www.edp24.co.uk
Video: More than 600 people gather in Holt to sing Beatles classics
Adam Lazzari
Sunday, March 23, 2014
A tuneful crowd of more than 600 people brought Holt High Street to a standstill on Saturday.
Tom Appleton conducting the singers
Students and staff from Gresham’s school were joined by people who work, live, study or play in the town in a singing flash mob.
They sang classic Beatles hits Hey Jude and With a Little Help from my Friends as well as Imagine by John Lennon.
Holt High Street was closed during the performances, which were between 8am and 9am on Saturday.
The sing-a-long, next to Holt war memorial, raised £500 for Holt Youth Project, which helps young people to fulfil their potential.
Tom Appleton, music outreach director at Gresham’s, who organised the event, said: “To my knowledge nothing like this has ever happened before in Holt.
“We billed it as the biggest choir Holt has ever seen or heard.
“I thought this would be a good way of bringing our community together and it was really fantastic.
“There was a brilliant turnout and people of all ages and from all walks of life taking part.”
Mr Appleton is a professional singer who tours with the Monteverdi choir and a former pupil of Gresham’s.
He re-joined the school in September.
He added: “We’ve all raised a fantastic amount of money for Holt Youth Project and they are delighted.
“I’d love to now be able to do this every year to raise money for the project.”
Tom Appleton conducting the singers
somethingelsereviews.com
‘It’s just me and him’: Toto’s Steve Lukather on his fun new song with Ringo Starr
BY NICK DERISO
MARCH 20, 2014
Steve Lukather says he gained an even deeper appreciation for Ringo Starr’s easy-going brilliance at the drums while collaborating on a new song for the former Beatles’ upcoming solo album. Impishly titled “You Bring the Party Down,” it’s part of an as-yet unnamed followup to Starr’s Ringo 2012.
“We wrote this song, and it’s a really fun song — and it’s just me and him on the track,” the co-founding Toto guitarist tells us in an exclusive SER Sitdown, laughing heartily. “It’s a very tongue-in-cheek song.”
Lukather, of course, has been appearing regularly with Ringo’s All-Starr Band since 2012, and recently appeared with Starr and Paul McCartney as part of the gala Grammy-sponsored television special celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ arrival in America on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Still, this new session’s intimate setting offered fresh insights into the way Starr operates in the studio.
“He played incredible drums,” says Lukather, who is also working on a long-awaited new Toto studio effort. “He’s got such a wicked, swing pocket. Some people don’t appreciate how great of a drummer he is, and what he brought to the party for the Beatles with that unique style of playing. No, he’s not Neil Peart. But, it’s like I told Ringo: ‘You’ve heard the story of the chicken and egg? You’re the egg.’ None of these cats, and they’ll be the first to tell you, none of them would be doing this without Ringo. He changed the world. That’s just the truth. The Beatles changed the planet — and that’s a pretty heavy thing to say.”
As with his last two albums, Starr has been recording as the inspiration strikes inside his LA guest house. Joe Walsh, his long-time friend and in-law, is expected to once again guest on the project. Richard Marx, a former member of Ringo’s 2006-era All-Starr Band, says he has also contributed, as well. There’s no announced release date for the project, but Lukather says another round of All-Starr dates has ended up serving as a kind of deadline. “He’s working on it hard right now,” Lukather tells us. “He’s got a lot of really cool people. He’s trying to finish it before we go out.”
The All-Starr Band’s next 28-date run begins in June at Ontario, Canada and continues into July with dates in New York, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas and Los Angeles, among others. In many ways, Lukather is still trying to take it all in. “It’s surreal, wonderfully surreal. If you would have told me, when I picked up a guitar after seeing The Ed Sullivan Show, that one day — 50 years from today — you’ll be on stage …,” Lukather marvels. “Ringo’s my friend. We’ve become really good friends. I love this man.”
www.eastgrinsteadcourier.co.uk
East Grinstead busker reaches two million YouTube hits singing everything from Beatles to James Blunt
By Jo Gilbert
East Grinstead Courier
Posted: March 19, 2014
YOU may well have hummed along to one of his songs.
Perhaps you have dropped a few coins into his guitar case.
But you probably haven't realised just how popular busker Danny McEvoy is.
A regular sight in East Grinstead town centre, he may well be Britain's best-loved busker as his YouTube videos have just passed two million views.
POPULAR: Busker Danny McEvoy, pictured here in Redhill
A huge fan of The Beatles, he has covered every song ever written by the Fab Four.
This includes B-sides and album tracks, and has led to the 51-year-old steadily building up an online fanbase.
Danny busks in towns up and down the country, with East Grinstead, Crawley, Redhill and Brighton among his most common stops.
He has also sung Strawberry Fields in Strawberry Fields, Eleanor Rigby at the real Eleanor Rigby's grave, Rain in the rain outside Beatles hotspot The Cavern Club in Liverpool, and even Imagine next to the Statue of Liberty.
Danny, who is originally from Liverpool and a lifelong Beatles fan, said: "I first filmed myself singing I Want To Hold Your Hand.
"Then I did another Beatles track, and another, and then I thought I might as well do them all.
"It's taken me on some interesting adventures. I had to smuggle my guitar on the ferry to the Statue of Liberty because you're not allowed to take instruments there for some reason.
"In the end I only got onto the island because the guard was a Beatles fan."
Having recorded all the Beatles' songs, Danny decided to move on to a new mission so he recorded every single from the 1960s which reached number one, two or three in the UK charts.
With this accomplished he moved on to the 1970s, completing the same feat.
And last year he switched to hits that reached number one, two and three in the 1980s – again performing every single one and posting all the videos on YouTube for his fans.
Danny, who has been playing in East Grinstead since 2000, gave up a career as an art teacher two years ago so he could sing full time.
"When you're a teacher you can't be a real person," said Danny, who now lives in Newhaven.
"The school was never happy about my singing and my YouTube popularity so I decided to give it up.
"I'd had enough.
"It's ironic that an institution which is supposed to foster creativity ends up stifling it.
"I'm much happier now I can pursue my art and music how I like."
www.eastvalleytribune.com
McCartneys swing through Chandler on ‘Magical History Tour’
By Marshall Terrill, Special to GetOut
Posted: Friday, March 21, 2014
Angie McCartney and daughter Ruth have been Beatles insiders from 1964 onwards, when Angie married Sir Paul McCartney’s father, Jim, in November of that year. Angie and Ruth McCartney are coming to Chandler March 21 and will share their walk down the long and winding road of the biggest music phenomenon that the world has ever seen.
The mother-daughter duo, along with producer Martin Nethercutt, will host the “Magical History Tour,” an evening of live Beatles music, amazing stories and never-before-seen images from the McCartney family archive. The 90-minute multimedia spectacular will be interspersed with songs by the Mop Tops, the only McCartney-approved Beatles tribute band.
Liverpool-born Angie became a Fab Four insider at the height of Beatlemania, which powered much of the music of the Swinging Sixties. Angie often witnessed Beatles history in the making and documented her life in last year’s autobiography “My Long and Winding Road: My first 82.9 Years.” She also heads up a line of teas (Mrs. McCartney’s Teas) and helps Ruth run McCartney Multi-media in Los Angeles. She spoke to GetOut about her life and Beatles experiences from the inside looking out.
Q: What were your personal circumstances when you married Jim McCartney?
AM: I was a widow with a 4-year-old daughter, Ruth, when I met Jim. We were introduced through a lady named Bette Robbins, who was Paul McCartney’s first cousin.
When we first met, we talked a lot about our lives, our loneliness, our need to take the next steps, and eventually, while I was playing the piano, Jim came behind me, put his hands on my shoulders and said, ‘I want to ask you something.’ I looked up at him and said, ‘The answer’s yes,’ and he laughed and said, ‘I haven’t even asked you the bloody question yet.’ I guess that was as close to a romantic proposal as I was going to get.
We were married for 12 happy years until Jim’s death in March 1976. Jim was a very dear man, and Paul was a kind and loving son. He was very good to his dad.
Ruth McCartney, Angie McCartney, Jim McCartney and Paul McCartney (smoking their Peter Stuyvesant cigarettes) in the back garden at Cavendish Avenue May 1968.
Q: When did you first meet the Beatles?
AM: I first met all the boys when Jim took me to a Christmas show at The Hammersmith Odeon in London in December 1964. We had been married just over a month. Then in February ’65, we went on our honeymoon to The Bahamas, where The Beatles were filming ‘Help!’ Their manager Brian Epstein would send a car for us every morning to go and watch them shooting the movie, which was fascinating.
Angela McCartney (Paul's stepmother), Paul, Linda, & Paul's father Jim, November 1971.
Q: What was Liverpool like in your formative years, and what role did the city play in shaping the Beatles?
AM: The Liverpool of my early years was a busy seaport, but a hard and war-torn city.
Many people lost their homes to Hitler’s bombs, and air raid shelters were given free to poor people with a valid ID. At the outbreak of World War II, over two million people had shelters in their garden. By the time of the Blitz, it was two-and-a-half million. Raids were almost nightly ... The sense of humor and work ethic of the ordinary folks is still the same today as it was then — that’s what makes a true Scouser. I think the fact that the Beatles hailed from Liverpool played a vital role in their career because they had a great work ethic, were tough as nails, and yet possessed a great sense of humor and didn’t get carried away with themselves. Liverpool and The Beatles are forever linked.
Angie, Ruth & Jim McCartney 1964
Q: What can you tell me about the ‘Magical History Tour,’ the Beatles tribute show you and your daughter Ruth are producing, and how it all came together?
AM: I finally published my autobiography just after I turned 83, and launched it in Liverpool last year. This brought back so many memories of my young life both before, during and throughout The Beatles era. The show sort of evolved from there with a variety of great music from a tremendous tribute band, interspersed with snippets from the book, interactions with the audience and many of my memories, backed up by some great clips of newsreels and early television and family photographs. We did a test run about six months ago, and the audience reaction was incredible. It’s a very special evening.
Angie and Ruth McCartney
Q: What do you hope people will come away with when they see and hear this show?
AM: People will be stepping into a time machine. We want to take the audience from Penny Lane down Memory Lane to include the 50 incredible years (in which) the boys have created their music and influenced our lives in so many ways.
If you go
What: Magical History Tour, featuring Angie and Ruth McCartney and The Mop Tops
When: 8 p.m. Friday, March 21
Where: Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd., Chandler
Cost: $18-$28
Information: (800) 946-4452 or WinGilaRiver.com
• Read more at PressPassBlog.com, the source for Phoenix metro concert news.
www.forbes.com
50 Years Of Beatle Mania - Legendary Photographer Harry Benson On The Fab Four
Larry Olmsted , Contributor
3/21/2014
In January 1964 the Beatles toured Europe, having just become a sensation with the release of their debut album the year before. While playing a series of concerts in France, they stayed at the George V hotel in Paris (now the Four Seasons George V). The Beatles’ residency here was short but very important, as they wrote the hit “I Feel Fine” in their hotel room, a song that would go to Number One on both the US and UK charts. It was in the same room that they received the phone call inviting them to visit the US for the first time. They accepted, and 50 years ago last month the group famously landed to a mob scene reception at New York’s JFK and appeared on the Ed Sullivan show, watched by more than a third of the US population. The British Invasion had begun and the rest is rock and roll history.
The Beatles were not alone in their Paris hotel room or on their inaugural US tour. They were joined by legendary photographer Harry James Benson, CBE, who has shot a litany of global celebrities and political figures, including Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson, Queen Elizabeth, Dwight Eisenhower – and every US president since Ike. Benson has won countless awards, published several books, and worked for the biggest magazines inducing the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Life. He personally photographed more than 100 covers for People Magazine. Yet he is best known as the photographer of the Beatles, producing many iconic images, especially from that first tour. If you have seen the famous picture of the group enjoying a pillow fight, it was shot by Benson in the George V.
The Beatles half a century ago, composing songs in their hotel room at the George V in Paris, where they wrote the Number One hit “I Feel Fine.” Photo: Harry Benson
In honor of the 50th anniversary, the Four Seasons George V in Paris is running a photo exhibition of Benson’s iconic shots of the Beatles in the hotel, blown up and displayed in the lobby and in front of the bar (the photos accompanying this story are used with the permission of the photographer and appear in his latest (2013) book, Harry Benson: The Beatles on the Road: 1964-1966).
I recently interviewed Harry Benson about his original experience with the Beatles half a century ago.
Q: You were with the Beatles at the very cusp of their international stardom – did you have any idea how big they would become, or were they just another aspiring band?
A: None of us knew what was about to happen. Even the Beatles thought the excitement would last 18 months at most, and talked about what they would do afterward: John and Paul thought about writing scores for West End musicals, Ringo thought about opening a hairdressers, and George wanted to be a classical guitarist. But very quickly I knew it had changed from being a story about four young men in a band to being a huge breaking news story about how their music and they themselves were changing everything.
Q: What is your most lasting memory of that first trip to the US?
A: Besides the screaming fans everywhere we went, I guess it was going to the Ed Sullivan Show rehearsal before the performance that evening. As they left, John said for me to come along in the car with them and I photographed the girls up against the outside window of the car as we left the Plaza Hotel. When we got to the stage door of the Ed Sullivan Theatre, a guard opened the door just enough for them to get in without letting in any hysterical fans – as the guard was shutting the door in my face, John grabbed my arm and pulled me in with them.
The Beatles, weeks before their famous inaugural US tour and Ed Sullivan Show performance, reading fan mail in their room at the George V Hotel in Paris. Photo: Harry Benson
Q: Compared to the many other celebrities and VIPs you have photographed was it harder, easier, or different working with the Beatles?
A: They were all so young and what was happening was completely new to all of them. They all seemed to get along at that point and were not prima donnas in the least so it made my work easy. Paul I would say would be the one who got everyone organized if we were going somewhere to take a photograph. He could get things going. They were easy to photograph because Brian Epstein, their manager, did not impose any restrictions on me. He was terrific. It’s not that way today.
Q: Celebrities today inspire passionate crowds, but even now, 50 years later, when you see footage from the Beatles landing at JFK or their early shows it somehow seems different. Was “Beatle Mania” more powerful than fandom today?
A: I don’t know – there was Frank Sinatra and then Elvis Presley before the Beatles, but with the Beatles somehow the fame and hysteria hit a whole new level. Beatle Mania swept the world with television an important part of the communication process by that time. Reaching an audience of millions all at once became easy, and the impact was greater. But it all boils down to the music, their fabulous music. And the fact that they were four smart young men, with quick answers, new haircuts, Mod clothes, tight pants and boots. The entire package was unique – completely different from anything we had seen before, and it just worked.
Q: Your Beatles photos have become iconic and are about to be displayed yet again in Paris. As a prominent career photographer who has shot so many different people and subjects over so many years, why do you think these particular photos have stood the test of time so well?
A: Thank you for the kind words. The photographs were taken at the time their songs became number one all over the world. The photographs were taken every day for several weeks at a time and they were behind the scenes – not in a studio. They showed what the Beatles were doing at the time they became famous. And the music – the music is wonderful and withstands the test of time. John and Paul were arguably the best composers of the 20th century. The band is still number one on all the lists. The Beatles changed the way we dress, think, act, everything, and they affected all levels of society – not just the kids, but young and old alike. I am pleased to have photographed them in the beginning when everything was new and history was being made.
Publicado el 18/03/2014
By ALVARORTEGA
This is an advance of the new episode of The Beatoons.
Inspired by the Chiswick House's videos at 1965 for "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" the preamble of the psychedelic era of "Revolver" etc ...
The movie is in progress but we got this preview.
The Beattons serie searching for producers.
