How would you like to own a home once lived in by a Beatle?
That’s what a New Hampshire second-generation Beatles fan, Ken Lambert, pondered this past November when George Harrison’s family home in Speke, Liverpool went up for auction. On a whim, Ken put in his offer for £171,000 (approximately $223,00 US) which became the winning bid.
George Harrison lived in the home with his family from age 6 to 19. This is the first time the home will be accessible to the public.
Daytrippin’ recently interviewed Ken via email about his exciting new purchase:
The highlight of the Carpool Karaoke segment with Paul McCartney on The Late Late Show with James Corden wasn’t just the karaoke. McCartney gave Corden a tour of his hometown of Liverpool which made for some historic moments.
Beatles fans will soon get to go through the red gates at Strawberry Field in Liverpool, made famous by John Lennon’s famous song. Every year, over 60,000 tourists stop by the iconic gates but were never allowed inside to visit the famous grounds. The Salvation Army plans to change that with a new visitor center anticipated to open in 2020.
The Beatles phenomenon is one amazing story that John Lennon tried to sum up by stating: “I met Paul and said, ‘Do you want to join me band?’ and then George joined, and then Ringo joined. We were just a band who made it very, very big.”
That is one of the biggest understatements ever, because it was so much more complicated than that, and the story involves 18 drummers.
Neil Aspinall once said that “the story of the Beatles always seemed to be about John, Paul, George and a drummer.”
When examined closely, that is exactly what happened, yet nobody has concentrated on the story of those drummers, and the crises in the evolution of The Beatles that always seemed to be around losing, or gaining, a drummer.
How many drummers can you count that played with the Fab Three between 1956 and 1970? We have found 18!
In a new book, and forthcoming documentary film, Finding the Fourth Beatle tells the story of The Beatles from 1956-1970 through the 18 drummers, including Colin Hanton, Pete Best and Jimmie Nicol, and some you will not have heard of before. The book and film explore the Beatles’ crises, changes of musical direction, getting a record deal, and finding the drummer who would put the beat into The Beatles: Ringo Starr, the Fourth Beatle.
It’s hard to believe that there has never been a traditional permanent statue of The Beatles erected – until now! The new statue of The Fab Four was unveiled on Friday, December 4, 2015 at Liverpool’s Pier Head.
The bronze statue depicting all four Beatles in suits, topcoats and Beatle boots, circa 1963 reminiscent of their Live at the BBC album cover photo, was unveiled by John Lennon’s sister, Julia Baird, and Liverpool Deputy Mayor Ann O’Byrne. According to The Liverpool Echo, the statue weighs approximately 1.3 tons and was sculpted by artist Andrew Edwards.
The faces look extremely lifelike and the statues are a few feet taller than the real thing, causing most people to reach only the shoulder height of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr for photo purposes. John and Paul are placed slightly ahead of George and Ringo as they appear to be walking down the street together. The statue was presented to the city by the Merseybeat venue the Beatles helped to make famous, The Cavern Club.
The statue unveiling marks 50 years since The Beatles final show in Liverpool at the Empire Theatre on December 5, 1965. Sculptor Andy Edwards told the BBC that he hopes his statue will become “a place of ritual” for people to come together.
“The statue stands in loving memory of the best band in the world – the band that leapt from The Cavern stage to worldwide recognition,” Julia Baird said.
Daytrippin' Beatles Magazine 