Beatles News
Former member of The Beatles Harrison released his hit song My Sweet Lord in 1970 through the band’s label, Apple. The song was his first ever single as a solo artist and was a great success. In both the UK and the USA it was the first number-one single from an ex-Beatle. The track was also the best-selling single in 1971. It did come with a massive amount of controversy, however. On this day, February 19, 1981 Harrison was ordered to pay more than half-a-million dollars for subconsciously plagiarising it.
The song was compared to The Chiffons’ 1963 hit single He’s So Fine.
On February 10, 1971 the publisher of He’s So Fine, Bright Tunes, filed a lawsuit against the Beatle for copying the song.
The legal battle raged on for more than two years before Harrison offered to provide Bright Tunes with a 40 percent share of My Sweet Lord’s royalties.
Shortly after this offer the song’s rights were bought by former manager of The Beatles, Allen Klein.
Source: Callum Crumlish/express.co.uk
Each year, a few days before the Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy's MusiCares charity hosts a star-studded, invitation-only benefit gala saluting its "Person of the Year." However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's gala is being replaced by a virtual benefit called "Music on a Mission," which will be a ticketed event that everyone can enjoy.
The fundraiser will be held Friday, March 12, two days before the 2021 ceremony, and will feature special appearances by Paul McCartney , Ringo Starr , Mick Fleetwood , Lionel Richie , Carole King and other artists, as well as live and archival performances.
Bruce Springsteen , Stevie Nicks and the late Tom Petty are among the stars that will be featured in archival performance clips, while artists including John Legend , HAIM and H.E.R. will deliver new performances.
Source: 933thedrive.com
The first time Sir Richard Starkey, otherwise known as Ringo Starr, played with the Beatles, the crowd was so angry…they beat him up. Fans were so disappointed that original Beatles drummer Pete Best had been replaced that newbie Starr left the Cavern Club concert in Liverpool with a black eye. But Ringo Starr eventually grew on audiences worldwide, becoming one irreplaceable fourth of the Beatles magic.
Although Starr did not have much of a solo career compared to his bandmates John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, he was a multi-talented musician in his own right. Starr wrote the Abbey Road hit, “Octopus’s Garden” and lent vocals to “With a Little Help from My Friends” and “Yellow Submarine.” While some may call Ringo Starr the forgotten Beatle, we disagree! However, there is one figure of Beatles history who is often overlooked: Starr’s first wife, Maureen Starkey Tigrett (née Maureen Cox.) So, what’s the story behind the mother of Ringo Starr’s three children?
Source: Emily Mack/rare.us
Between 1960 and 1970, the Beatles became the bestselling musical act of all time, won over millions of fans across the world, and released some of the most beautiful music ever created. They’re one of the few bands who were so immensely popular that after they broke up, each member continued a wildly successful career as a solo artist.
After the Fab Four had been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame collectively, all of them ended up being inducted separately, too. The music of the Beatles has made for some great movie moments, but the music of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr has also been included quite often.
10 “Wah-Wah” In American Made
In telling the story of Barry Seal, a pilot who worked for both Pablo Escobar and the U.S. government at the same time, Doug Liman was heavily influenced by the frenetic style of Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas.
This meant that the soundtrack of American Made was filled with classic pop and rock hits. George Harrison’s “Wah-Wah” plays over the movie’s bittersweet ending.
Source: Ben Sherlock/screenrant.com
A rare contact sheet of candid photos of John Lennon and Yoko Ono exploring New York City in the 1970s has emerged for sale.
The Beatle and his artist wife are seen posing in front of a statue at a park in one of the throwback black and white images.
In others they also take turns listening to the ground using a stethoscope.
The couple stoop down together in this image from the collection taken in New York City, possibly for Lennon's Imagine album, released about three months after these images were taken by the photographer who also took the iconic image of the Beatles crossing Abbey Road
Lennon, then aged 31, is in a casual shirt and trousers, while Ono, who was seven years older, is in a dark top and short shorts.
The 20ins by 16ins sheet features 12 pictures taken by celebrated British photographer Iain MacMillan in 1971.
He was close friends with the couple and stayed with them in New York that year.
The contact sheet is going under the hammer with auctioneers Bonhams, of London, at a price of £9,000.
Source: Antony Thrower/dailymail.co.uk
Yoko Ono and John Lennon’s love story is hugely famous, but not always for the right reasons. When The Beatles broke up, Yoko was often blamed for their split, as she had become involved with John and the band as a whole. Before John’s death, they continued to work together as a couple, and had a son together, Sean Ono.
Yoko Ono has spoken about how John Lennon was certain they would have a child together.
He had previously been married to Cynthia, whom he met while he was studying at Liverpool College of Art, with whom he had a son, Julian.
Despite this, he was definite he wanted a child with Yoko and even retired from the music world in order to take time out to raise Sean, who was born on October 9, 1975.
Speaking in the Citizen of Humanity magazine, Yoko said: “It’s a funny thing. John was so adamant about having a child with me.
Source: Jenny Desborough/express.co.uk
John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono spent decades apart from her daughter Kyoko after her ex-husband, jazz musician Tony Cox, abducted her at the age of 8.
When Japanese artist Yoko Ono first met John Lennon in 1966, she was already married, as was he. The two fell in love, and Ono divorced her then-husband jazz musician Anthony Cox, with whom she shared a daughter.
A vicious custody battle ensued, and Cox resolved the issue by abducting their 8-year-old daughter Kyoko Ono Cox. Cox joined a cult and vanished with little Kyoko, and it would be 23 years before Ono saw her daughter again.
At first, Lennon explained, it seemed as if Ono's divorce from Cox would be amicable, and no formal custody agreement was filed with regards to Kyoko. But as time went on, things soured between the exes, and Cox absconded with the little girl.
Lennon and Ono traveled in search of the child, from America to England, Denmark, and Spain, and finally decided to sue for custody in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Ono and Cox's divorce had been filed.
Source: Manuela Cardiga/news.amomama.com
One would think that, at age 78, Paul McCartney could just take it easy for a while. Not this Beatle!
Being the founder of The Beatles and considered one of the most influential musicians of all time, one would think that, at age 78, Paul McCartney could just take it easy for a while. Especially considering the current circumstances. But he wouldn't be where he is if he wasn't a unique person, and that comes with being at the peak of his creative abilities during a pandemic.
Last year, Paul surprised the world. He released a new album that he made entirely on his own, played multiple online concerts, did countless thorough interviews, and became best friends with Taylor Swift. Here are some of the highlights of the Beatle's quarantine.
One can only imagine how many stories Paul McCartney has to share about the making of his music, and last year he had lots of time alone with his thoughts to reminisce about them. That's why he decided to do Q&A to share his memories and entertain fans. His favorite memory, he said, was the recording of the song A Day In The Life with The Beatles, for the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Source: Val Barone/thethings.com
The Beatles' laid-back "Eight Days a Week" has become one of their signature singles: a widely covered No. 1 hit that even inspired the name of a band documentary. So it's surprising to learn that John Lennon, the song's co-writer and lead vocalist, hated it — describing it as "lousy" in a 1980 interview.
In the beginning, though, it was just another tune — the latest from a Lennon/Paul McCartney song factory that, by 1964, could churn out product with minimal effort. This time, the creative spark came from the titular phrase, which McCartney has most frequently attributed to a chauffeur.
"John had moved out of London, to the suburbs," McCartney reflected in the Beatles' 2000 Anthology book. "I usually drove myself there, but the chauffeur drove me out that day and I said, 'How've you been?' – 'Oh, working hard,' he said, 'working eight days a week.' I had never heard anyone use that expression, so when I arrived at John's house I said, 'Hey, this fella just said, 'eight days a week.' John said, 'Right — 'Oooh, I need your love, babe …' and we wrote it.
"We were always quick to write. We would write on the spot," McCartney added. "I would show up, looking for some sort of inspiration; I'd either get it there, with John, or I'd hear someone say something."
Source: ultimateclassicrock.com
Claims to fame don’t get much cooler than being told your bike was the one used by Paul McCartney disguised as a policeman to flee hoards of screaming fans.
The legendary escape was made after The Beatles played at Exeter’s ABC in 1964, and the bike belonged to Frank Mallett - the son of infamous Exeter professional photography duo Stan and Betty.
Their modest home in Hoopern Street was far from conventional because the front room was a photographic studio, the pantry was converted into a darkroom and all the photography glazing was done in the hallway.
By day Stan worked as an accountant. He was renowned locally not just for his passion for photography but also for having been the only Exeter person to be on Omaha Beach during the D-Day landings.
Betty worked as an RAC patrolwoman. She rode around on a scooter with a sidecar and then became a lecturer at St Loye’s College.
Their sideline business Photography by Mallett captured all the great music highs of the ‘60s when many famous names came to Devon.
Source: Anita Merritt/devonlive.com
