve lost many of our musical heroes. Though it’s sad that so many legends are gone, we’re also fortunate that many are still around.
If you’re interested in the oldest musicians still alive in 2023, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s dive into 26 artists who have reached significant age milestones.
Source: Hope Davis/musicinminnesota.com
The legacy and fascination of The Beatles continues in the city - but not many know what it is like to walk in the same footsteps every day as a member of the Fab Four before their days in the spotlight.
The late John Lennon lived in his childhood home, Mendips in Woolton, from 1945 to 1963 and it was there that he wrote some of his earliest work before The Beatles rose to stardom. Living with his aunt Mimi, in later years it was Lennon's widow Yoko Ono who bought the house in March 2002, donating it to the National Trust in order to save it from demolition and property speculators.
The childhood home of Paul McCartney - 13 Forthlin Road - is also owned and managed by the National Trust, with many citing it as the birthplace of The Beatles. And whilst the sites continue to attract thousands upon thousands of tourists and Beatles fans from across the globe year on year, not a lot of people can say they have lived in a house of this historic significance to The Beatles story.
Source: Jess Molyneux/liverpoolecho.co.uk
Keith Richards has said that John Lennon and George Harrison would have fitted into The Rolling Stones in a new interview.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Richards opened up about The Beatles and the rivalry between the band’s fans in the sixties.
Richards explained: “I don’t think John Lennon would have had much problem fitting into the Stones, or George, if you can imagine that sort of thing happening.”
He continued: “We were the same generation, and we all loved the same music. When we first heard The Beatles, we were relieved that there was some other band in England on the same track that we were on. And within a few months, that track was the main track.”
Source: Elizabeth Aubrey/nme.com
The notion of a Fifth Beatle emerged when US radio DJ Murray the K joked about giving The Beatles so much airtime in America, that he should be considered the ‘Fifth Beatle’. From the early days of ‘Beatlemania’ the legend grew. However, the answer to the puzzle is clear: there wasn’t a Fifth Beatle. Instead, The Beatles’ immense success sparked the legend of an honorary ‘fifth’ member. Lennon, McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were the undisputed Fab Four. Nevertheless, here are the candidates for the elusive fifth spot.
A serious contender for the role of ‘Fifth Beatle’ was Brian Epstein. Manager of the band from 1962, until his untimely death in 1967. Publicly The Beatles addressed him as ‘Mr Epstein’ or ‘Brian’, in private they affectionately referred to him as ‘Eppy’, or ‘Bri’. Epstein wasn’t involved in the music. But he was nonetheless the key architect of ‘Beatlemania’. He expertly engineered the ‘mob’ of screaming fans that met The Beatles at every public turn and profoundly influenced their public image from their early ‘clean cut’ appearance to the psychedelic military ideal of Sgt Pepper. In the words of Paul McCartney, ‘If anyone was a fifth Beatle, it was Brian’.
Source: Scott Mclaughlan/thecollector.com
Over 250 unseen photographs of the Beatles taken by Sir Paul McCartney are currently being displayed for the first time at the United Kingdom’s National Portrait Gallery in an exhibition titled ‘Eyes of the Storm’.
Paul McCartney had thought that most of the images taken in 1963/64 were lost – until to his surprise, one of his P.A’s mentioned that they have them stored safely in an archive.
At the beginning of their fame, Pentax gave away SLRs to all members of the Beatles. Paul enjoyed experimenting with the camera the most and started snapping candid and posed shots of the band while jamming, recording, relaxing backstage and on tour.
McCartney commented: “The truth is, I have always been interested in photography, from the time I was very young, when our family owned a little box camera in the 1950s. I use to love the whole process of loading a roll of Kodak film into our Brownie camera.”
Source: Tim Levy /capturemag.com.au
From his early days with the Beatles to a stellar solo career that has spanned decades, Sir Paul McCartney has secured his place as a music giant. The legendary musician is a touchstone of popular culture, but there’s more to McCartney than meets the eye—and the ear.
Beyond the iconic hits and the headline-grabbing moments, McCartney’s journey reveals a multifaceted artist who has deftly navigated the changing tides of the music industry while continuing to redefine his artistry.
It is with that in mind that we’re setting aside the familiar narratives and diving into the lesser-known aspects of McCartney’s life that illustrate his immeasurable influence and timeless appeal. Here are five things worth knowing about the most successful songwriter in music history.
Source: Matthew Kayser/americansongwriter.com
