Beatles News

WEST End theatregoers are about to view him as The Man Who Made The Beatles, but for veteran Liverpool solicitor and ECHO columnist Rex Makin he was, first and foremost, a friend and next-door neighbour. From 1945, when he was 11, Brian Epstein’s family home was 197 Queen’s Drive, Childwall. Rex, who was nine years older, moved into 199 when he married Shirley in 1957. And it was to Rex that Brian’s grieving younger brother, Clive, and mother, Queenie, turned when the Fab Four’s manager was found dead in his London home – 24 Chapel Street, Belgravia – during the August Bank Holiday weekend of 1967. The Beatle Making Prince of Pop, as the Daily Mirror called him on its front page the following day, was just 32. An inquest later found that Brian – whose dad, Harry, had only passed away the previous month – died as a result of “incautious self-overdoses” of Carbitral sleeping pills. A verdict of accidental death was recorded. 

“I didn’t see this play (Epstein: The Man Who Made The Beatles, starring Andre details

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., July 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Music fans and critics know that the music of the Beatles underwent a dramatic transformation in just a few years, but until now there hasn't been a scientific way to measure the progression. That could change now that computer scientists at Lawrence Technological University have developed an artificial intelligence algorithm that can analyze and compare musical styles, enabling research into the musical progression of the Beatles. Assistant Professor Lior Shamir and graduate student Joe George had previously developed audio analysis technology to study the vocal communication of whales, and they expanded the algori details

Earlier this month Paul published his latest music video, 'Early Days', from the album NEW. To celebrate the release, PaulMcCartney.com has published a new photo collection bringing together shots from the video shoot.  “Paul’s scene was incredibly fun to create. It was just him, some blues players and Johnny Depp jamming on set all day. Patti Smith also turned up on set and hung out, which made the crew very happy!” Director, Vincent Haycock

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Source: PaulMcCartney.com

For anyone who wasn't alive in 1965, it might be hard to imagine what Beatle-mania looked like in Minneapolis -- but almost 50 years after the concert, it's back in the form of a special exhibit. For more than 20 years, the old Met Stadium was home to both the Minnesota Vikings and Twins -- but for one special night in August, it became the beachhead for a British invasion. "The Beatles were my favorite," John Andradi told Fox 9 News. "I've played music for over 40 years now. I played all their stuff. I fell in love with them."

Andradi was 14 years old when the Beatles landed in the Twin Cities for their first and only concert in Minnesota. Because of the pandemonium at the airport, the promoter didn't allow anyone -- including police or professional photographers -- on the field, much to the disappointment of 25,000 screaming fans. A few months ago, the son of the band's U.S. tour manager, Bob Bonis, found 32 photographs from that historic night in his parents' basement after they died. Now, those images are on display in the lobby of the W Hotel in the Foshay Tower -- and the details

Big, Grey and Smiling. Sunder, the former temple elephant is an unlikely celebrity with  friends ranging from the Big B to rock legends. But his international fame had come at a horrific cost. Sunder was filmed suffering abuse at the hands of his mahout at a temple in Maharashtra. When the video of abuse found its way online it resulted in a barrage of outrage from animal lovers. International celebrities, From Amitabh Bachan to Sir Paul McCartney and former Baywatch actress Pamela Anderson joined a campaign to free Sunder. The campaign finally resulted in his being moved to the Bannerghatta National Park outside Bangalore in June. Now, a month on, NDTV revisited Sunder in his new home, to find him happy and adjusting beautifully to his new home and new elephant family. 

While Sunder's story is one of the most depraved human abuse - but it is also an example of human compassion and concern. When we first met him in early June,the day he arrived here in Bannerghatta near Bangalore, he was stressed and uncertain, afte details

Some people mount John Lennon tribute shows and we listen to hundreds of wannabes and nowhere men in the bargain. But rare are the people who are drafted to chew gum and sing John Lennon songs because of an uncanny resemblance. When producer Gordy Deems was working at Chaton Recording Studios in Phoenix, he noticed the studio's owner and engineer/producer Otto D'Agnolo bore a striking resemblance to the ex-Beatle. Deems told him he should be in a John Lennon tribute show and then assembled that very show around him. "I told him I sounded even more like Lennon than I looked," said D'Agnolo, a notion Deems seconded when he heard D'Agnolo's own original music recorded under the pseudonym Caesar Bach. As one reviewer observed of that album, "It sounds like John Lennon trying to sing like George Harrison." 

"That was an astute observation," said D'Agnolo who readily admits his melody and rhythm ideas are George-influenced. "But I love John as well." D'Agnolo and musical director Deems are hoping lots of people love John as well now that " details

The Beatles legend recently headed to the U.S. to restart his postponed tour after a bout of ill health which landed him in hospital in Japan. It has now emerged McCartney has been taking part in secret studio sessions with a trio of famous stars inbetween his tour dates.

Perry reveals the group recorded together but he refuses to give any more detail about the top secret project, telling the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper, "It's the great ego leveler. I was in the studio with Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp, playing guitar, and the three of us are looking at each other like, hey, we're sitting here with Paul McCartney! And we're all looking at each other like open-mouthed kids. "Paul was really nice. He's all about business (when he's recording). At 72 he can still hit all those notes... It's a project that we're keeping under wraps for now. There will be (an announcement when the time is right)." He adds of working with McCartney, "I met him once or twice (over the years) to say hello. To spend six or eight hours in (a) studio with him recording! He makes you feel like (you're recor details

Sella McCartney -- the British fashion designer and daughter of rock star Paul McCartney -- has once again been selected to design her country's Olympic uniforms, according to reports in the British media. McCartney was responsible for the Union Jack-adorned outfits that British athletes wore at the 2012 London Games.

 The Mirror quoted an unnamed source confirming that Adidas has selected her to handle the design work again for Rio de Janeiro in 2016. "Stella has been asked to submit her portfolio for official approval, but has already had loads of ideas," the source said. "She is very patriotic, and the kit will reflect this." After serving as creative director for Chloe in Paris, McCartney launched her own fashion house in 2001. She has more than 30 stores worldwide, including one in West Hollywood. McCartney also has a history of designing athletic wear -- including women's shoes, tennis dresses and tights -- for Adidas.

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They're already immortalised with a group tribute inside Cavern Walks, albeit one not all Fab Four fans love, but now there’s a campaign for a new Beatles statue in the city centre where everyone can enjoy it. And those behind the plea want to name it She Loves You, capturing the Beatlemania era and particularly the band’s 1963 all-time best-selling hit in the UK. The Liverpool Beatles Appreciation Society has earmarked two potential sites: either outside the Metquarter on Whitechapel or in Liverpool One.

And they’re hoping the billionaire Duke of Westminster, whose Grosvenor property company is in charge of running the shopping and leisure complex, will give it the OK. “We’ve heard he’s a Beatles fan, and we’d love him to give his blessing to the idea especially as we feel it would be of benefit to Liverpool One,” society chairman John James Chambers tells Insider. “It could become a huge attraction for tourists from all over the world.” The group was behind an original seven-year campaign, from 1977-84, which cul details

Two of the mystery Beatles fans in an early picture of the band have been tracked down thanks to the ECHO. We published the snap, which was handed to Stephen Bailey manager of the Beatles Shop in Mathew Street, showing a gig at St John’s Hall, in 1961 where the band seem relaxed as they pose with six fans.

The concert was the first after the Fab Four returned from playing The Star Club in Hamburg and shows the original line up including Pete Best. Sandra Swift, from Kirkby, said her sister-in-law spotted the photo in the paper first and identified her as the girl in the middle below John Lennon. She said: “I couldn’t believe it when I saw it, it brought lots of memories back. “I was only 15 in the photo and I’m 68 now. Sandra, who grew up in Seaforth and had the maiden name Thomson, added: “I bought a picture of George Harrison when they were at Litherland and got him to sign it. “I bought it for sixpence and I sold it a few years ago for £600!” Wendy Riley contacted the ECHO identifying the woman details