Beatles FAQ

On their first fan club Christmas Record (1963), The Beatles quote various secular Christmas songs: Rudolf, Jingle Bells, etc. But a single Czech Christmas carol forms the theme: 

Reluctant Santas: Beatles Christmas Show at the Cavern 1961 The gigging schedule for  December 1961 was the busiest yet. The Beatles had a single day off for turkey and flopping on the sofa in paper hats. The Beatles clock on On December 9th, The Beatles signed contracts appointing Brian Epstein as their new manager.  Weeks later, Epstein gave each of them a pointed Christmas gift — a travel alarm clock. Attached was a business card with the message: ‘My little bit to get you all on time.’ This alluded to their chaotic timekeeping — Paul McCartney almost missed one crucial meeting because he was having a bath.  But as Lewisohn points out, it also symbolized a change in their fortunes. From now on, they would be ‘going places’. Christmas 1961 — Beatles upstaged by BOXING NIGHT On December 27, the coldest night in a decade, The Cavern held a Beatles Christmas Party. It got off to a rocky start when Pete Best phoned in sick. Who could stand in on the stic...

John Lennon was brought up as an only child in practical terms, living with his Aunt Mimi and her husband, George Smith. He had regular contact with two (half) sisters - Julia and Jackie Dykins - named after their father, Bobby Dykin Two half-brothers on the paternal side were born much later: David Henry in 1969 and Robin in 1973 - see here .   Secret  John suspected that he had a 'missing sibling' from an early age. This hunch was perhaps based on overheard family conversations.  In 1964, the now world-famous Beatle hired private investigators. They found no evidence to support his theory.  It was not until Ingrid (formerly Victoria) Pedersen revealed that she was Julia's third biological daughter. Ingrid's story John's 'secret sibling' was the result of his mother's brief relationship with a Welsh soldier, 'Taffy' Williams, stationed in Liverpool in 1944. During this period, Julia Lennon was a single parent living in rented rooms with her...

John Lennon never lived with other children, but he had a total five half siblings. Two of these he never met while a third he only saw on one occasion.  

Beatles go 'capo-crazy' on Rubber Soul What does a capo do? A capo raises the pitch of stringed instruments, including guitars and ukuleles. They are generally used to either make a chord progression easier to play or to match the vocal range of a singer.  Did The Beatles use capos effectively? For themselves, yes. But they were not experienced in accommodating the vocal ranges of guest singers. Famously, Cilla Black failed her first audition for Brian Epstein because the Beatles backed her in a lower key than she could manage. Who showed them how to use them? Musically, they learned through instinct and imitation rather than the application of theory. They would effectively reverse engineer songs and then experiment. Buddy Holly was an early model, and Holly often played with one.  Lennon's capo use on 'You've Got to Hide Your Love Away' on Beatles For Sale is an example of the influence of Bob Dylan. In an era without YouTube tutorials to encourage accurate co...

The Beatles started by playing coffee bars, church halls and small family homes. By the time of their second US tour no standard music venue was large enough to meet the demand for tickets. So promoters like the legendary Sid Bernstein hired sports stadia.

The first pressing of Abbey Road had something missing

John bore a striking resemblance to his father Alfred Lennon was unmistakably present in his son's physical appearance But he only had a walk-on - or rather walk-off - role in his upbringing.  John would later tell Beatles biographer Hunter Davies "It was like he was dead."

Ringo joined The Beatles in August 1962. From the start there was generally a 'Ringo song' on which he sang lead vocal on every EP and LP. 

Mimi never formally adopted her nephew. He came under her guardianship following a complex sequence of events. In 1940 Julia Lennon gave birth to John. At the time she was married to the biological father (Alf aka Freddie Lennon) they were effectively separated. In fact they had never had a joint home together. Julia initially brought up her son by alone, working in bars and cafes to support him. In 1945, she had a second child, Victoria. The father, a Welsh soldier, soon disappeared out of the picture. This time Julia put her daughter up for adoption. A suitable home? Towards the end of 1946, Julia further scandalised her family when she took up with John ‘Bobby’ Dykins, a wine steward at the Adelphi Hotel. The couple moved into a tiny flat in which there was literally one bed. Cohabitation outside marriage was still a major taboo but would not in itself have been of interest to the authorities. The couple sharing a bed with a child did raise concerns. Mimi reported these to the socia...