The Beatles in Worcester....shire 1963

                                                  The Beatles in Worcester....shire

Given that The Beatles played just about every corner of the UK during their pre-1966 touring career, it was only natural that they would play some counties in Britain more than once. First performing as the 'Quarrymen' and later 'The Silver Beatles', before becoming simply, 'The Beatles', it goes without saying that their hometown of Liverpool was treated to more performances than anywhere else between the late 1950s through to 1963.

Some towns, Cities and counties were fortunate to see live performances by the band on more than one occasion, and my hometown of Worcester was one such City. The Beatles appeared live on stage three times during 1963, the year which saw the outbreak of 'Beatlemania', twice appearing at the Gaumont cinema in the city center, at either end of 1963. By the time of their first performance at the Gaumont in May of that year, they had already notched up a couple of successful chart hits, and made a few regional TV appearances, yet they were still not the huge pop sensation they would become by their final Worcester show in the same venue in September of that year. The Beatles appeared at Worcester Gaumont twice, the dates being May28th and September 4th.

The Gaumont in Foregate Street Worcester played host to many famous bands, singers and entertainers in its heyday, including The Beatles (twice), The Rolling Stones, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, The Everley Brothers, Queen, Mott the Hoople, Jimi Hendrix, the Small Faces, The Hollies, the list is endless. Every well known band from the 50s, 60s and 70s played the Gaumont, including David Bowie on the Ziggy Stardust tour.

The once grand Gaumont cinema/theater  eventually closed its doors and became a bingo hall, like so many cinemas in the UK. At the time of writing this blog, the Gaumont sits empty, looking very sad and neglected, and just a shadow of the great entertainment centre it once was. Plans are afoot in the City by music enthusiasts to save the cinema, and launch it once again as a prime music venue in the City. I sincerely hope that it succeeds and all that history is not lost.

The May appearance was sandwiched between a show in Cardiff the previous evening, followed by a show in Taunton. The September Worcester show saw the Beatles appearing on a radio show the previous day, 'Pop Goes The Beatles', and a show in York the following evening.

The rear of the Gaumont cinema Worcester, unchanged for decades, with the window circled in yellow which two Beatles were photographed leaning out of, waving at fans gathered below. Those dressing rooms hosted just about every famous musician/band through the course of the 1950s-70s, and many fans would gather below those windows trying to grab a glimpse of their hero/s (including me!).

This interesting set of letters and autographs (above) turned up at auction a couple of years ago. The three photographs feature the Beatles in Worcester, with Paul and George pictured near the Gaumont cinema, and two Beatles leaning out of their dressing room window to the side of the Gaumont. The same window is still present at the former cinema 60 years later (as seen in top picture).

Gaumont carpark entrance, off Taylor's Lane, Worcester, showing the area where the photographs of Paul and George were taken in 1963, getting out of the car.

 Despite those two famous shows at the Worcester Gaumont, it would be an appearance in a small Worcestershire town by the name of Tenbury Wells which would become the main Beatles talking point many decades later. The Bridge Hotel in Tenbury, aptly named due to its location beside the river and bridge at the end of the town's high street. The function room to the rear of the hotel held regular dances, often with popular live bands, and these events became part of the annual calendar for the 'Riverside Dancing Club' at the hotel. As an interesting aside, it was TV personality Jean Morton who opened the Riverside Dancing Club, and she is best remembered for sharing the TV screen with 'Tinga & Tucker'.

Numerous well-known bands of the period would be booked by the committee to appear at these dances, including such names as Joe Brown, The Swinging Blue Jeans and Johnny Kidd & the Pirates and Gene Vincent to name just a few. In 1962 the committee (spearheaded by Pat Lambert) booked an unknown Liverpool band to appear at their Easter Monday dance the following year. Informing the locals, in 1962, that The Beatles were coming to Tenbury Wells the following year would probably have meant very little, even to the town's teenagers at the time. The Beatles were hardly known outside of Liverpool and Hamburg by 1962, but as their notoriety increased later that year, and into early 1963, the committee at the Riverside Dancing Club must surely have wondered if their booking would be honoured, or a replacement band sent instead. The Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, was clearly a man of his word, and the band did honour the booking made the previous year.

The picture above is a 'then & now' collage of the exact spot that the Beatles were standing in April of 1963, with much of the period shop features still the same.
Above that, a poster which never was, simply my own interpretation. A piece of acrylic art on canvas.

It is worth pointing out that these were indeed very early days in The Beatles recording career, and prior to their Tenbury appearance they had released four singles records; My Bonnie on the 1st May 1962, Love Me Do on the 10th May 1962, Please Please Me on the 11th Jan 1963 and 'From Me to You' on the 12th of April (just three days prior to their Tenbury show). The single 'Please Please Me reached number two in the main UK charts and the single 'From Me to You' released just days before the Tenbury appearance was their first number one hit record, though it reached number one several days after the Tenbury show. Later in 1963 they would enjoy hits with such classics as; 'She Loves You' and 'I want to hold your hand'. *There are a couple of YouTube videos worth watching to see more about their Tenbury Wells appearance, including their support act that evening, El Riot & The Rebels, and these are the links,

Beatles at Tenbury Wells 15th April 1963 - YouTube

Before Abbey Road there was Teme Street - YouTube

El Riot and the Rebels - Blue Moon - YouTube     (This video features El Riot & The Rebels)

Beatle Venues - The Bridge Hotel, Tenbury Wells - I Saw Her Standing There - Danny McEvoy - YouTube   ( A short video about the Bridge Hotel, Tenbury, posted by a Beatles fan).

Just ten months after their Tenbury Wells appearance, they would appear on the American hit show hosted by Ed Sullivan (9th February 1964), and we all know what happened after that!

A blue plaque at the Bridge Hotel now commemorates The Beatles appearance in Tenbury Wells

The Beatles are believed to have stayed at the Swan Hotel in Tenbury, a short walk over the river from the Bridge Hotel where they were playing.

The top of the old Swan hotel building seen here from the river's edge, The Beatles would probably have walked across this bridge linking the show venue and the Swan.

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Some of the Tenbury locals, old enough to recall the Beatles in the town have recounted their memories in local newspapers and on social media. There are some stand out recollections worth mentioning here. Shortly after arriving in town, they took a stroll along the main street where they were spotted by several locals. The well known photo of them taken in the main street was snapped after they emerged from the sweet shop, with Ringo holding an ice cream cornet. I'm pretty sure that back then the pub opening time would have been 5.30pm and the Beatles were turned away from 'The Crow' public house by the landlord, who reportedly said that he didn't want those long-haired so and so's in his pub, and sent them over the road to The Oak.

Prior to their stage appearance, The Beatles enjoyed supper in the Bridge Hotel Dining room with some of the Riverside Dancing Club committee members, and one local recalls a very polite George Harrison buying him a pint in the hotel bar.

El Riot and The Rebels supported The Beatles in Tenbury; a couple of that band's members would go on to form The Moody Blues.

What was happening in The Beatles lives around the time of their Tenbury Wells appearance?

Three days before their Easter Monday show in the town , The Beatles appeared at the Cavern in Liverpool on Good Friday. On Saturday 13th April The Beatles made their first 'national' TV appearance, taking to the TV studio to perform on the popular '625 Show', for up and coming talent. The show was recorded at the BBC Lime Grove studios. This show was broadcast on British TV the day after their Tenbury Wells show. After the BBC recording, they attended a party given by The Shadows guitarist, Bruce Welch, where it is believed they met singer Cliff Richard for the first time.

The following day, Sunday 14th is understood to be their first time seeing  The Rolling Stones perform live, when they attended a concert by the Stones in Richmond. Earlier in the day the Beatles had been recording another TV show, 'Thank your lucky stars', where they mimed to the song 'From Me To You'.

The day after their Tenbury wells appearance, The Beatles headed back up north to record another TV show 'Scene at 6.30' for northern TV. On the Thursday following their Tenbury show, The Beatles appeared at the Royal Albert Hall, London for the 'Swinging Sound 63' show. Paul McCartney would meet long-time girlfriend Jane Asher that day.

*Several days prior to The Beatles show in Tenbury, John had seen his son Julian for the first time who had been born on the 8th April.

Beatles in Tenbury Wells; 60th anniversary 1963-2023

During the month of April 2023, the town of Tenbury Wells is recognising the 60th anniversary of The Beatles appearance in the town with several events planned. Most of these take place at the lovely old Regal Cinema, with appearances by The Mersey Beatles, Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn, poet Roger McGough and a talk by author Mr Lowe about his book 'Before Abbey Road, there was Teme Street'.

Publicity poster for the 'Beatle Fest' anniversary in Tenbury Wells

More Beatles/Worcester titbits of info...

The Beatles played the Worcester Gaumont twice in 1963, both concerts taking place after their visit to play Tenbury Wells in April. Prior to one of their Worcester Gaumont shows, The Beatles stayed in the Abbey Hotel Malvern (or so a fan from the time believes), and at the other show they are thought to have stayed in the Star Hotel, Foregate Street (now the White House Hotel).

May Gaumont setlist; The Beatles concert at Gaumont in Worcester on May 28, 1963 - The Paul McCartney Project (the-paulmccartney-project.com)

During one of their Worcester visits (possibly the May event), The Beatles (still fairly unknown at that time) did take a walk around the City centre, as they were spotted by several Worcester teenagers at the time. All four Beatles went into 'Skan's Barber Shop', where Paul had his hair trimmed, and an account of that visit was told in the local evening paper some years later by the barber who cut his hair ,  Worcester barber retires after sixty years in Broad Street | Worcester News

Paul McCartney had a couple more associations with Worcester post 1963, one of these being a private visit during his relationship with the actress Jane Asher. Paul had driven up from London to collect Jane's Uncle, Archdeacon of Worcester Cathedral. This was from premises by the side of the Cathedral on the 15th November 1965. The previous week, the Beatles had been in the Abbey Road studio finishing off the 'Rubber Soul' album.

The 'Quarrymen' and the Worcester connection

I did mention one other Beatles association with Worcester which I stumbled upon only recently when reading an interview with one of the members of  'The Quarrymen', the Liverpool band, formed by John Lennon, and featured Paul McCartney, George Harrison and John, together with another couple of local musicians, including John 'Duff' Lowe.

So what connection could Worcester possibly have with a Liverpool band, formed back in the 1950s?

The answer is that first acetate recording, made by the Quarrymen, in a terraced house in Liverpool which doubled as a small recording studio. Where local bands and singers could record their music onto a floppy acetate disc, hand over their hard-earned cash, and walk away with a tangible record. This is what the Quarrymen did in July 1958, in a small house/recording studio run by Percy Phillips. They handed over 17/6d for the one hour slot and recorded two songs that day, one being 'That'll be the day', and the other, a Paul McCartney composition, 'In Spite of All The Danger'. The Quarrymen, comprising of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Colin Hanton and John 'Duff' Lowe recorded what would become the Holy Grail to future Beatles fans.

Top picture shows the label of that famous Quarrymen acetate recording, with that particular song credited to McCartney/Harrison. Bottom picture is a 'then & now' shot of the Percy Phillips house/studio in Kensington, Liverpool. A blue plaque now commemorates the important part that this building played in Beatles history.

It was decided between the band members, because there was only one copy of the recording, that they would all take it in turns to have the acetate for a short period and pass it around among themselves. As Paul McCartney is quoted as saying, they all had it for a week, and then 'Duff' Lowe had it for thirty plus years! John 'Duff' Lowe later left the Quarrymen, taking the acetate recording with him, and John didn't pursue a career in music and eventually opted for a career in the financial sector.

That financial career eventually brought 'Duff' Lowe from his native Liverpool to the City of Worcester, and that elusive Quarrymen acetate came with him! According to reports found on the internet, John Lowe kept the precious recording in his 'sock draw' within his home, which he says used to worry his wife, as she obviously realised its importance. Around 1980, John Lowe made the decision to part with the acetate recording, and word must have reached Paul McCartney, because one day John Lowe received a phone call out of the blue from Paul offering to buy the record. A deal was done regarding the exact sum of money (rumored to be around £12,000) and arrangements were made for representatives of Paul to collect the acetate in person. The recording had been deposited within a safe-box at Barclay Bank in Worcester where John Lowe met Paul's people to hand over the record in person.

That famous recording appeared for the first time in public on The Beatles Anthology 1 album, and Paul often sings 'In Spite of All The Danger' at his concerts. Several leading record collector publications now place that Quarrymen acetate as being in the world's top ten of most valuable recordings! A recording which sat in a sock draw and was handed over to Sir Paul McCartney representatives in a Worcester bank around 1981; how's that for an obscure Worcester/Beatles connection. But connections to the early Beatles and the Quarrymen don't end there.......

The 'Two-Week Beatle; Chas Newby

Back in 1960, during the formative Beatles years, when the Beatles consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison , Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe, they had just returned from a stint in Hamburg, Germany. Bass player Stuart had remained in Hamburg with his girlfriend, but the Beatles had several shows booked around Liverpool, and needed a stand-in bass player. Enter Chas Newby, a friend of Pete Best's who was asked to take Stuart's place for four local shows, which he accepted. Legend has it that John Lennon asked Chas to stay on as the Beatles bass player, but Chas did not want a career in music, preferring to return to full-time education. According to several sources, this is how Paul McCartney became the bass player. But what became of a man who once played four concerts with The Beatles in 1960?

One-time Beatles bass player Chas Newby eventually worked for Pilkngton Glass, then later became a maths teacher.....at Droitwich High School, Worcestershire. Now retired Chas now lives on the Worcestershire/Warwickshre border, and believe it or not, plays occasional shows with the members of the original Quarrymen. This makes him the only Beatle to later become a Quarrymen member!

Interesting newspaper story here about the , 'Two-week Beatle' Chas Newby;

The Warwickshire grandad who used to be in The Beatles - Birmingham Live (birminghammail.co.uk)

 *Sadly Chas passed away aged 81 in May 2023

Coming up next....The story about the tour vans used by The Beatles between 1960-1966. 

So if you are a Beatles fan or have an interest in classic light commercial vehicles, watch out for my next blog which tells the story of how The Beatles made their way around the UK in the early 60s. Plus a run-down of several other famous bands from the 1960s, and how they transported their gear the length and breadth of Britain, putting on several shows a week.

Worcestershire History

If you are interested in Worcestershire history, then why not track down a copy of my paperback book,

'Worcestershire's Motoring Heritage' , published by Amberley Publishing. 

The book is a fascinating insight into motoring within the county, and it's many associations, such as the Morgan Motor Company, Auto-Sleeper motorhomes, Nigel Mansell, several Grand Prix stories and so much more.

Real copies, and download copies are still available from Amazon.

*If you have any memories of The Beatles in Worcestershire, then please leave a comment. Whilst I have taken great care to research the correct information for this blog, I'm only human and far from perfect! If you believe any part to be incorrect, then let me know. Also, if you were present at any of the Worcester Beatles shows, then please get in touch with any info.

*Beatles pictures on the internet number somewhere in the millions. The majority carry a copyright notice, but a large number are 'fan' photos, taken many decades ago, have been reproduced endless times on the internet as the original owner's name was either never known, or has been left out. So if you recognise any pictures used here that belong to you, then please let me know so that they can be credited as such, thank you.