Beatles News

Cilla Black, who early in her career shared a manager with The Beatles and recorded songs written byJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney, is being honored for her outstanding contribution to entertainment by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Black is scheduled to receive the BAFTA award during the Arqiva British Academy Television Awards, taking place May 18 in London. Black, like The Beatles, was part of the early 1960s music scene at the Cavern club in Liverpool, England.  After signing with the group’s manager, Brian Epstein, Black recorded a handful of Lennon-McCartney compositions, among them “Love of the Loved” and “It’s for You,” which became chart hits in the U.K. By the late 1960s, Black was a regular on British television, starting with her eponymous variety show for BBC TV, followed by long stints on the shows Surprise! Surprise! and Blind Date, plus appearances on other programs.

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If you’re one of the thousands of people who snapped up tickets to see Paul McCartney at Dodger Stadium on August 10, you may be in for a bit of history. McCartney may have hinted that he might be joined by Ringo Starr.

Speaking to KROQ’s Kevin and the Bean show, McCartney was asked if any of his many L.A.-based musician friends — singling out Dave Grohl by name — would be sitting in with him on that night. But McCartney chose a different name to drop. “It’s always a possibility, you know,” he said. “It depends who’s in town, who fancies showing up. But you’re right, that’s one of the great things about L.A. is that nowadays I have millions of people I know out there, not least of all Ringo. So, who knows, we might find a couple of them creeping up on stage unbeknownst to me.” If that was indeed a hint, it was so subtle that the show’s hosts didn’t even pick up on it. Instead, they followed their intended line of questions about w details

In the summer of 1968, the Beatles issued their first release on their own Apple imprint with the single ‘Hey Jude.’ A few months later, the idea for a side label, existing solely for the purpose of putting out more experimental outings, was proposed, which they called “Zapple.”

On May 9, 1969, two Beatles-related releases, George Harrison‘s ‘Electronic Sound‘ and John Lennon and Yoko Ono‘s ‘Unfinished Music No 2: Life With The Lions,’ became Zapple’s first efforts. The label was run by noted author, and resident hipster of the day, Barry Miles, who also happened to be a close friend of Paul McCartney. Lennon and Ono put their avant-garde selves on display with ‘Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions,’ which was, in some ways, like wandering into the middle of the off-kilter duo’s life at the time. Odd little ‘songs’ like ‘Mulberry’ and ‘No Bed For Beatle John’ were sung by Yoko while John noodled away on guitar. Si details

Experience music history at its best as one of the finest gentlemen of the music world and 60’s icon, Frank Ifield heads to the Epstein Theatre. In an “in conversation” event he narrates his rise to stardom and is joined on stage by a musician and a singer who will perform a selection of great songs from the era.

 Frank came from humble beginnings; singing in Coventry bomb shelters during the war and, after a rollercoaster journey, climbed the ranks of the music industry. Eventually topping the bill at Wembley Stadium and at Royal Command Performances and enjoyed success with four number one singles I Remember You, Lovesick Blues, Wayward Wind and I’m Confessin’. In this special evening, on Wednesday 28th May 2014, Frank will tell the stories behind his rise to fame, what life was like in the heady days of the ‘60s through to the day it all went bad - when he heard he would never sing again. Audiences will laugh with him as he re details

On the eve of the new leg of Paul’s massive worldwide ‘Out There’ tour, due to commence in Tokyo on 17th May with two massive sold out shows at Tokyo’s National Stadium, Paul has announced a special one off show at the Nippon Budokan on Wednesday May 21st.

Almost 48 years since The Beatles began the Asian leg of their 1966 tour at the Budokan, Paul will return to the legendary venue with his current tour. Speaking about his return Paul said: “It’s very exciting to be returning to the Budokan because it is a very special place and was the first place we played in Japan. There was a lot of controversy at the time but I now know that it is a regular venue for a lot of people. But for me it has a very special place in my memory.” A combination of fans and protestors meant that the 1966 shows were heavily guarded and the only people allowed on the venue floor for the concerts were security and accredited journalists. At the time Paul and the ban details

A guitar owned by George Harrison is heading to auction along with other Beatles and rock memorabilia. The Julien's Auctions sale is May 17 at the Hard Rock Cafe in Manhattan. The 1962 Rickenbacker 425 is estimated to bring up to $600,000.

Harrison bought the guitar in 1963 at Fenton's Music store in Mount Vernon, Illinois. He had gone there to visit his sister. He had the guitar refinished from a Fireglo red to black to match John Lennon's Rickenbacker. The auction also has a "Beatles '65" album signed by the Fab Four. It could bring up to $300,000. The auction house says any albums signed after Beatlemania began in 1964 are extremely rare.

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Paul McCartney has admitted he didn't realise he'd fired up a Nirvana reunion until he, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear had been jamming for more than an hour. The former Beatle had been invited by Grohl to make music for his 2013 movie Sound City, but couldn't decide what to contribute when he arrived for the recording session.

McCartney tells Radio.com: "Dave said, ‘Should we do an old rock'n'roll song?’ A couple of the ones he mentioned I’d done with the Beatles. I said, ‘I don’t want to try to top those.’ "I started kicking around and Dave jumped in on drums – there was no way there wasn’t going to be any chemistry. Then Krist and Pat started playing alongside us, and we suddenly had a big thing going. It was all over in about three hours. All of us had a complete blast." The revelation that he was playing with the surviving members of Kurt Cobain's band only hit him midway through. "I didn't know I was in a Nirvana reunion," he says. "It was only when I heard them talking, 'Hey, we hadn't this details

The home of Johnny Jones is quiet and plain from the outside. The only movement on this spring day comes from leaves skittering on the long and winding road that leads to the Tudor-style house.

But inside, the house is vibrating. On this day, as with most, it’s from a track by the iconic British band The Beatles. Jones is an extreme Beatles fan. He’s not alone, but few have gone to the length Jones has. Using paint, furnishings, murals and memorabilia, Jones has turned his Lakewood home into a temple devoted to The Beatles, classic rock and pop culture. Jones became a fan of The Beatles at the age of 3 when he heard “A Hard Day’s Night.” Now 51, he’s still just as obsessed. He’s been to the birthplace of the Beatles — Liverpool, England — three times. “Some people go to Jerusalem, I go there,” Jones says. He doesn’t dress like the Beatles, he is quick to point out. But he’d be forgiven if he did. Jones plays keyboard and guitar in a Beatles tribute band, Apple Jam. The name is a nod to The Beatles&rsq details

Sean Lennon has branded plans to clone his father John Lennon from Dna extracted from the late rocker's teeth as "bizarre, futuristic and dystopian". Last year (13) Canadian dentist Michael Zuk handed a rotten molar from The Beatles legend to scientists so they could extract Lennon's unique genetic code.

Zuk - who purchased the tooth for $30,000 (£20,000) - hopes experts will one day be able to clone the Imagine singer. However, Lennon's son Sean is unsure of the project and hinted it could end up the subject of legal action. He tells Nme magazine, "It's interesting thinking about what rights we have over our discarded Dna. Cloning in general is a legal area that's bizarre, futuristic and dystopian - and this about my dad's tooth definitely falls into that category."

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Ever wondered what you should talk about if you bumped into Sir Paul McCartney, doing a spot of supermarket shopping in Heswall maybe? The answer is ... The Beatles. And don’t be shy about it either, because the man himself says he never tires of chatting about his Fab Four days. In fact, he wishes people asked him more! 

Being interviewed for the Kevin and Bean show on Los Angeles’s KROQ radio station, Macca admits fans can be self-conscious and hesitate to ask because they think he’ll be fed up of it by now. “I do enjoy it, it’s like talking about your college days, when you’re not in college anymore and there’s quite a few years gone by,” he says. “I’m looking back on it, it’s like looking at a scrapbook. People think sometimes, I don’t want to bore you, I don’t want to ask you a Beatles question. “I say, ‘No, it’s OK.’ “I could be at a dinner party and everyone is telling their stories, and I’m thinking, it’d be good if they asked me a Beatles questio details

Sir Paul McCartney treated fans and students to an impromptu Elvis style dance sequence as he visited the city yesterday. The former Beatle, who was back in his hometown to surprise students at his LIPA fame school as he hosted a masterclass for music students, was spotted looking refreshed and in good spirits despite only just flying in to the UK as he is currently in the middle of a world tour.

And despite being in town to host a music masterclass Sir Paul decided to show off a few nifty dance moves too. One onlooker told us: "Paul was in a great mood as he arrived at the fame school. "He made a real effort to greet the waiting fans, some of whom had been waiting since 7am outside LIPA to catch a glimpse of him, as he waved and shook hands before treating us all to a lot of Elvis style moves as he danced his way to his car. "He was actually quite good and the students seemed very impressed too."

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