Rock Around the Clock: The day The Beatles came to town

It was the day The Beatles came to town.

The music icons appeared at the Princess Theatre on Sunday, August 18, 1963, on one of Bernard Delfont’s Sunday shows.

In December 1961 the Beatles returned from Hamburg where they had been playing on and off since 1958 and where they had perfected their stage presentation and written a lot of the songs that later became hit records. 

On one occasion in November 1960 they were deported because George Harrison was under age, being only 17, and you had to be 18 to get a work permit. He had falsely upped his age on the application forms. 

On their return from Hamburg their manager Brian Epstein, who owned a local music shop in Liverpool, arranged a recording audition in London with Decca Records on Monday, January 1, 1962, with Pete Best on drums. They played 17 songs in one hour, including some of their own songs that later became hit records. They were refused a contract, Brian being told that guitar groups were on the way out.  Decca instead signed Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, who auditioned on the same day.

The 17 numbers that the Beatles recorded on that day were released in 1995 by Deeca as a compilation album and Pete Best, who was the drummer on those recordings, also received royalties.

In June 1962 Brian arranged an audition for them with EMI records at Abbey Road Studios in London.

With George Martin, he saw the talent in them that Decca hadn’t, and EMI signed them, producing the world’s greatest pop recording music team. 

While all this was going on, Brian had to find work for them. They played mostly at The Cavern Club in Liverpool and around the north, where they were well known.

By 1962 I had a string of small rock dance halls in Devon and Cornwall, active especially in the summer months using local bands.

Word got around up country and I was inundated by up country band managers and agents requesting me to book their bands for West Country tours. I would take groups for a week’s run and pay £100 a week and they would supply their own petrol and accommodation. Northern bands loved to come to the South West in the summer, with beaches, surfing, sunshine and girls on holiday.

I had a call from a Brian Epstein saying had this band called The Beatles who were well known up country and wanted them to work down south.

He said they had made a record that was being released in the autumn and it would be a big hit. Well, all managers said that, and most of them never made it.

I told him to send the details and it was £100 a week. Well, this cheeky chap said he wanted £150 a week. I told him it was £100 or forget it, which he did. For the sake of £50 I missed out on spending a week or more with The Beatles in the summer of 1962.

If they had come, they would have definitely played at the Town Hall as a support band to one of the named bands that were playing there that summer. 

Well, you can’t win them all ...

I did get to meet them later when they appeared in Plymouth on November 13 on their 1964 UK tour.

At the time I was just starting to publish a fortnightly pop magazine called South West Scene.

I went to Plymouth with my photographer Michael Dadly to get an interview and photos for the magazine, which I did, and the article went in the first edition’s centre and back pages.

I didn’t mention how they missed out on a summer visit in 1962. They were fun to have met up with.

In my next chat, I will be talking about when The Rolling Stones came to Torquay. Until then, enjoy your music and stay safe.