Beatles FAQ

Julia Lennon  (née Stanley) gave birth to her first child, John Winston Lennon at Liverpool Maternity Hospital during the early hours of 9 October, 1940.  

  Slim Whitman with his Gibson - the sound George aspired to.  George tried to teach himself [the guitar]. But he wasn’t making much headway. ‘I’ll never learn this,’ he used to say. I said, ‘You will, son, you will. Just keep at it.’  Louise Harrison, mother of George

When he was thirteen, George was admitted to hospital with what turned out to be a minor kidney problem. As with Ringo, a spell on the children’s ward was the catalyst for obtaining his first musical instrument.  To cheer up his sick son, Harry Harrison agreed to buy a classmate’s Dutch Egmond flat-top acoustic guitar. Dutch Egmond Acoustic — George Harrison’s first guitar What George would later describe as a ‘cheapo, a horrible little guitar’ had a selling price of £3 ($4). This was a large sum for a poorly paid bus driver, though it would prove an inspired long-term investment.  Technical issues The Egmond. It proved very difficult to master, partly because it was poorly set up (a common problem with cheaper mass-produced guitars).  Progress was also hampered by an ill advised experiment. Curious to see how the guitar was engineered, George unscrewed the head — and was unable to fix it back on.  Abandoned in a cupboard in two pieces, the Ergmond was eventually res...

The first pressing of Abbey Road had something missing

The original pressing of Abbey Road  was a song short

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...