Tony Sheridan Dead at 72

Tony Sheridan, the English singer and guitarist for whom the Beatles served as backup band in their first recordings, died February 16th at age 72.

Sheridan met John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best in Hamburg's red-light district in the early 1960s.  The Beatles eventually served as Sheridan's backing band at the Top Ten Club and cut their earliest recordings accompanying him as the Beat Brothers on recordings of "My Bonnie" and "When the Saints Go Marching In."

In addition to his connection to the Beatles, Sheridan is credited with being the first British musician to play the electric guitar on television, and went on tour with Chubby Checker, Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry.

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